www.hannasherbshop.com/" target="_blank">Hanna's Herb Shop, a long-time natural medicine store originally based in Boulder, has relocated to Niwot's Cottonwood Square, taking over the retail space formerly occupied by The Little Shop.
The store opened its doors to walk-in customers on Monday, Nov. 10.
The business credits itself as one the nation's first health food stores and was founded by German immigrant Hanna Kroeger in 1957.
Kroeger, along with her husband and children settled in Boulder in the early 1950s, and throughout her lifetime, she specialized in natural healing methods until her death in 1998.
The store's website describes Kroeger as unconventional, accomplished in the field of health care, and a recognized worldwide master healer.
"The very first store was on Pearl Street and it was called New Age Foods," said Niwot store manager Dorene Bishop.
Bishop said the herbal shop on Pearl Street sold a lot of Hanna's products, which were made in the store's basement, and had a restaurant on the second floor. "A lot of people remember that," she said.
Bishop said Kroeger later moved her operation to Valmont Road and the store was there for 30 years until recently.
Bishop explained why the store moved to Niwot, "The store that we had over in Boulder didn't get a lot of foot traffic and I know that when we changed managers, that was one of things they were concerned about."
Bishop said when the Niwot space became available, it was one of the locations management kept looking at and coming back to. "And also they love the fact that this town is such a community," added Bishop.
Bishop said the Niwot shop is also the location for the company's ecommerce site and shipping operation.
Since Kroeger's death in 1998, Kroeger's daughter Gisela Kroeger Hoffman and grandson Alberto Kroeger have continued her legacy and run her businesses, including operating Kroeger Herb Products, a wholesale company in Longmont.
Alberto Kroeger explained they moved the wholesale operation to Longmont and consolidated it under one roof because "it was all splintered up." Kroeger said the wholesale operation is positioned to grow with the popularity of herbal products.
He said he worked closely with his grandmother from his teenage years until her passing, particularly in operating Peaceful Meadow Retreat, a Boulder event center, noting that he continued running the school with the support of his aunt Gisela.
Alberto described his grandmother as "amazing" and noted, "basically she taught me to tell the truth."
Bishop said Kroeger's core message was simply to help one another. "She was always big on that, on having everybody help each other...so I think that's what we are here for is to help everybody."
The store carries three lines of Hanna products and also provides other brands and herbal supplements and information for those trying to achieve good health and healing through traditional and alternative therapies, including teas and tinctures, according to Bishop.
As a certified clinical herbalist herself, Bishop remarked, "I do know that people nowadays, they really need a place where they can come in and talk to...an herbalist."
Bishop said people often come in for the store's detox and parasite cleansing items, which Hanna Kroeger was known for. She said, "Over the years, those are the ones that kind of stayed around and that seems to be our most popular."
Bishop said the store maintains a list of practitioners who are trained using Hanna's products as well as providing information on the store's website at http://www.hannasherbshop.com.
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