Meet The Owner:
Jenn Bell
Jenn Bell found her path or rather it found her slowly overtime, after many twists and turns it began to take shape. Ever since childhood she was drawn to plants, spending hours barefoot in the grass making mud pies topped with dandelions till the crickets called her home. Summer afternoons spent next door with her grandmum sipping tea and helping in the garden or making quilts. She had the heart of a wild and free spirit but that spirit was dimmed by duties as the world got its hands on her, she forgot to chase her dreams and began following the dreams of others. She learned to do as she was asked and to not question or talk back to the man of the house. She had dinner on the table every night, ready for when her mum got home from work, while her father slept on the floor. The only girl in the house, there were different expectations and rules for her. These expectations, and finding safety in making herself small were carried on into abusive relationships. That is until enough was enough and little by little she began to choose herself first, to break the mold. She dropped out of college and went to beauty school, she wanted to help the world feel loved and beautiful regardless of status. She worked for Aveda salons and began to learn about chakras and essential oils. She volunteered at a local spiritual center and became acquainted with people who would lead her on the path to self discovery and life changes.
As she watched her best friends mum die of cancer, her mum battle breast cancer for the second time, and then her grandmum pass away a year later from ovarian cancer, she began to feel more unsettled in her life, she knew she wanted more. So, she began to search for what it was that would feed her soul, she answered an ad for a farm hand on Craigslist, and despite literally everyone close to her telling her she couldn’t do it because it was hard work, she became a farmer. She did it partially fueled by the nay-sayers and wanting to prove them wrong, and mostly because she loved spending her days out doors harvesting, planting, and eating fresh strawberries off the vine. It was hard work, but it was so rewarding. The farm led to more opportunities and she began working farmers markets driving a giant van to Staten Island every Saturday morning at 4am. Conquering yet another fear, and finding a love for those peaceful early morning on the farm while the rest of the world was still asleep, and the moon and stars hung in a canopy above the greenhouses. She went on to work on various neighborhood farms, for small urban grocery stores and moved to Philly, signing her lease one week before the pandemic hit. After a year and a half in Philly she couldn’t fight it anymore the call was too strong and she decided it was time to make a life changing move.
Jenn has always been fascinated by the wondrous world of plants. The expression of that has shown up in her life in many different ways. Whether it be farming, gardening, working at a juice bar and café crafting drink recipes, learning about healthy ways to feed your body and mind. She worked on a project in her hometown with parks and recreation to create a small edible garden. She had seen reiki deeply help her and the ones she loved move through trauma and became a level II Reiki practitioner . She dabbled in Herbalism with classes such as The Wild Within: and herbal class in South Salem, New York where she spent a weekend camping at wolf sanctuary making tinctures and communing with plants. All signs began to point to Arizona, quite literally as she was walking home one day and looked up and saw Arizona Street, One Way, in 2021 she packed up her car and drove across the country from Philly to Phoenix. After a year and a half of studying she received her certificate in Western Herbalism from SWIHA.
She loves working and being outside as much as possible, an office space feels too confining. Jenn loves cooking, photography, running social media, interacting with customers especially at farmers markets, though as a Cancer she needs her solitude as well which is where she ultimately does her best creative work. She is a wordsmith and enjoys writing poetry and short stories in the early morning hours from a deeply nostalgic place. It allows her to feel present a long with painting, dancing, and practicing yoga. This all taught her that she really cares about aesthetic and things looking just as good as they work, taste, smell etc. Her eyes were opened on this journey to how much the planet needs us, and that getting her hands in the soil was therapeutic, but that she still wanted to look good while doing it. She wants to break down the stereotypes and associations of what a farmer or herbalist should be/ look like. All in all these showed her where she shines, what she loves, and what she would gladly leave behind. Jenn loves being in nature, surrounded by her plants, reading a book, practicing yoga, hiking and morning walks. She enjoys slow mornings and calm nights with a cup of herbal tea or a hot cocoa and a Jane Austen novel. When she’s missing philly, a punk show usually does the trick. She loves the water, traveling, and creating meals for friends. Jenn’s life experiences and connections have all lead her here. She believes that we all cross each others path at the exact moment we are meant to. She also believes that their is a wild being in each of us that desires to be seen and released. She feels that once we take care of ourselves and our bodies we can hear that howl, and set ourselves free.