Mount Pleasant Herbary:
Student Business Spotlight

Gudrun Feigl welcomes visitors to Mount Pleasant Herbary, her community-focused herb shop and café in Wayne County, Pennsylvania.

An Interview with Gudrun Feigl
of Mount Pleasant Herbary

Are you called to create an herbal business that nourishes both people and community? To craft herbal products by hand, share your love of plants, and create welcoming spaces where people can gather, learn, and connect?

Gudrun Feigl (she/her) is an herbalist, educator, and founder of Mount Pleasant Herbary, a beloved herb shop, gift store, and café in Wayne County, Pennsylvania. Inspired by childhood memories of gathering calendula flowers and a lifelong love of herbal teas, Gudrun began selling handmade herbal products at a local farmers market in 2009. Today, Mount Pleasant Herbary has blossomed into a thriving Main Street destination where visitors can enjoy handcrafted herbal products, nourishing foods, educational workshops, and a strong sense of community.

Gudrun recently shared an interview with us for our Student Business Spotlight—a series featuring Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine graduates, their work, and the wide variety of professions herbalists pursue. Gudrun is a graduate of our Online Herbal Immersion Program—1,200 hours of our personal training in bioregional herbalism and heart-centered herbalist businesses. To learn more about the spectrum of herbal careers available, see An Herbalist’s Salary and Career Opportunities and Learn How to Become an Herbalist.

One of my earliest childhood memories goes back to my 3-year-old-self playing with my neighborhood friend in her grandmother‘s garden. We picked calendula flowers and put them in polka dot bowls, pretending we were cooking. Up to this day, calendula is my favorite herb.

When I was a teenager, my grandfather told me his story about how he survived a prison camp as a soldier during WWII. The prisoners of war only had water and bread available to eat, and many died of malnourishment and diseases. My grandfather, however, dug up dandelion roots and told me he was convinced that their nourishment saved his life. He told me this story about 40 years ago, and I will never forget.

When I moved from Germany to the United States at the age of 36, I missed the variety of loose herbal tea blends I could choose from in Germany, so I started growing my own. In 2009, I took my tea blends, herbal soaps and dream pillows to a local Farmer‘s market to sell. Today I own a Main Street retail store named Mount Pleasant Herbary – Gift Shop & Cafe. I sell my handmade herbal products, offer coffee, teas, baked goods and a small lunch menu.

What inspired you to study with us here at the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine?

I was looking for a program to deepen my knowledge about herbalism. I searched online and was drawn to Juliet Blankespoor’s personality. I was impressed by her knowledge, honesty, and her sense of humor.

Gudrun tends the herbs that inspire the teas, soaps, and herbal products she creates at Mount Pleasant Herbary.

What are three herbs that are essential to your herbal practice, and why?

I believe the world needs more calendula flowers – this herb is so easy to grow, and its bright colors enrich every garden. The healing properties for skin conditions and digestive health make this herb so special. I use calendula in a salve together with yarrow and comfrey, in soap, and in various tea blends.

Another herb that is important to me is tulsi, also known as holy basil. I appreciate that it can be directly seeded into the ground, and I love the smell of the fresh herb. I am impressed by the fact that it can calm our nervous systems without making us sleepy. It is the base of my tea blend called “Stress Relief.”

Last but not least, I also very much appreciate stinging nettles for the nourishment this herb provides. It grows abundantly in my field and has been coming back reliably year after year. It is rich in calcium, iron, vitamin K and many trace minerals. I find a cup of nettle tea very energizing. I use dried nettle as the base of my tea blend named “Summer Breeze,” and I also offer Spring Nettle Soup made from fresh nettle leaves at my store.

Today, Mount Pleasant Herbary offers handcrafted herbal products, a café, workshops, and a welcoming space for community to flourish.

Tell us more about Mount Pleasant Herbary and what your herbal business offers the world.

At Mount Pleasant Herbary you can find a variety of handmade herbal products, such as tea blends, soaps, salves, buckwheat filled wraps and pillows, deodorants, lip balms, bath bombs, and more.

We also have a cafe where customers can enjoy a cup of tea, coffee from a local coffee roaster, a variety of baked goods. We also offer a small healthy lunch menu that can be enjoyed sitting inside or outside in the store‘s back yard.

Every year we offer a series of summer workshops about soap making, tinctures and infusions, skin care products, tea blending and more.

How did you know this was the right career move for you?

My business started out very small with a table at local markets. The positive response from my customers kept me going and growing the business. I work very hard but enjoy the mix of interaction with customers as well as plants, and working with my hands making products. There are lots of conversations in my store while selling products which I enjoy just as much as the solitude on production day when I am all by myself in my workshop. My business brings me a lot of joy, and I can‘t think of any other work I would want to do instead.

How has your herbal education, especially the business training inside our programs, supported your business?

The program filled some gaps, especially in the fields of soil amendment and botany. It made me more confident regarding the creation of herbal products. I was also able to improve my knowledge about medicinal properties of herbs and how to use them. The foundation provided by the program makes me a better educator for my customers.

Gudrun first brought her herbal soaps and tea blends to a local farmers market in 2009, a small beginning that blossomed into Mount Pleasant Herbary.

What are the most challenging and/or rewarding aspects of running your business?

The challenge for me is that the work never stops. I had to learn to take one day a week off as a rest day, and to take vacations. There is always so much to do before I go away, leaving my business to my employees for a week or two. The preparation itself is stressful, but when I get back, I feel energized and refreshed, so to me it is worth the extra effort of taking a break.

As I mentioned above, the most rewarding aspect for me is the mix of interaction with customers, plants, and the work with my hands. It is very rewarding to watch my business grow over the years and to see that it plays an important role in our community. This year we received the green business award of the year from a local sustainability organization. It felt rewarding to be seen and recognized.

How do you engage with your local or online community through your business?

We inform our customers about news, upcoming workshops and promotions in a monthly newsletter. I hired a social media specialist to create several posts per week on Instagram and Facebook, and we have a website and online store.

We do presentations about herbs at local garden clubs and offer workshops for adults and children at the store.

We also donate gift cards and gift baskets to fundraising events within the community.

There is a community board at the store where flyers about local events can be posted.

Working with her hands to create herbal products like these herbal salves is one of the most rewarding aspects of Gudrun’s work.

What has surprised you most about being an herbal entrepreneur?

Before I became a store owner I had no idea what it meant to be part of a community, and it surprised me how much the store would grow into being just that.

When I started creating tea blends in 2009, I was not expecting that many people would appreciate loose herbal teas. I created those tea blends because they were important to me. The growing interest of people from all age groups in herbal products truly has surprised me.

Do you have any words of wisdom for those just starting their herbal education who are interested in starting a business?

I do highly recommend Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine. It is a thorough program that combines theory and hands-on learning in an entertaining way.

I started out small and did not rush growing my business, and I would do it this way all over again.

What is next for you on your herbal journey?

My business seems to be at a point where all the hard work has paid off. The business is now in a visible Main Street location with a steady stream of returning and new customers. I am currently simply enjoying the flow and buzz about Mount Pleasant Herbary. When I retire one day, I hope to be able to pass my business on to the right person who will continue to grow and provide a service to our community.

For Gudrun, the greatest reward has been creating a business that serves as both an herbal resource and a gathering place for her community.

We’re so proud of our students!

We hope this interview inspires you to check out Mount Pleasant Herbary and support a small, earth-centered herbal business. Perhaps you’ll find some inspiration for your own herbal business.

Connect with Gudrun via her website, Facebook, or Instagram.

To see what our other graduates are up to, and the wide variety of businesses they run, check out our Student Herbal Business Directory.