This is part three of a new series the Sullivan County Democrat will be running each Friday in February in recognition of Black History Month.

While opening a business during the pandemic might seem like a risky move, Kendra Payne, owner of the Herbal Scoop in Callicoon, is glad that she took the leap.

Payne and her husband moved to Narrowsburg from New York City two years ago looking to get away from the noise and reconnect with the land.

As a child, Payne says she was always outside in the backyard, finding plants and dirt and putting them into jars to create “science experiments.”

While she didn't know what an herbalist was at the time, it sparked her lifelong love for plants and nature and the power they hold.

Which brought her to today when she opened her shop inside the Callicoon Marketplace. She offers bulk herbs, blended teas, and self care items such as bath salts and salves.

“I always say that the Herbal Scoop is a place of discovery,” Payne said. “When you come into the space you'll see the way I organize and label things allows a person to look around and check out the labels with starter information about what these herbs might help someone with, so you can start to make some of your own decisions.”

She calls it “stepping into the drivers seat of their own wellness.”

Having experienced health issues since she was a child, Payne got into using herbs to combat her own ailments and also became a certified Yoga teacher.

“I really got into paying attention to the ways that nature and plants can help us feel our best,” she said.

She also studies with the Herbal Academy and is a certified clinical herbalist.

Finding a wellness regimen can be intimidating when there are so many options, but Payne wants to simplify the process and offer guidance based on education and intuition.

“Through my background, my personal experience and my knowledge, I honed it in on immunity and stress and the connection of the two,” she says about how she approaches creating remedies.

Working with about 100 herbs, she creates blends that are not only beneficial in terms of health, but are also easy to consume.

“I try to be as intentional as possible in creating some delicious tea blends that help support our every day needs,” she said.

She also reminds people of the power of kitchen herbs. Rosemary or oregano have powerful healing properties and you can incorporate them into your cooking.

The history of herbalism dates back hundreds of years, and Payne says when enslaved people were brought to America from Africa they had herbs and rice braided in their hair as a means of survival.

“Our story is so directly entwined with herbalism and yet when you look at the textbooks, when you look at who gets to be the pioneer of certain herbs or even what certain herbs are called, you wouldn't see black history in those stories,” she explained.

In her shop she has an ancestor wall with Harriet Tubman and Emma Dupree, an herbalist and healer whose parents were formerly enslaved people.

“You can't talk about herbs, especially western herbalism, without talking about the contributions of black and brown people in this industry,” Payne said, adding she will continue to connect those stories and share them.

In addition to her brick and mortar business, Payne also sells online on her website and offers one-on-one consultations and workshops.

The Herbal Scoop is located at 43 Lower Main St., Callicoon, NY. Visit www.theherbalscoop.com and follow them on Instagram.

You can listen to the full interview on the Sullivan County Democrat Podcast channel on Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Overcast and Spotify.