COWLITZ – Located in The Merk on Commerce Avenue, you will find Let’s Be Holistic, an apothecary filled with herbs, tea, and supplements decoratively labeled and surrounded by tiny woodland animals atop the shelves.
In the center of the store, you will find Shannon Mesneak, the owner of Let’s Be Holistic. Mesneak draws from her own experiences with stress and anxiety to help her customers. After trying western medicine methods with no results, Mesneak was introduced to herbal medicine.
“I was able to manage my stress and my anxiety and all of that just through the use of supplements and herbs and my nutrition,” Mesneak said. “I would like to help others the way that I was helped and so I decided to go back to school…I graduated in 2017 with my degree [in] alternative health medicine, with a specialty in herbal medicine.”
Mesneak helps her customers take charge of their health journeys while also keeping local products in supply to support her community.
“One thing that people appreciate about coming to my shop is that they know I only carry quality products and that I do all that legwork,” Mesneak shared. “The supplements in my store are all vetted, they all [go] through good manufacturing processes…there’s no fillers.”
Although Mesneak’s shop focuses on non-western medicine products, she encourages patrons to find supplements that work in tandem with their current pharmaceuticals. Let’s Be Holistic provides a learning experience and Mesneak wants to just provide some guidance.
“I just want to help you be as healthy as you can be no matter what decision you make,” Mesneak explained. “There’s no right or wrong answer. And there is absolutely no judgment.”
Let’s Be Holistic provides a safe space for those that want to learn about herbal medicine and for regulars who know what already works best for them. After a visit to Mesneak’s shop, chances are you will have learned something new or gained a friend.
