Athenas Garden

I hope to redo this post soon but I’ve been waiting for 15 minutes for the store to open up. This is not how I intended to spend my day off. I want to shop local and support this small business and I’ve gone out of my way to do so but not opening the store on time is unprofessional.
Update: They apologized for being 20 minutes late but they ended up not having all that was on my list. I will add more stars because I like having this business in my community and I know it’s hard running a small business.

This store is a local gem. Bill and Linda, the owners, are salt of the earth people selling quality product. The thing I love most is they really know their herbs. There are three things this shop caters to most clearly in my mind, I’ll cover them below:
Tea– The tea selection here is outstanding. And the prices can’t be beat. We don’t have a Teavana in town, and we’ll never need one as long as this place stays open.
Herbs– Another area in which they shine. Pro-​tip: Call your order in ahead and it will be waiting for you with a 10% discount.
Alternative Worship Needs– Candles, oils, cloths for alters, special clays and dirts, mortars and pestles; if your personal practice needs it they probably have it. If not they will happily help you find it.
The reason it didn’t get my fifth star is no fault of their own. The heavy construction in the area can make it frustrating to get to. But it’s worth the annoyance.
Drop in, tell ‘em Jonnie sent you. Pick up the adorable honey sticks in the front (yum!).

Excellent selection of loose-​leaf teas and herbs that you can’t find anywhere else in Tallahassee. Prices are low. Be aware when browsing the room in the back that you need to have Google on hand if you have questions like «What is war water? What does it do?” – they do not answer these questions themselves. This isn’t out of rudeness, but rather a desire to allow people to find their own paths (and possibly out of a desire to keep themselves out of lawsuits). Avid tea drinkers and those with a nontraditional religious/​spiritual bent should bring their business here.

What a shame… Wont be returning here anytime soon! I just moved to the area and was pleasantly surprised to find that this little hole in the wall carried Kratom. (Please, before judgement is passed about Kratom or disinformation continued to spread, do the necessary research, mainstream media demonizes it just like they do marijuana.) Anyways, I purchased some the first time around and it was «eh so so, pretty below average «the second time I figured «ah what the hell, maybe it was a bad batch » … I buy an ounce, open it up, take one whiff and come to the conclusion that there must be some mistake. I’ve grown Kratom, and I’ve done my fair share of buying in bulk from various credible shops over the country, and this stuff neither smelled, tasted, acted, or looked like it! I mean, NOT EVEN CLOSE! I was going to just toss the bag in the trash and be on my way, 13.00 dollars down the drain, but instead I figured I’d stop back into the store in hopes of figuring out if there was a slight mix up with my order so I could continue to give them my business.
I support small businesses and would rather shop local and spread money throughout the community, much like other people that shop here and shops alike. I know others who would rather support local as well. Well, I was met with the manager of the store who right off the bat was extremely defensive when simply and kindly asking if there might have been a slight mix up with my order. She was completely disinterested in anything I had to say right from the getgo. I simply and very kindly stated that I have grown Kratom, bought it from all over the country, and know quite a bit about it. Her employees couldn’t even tell me what strand it was or where it came from, they were totally clueless of what it even was. The only thing they could tell me was it was called «Red Dragon «(which did make me giggle a bit) I assured her that my visit was not of ill intent that I just wanted to verify what was sold to me was actually Kratom. At this point she got even more defensive, intrusively blurting out «go to a head shop if you want to get high «Completely taken back I assured her that I was not just some young and dumb college kid just trying to score some legal high. At this point she just stopped talking, basically saying «get the hell out of here «At this point I obviously and rightfully felt very uncomfortable, unwelcome and left.
I will never return to this place and will make a point to spread the word before others waste their time and money on a product that very simply isn’t what it claims to be. It smelled like a mix of several different herbs, lavender and mint were obvious. Its a shame. They may have other good products but a paying customer should NEVER be treated with such disrespect and blatant age discrimination. I am 24 years old, a fellow advocate of medicinal herbs and all natural substances to aid individuals in their quest for health and vitality. I shouldn’t be viewed as some burnt out college kid coming into a herb shop looking to score a cheap legal high. They lost what would have been a very loyal customer today.

They have the best selection of loose-​leaf teas/​herbs I’ve ever seen. When I’m there I feel like I’m in an apothecary. Everyone who works there is always very helpful and friendly when you can’t find something you’re looking for. They also have a large selection of new-​agey stuff, but I only really head there to pick up some delicious teas.