New Apothecary opens in Rathdrum

Creating a place where people can slow down, ask questions, learn about traditional herbalism, and discover nature's incredible gifts.   

That’s the aim of Clinical Herbalist-Plant Medicine Practitioner Sandra Line, owner of Bare Root Apothecary, which recently opened at 14777 Highway 53 in Rathdrum. 

“I've been doing this for probably about 18 years now. I started my first apothecary brick-and-mortar location in Coeur d'Alene about five years ago,” Sandra said. “I grew up having all kinds of different skin issues and autoimmune-type conditions. Doctors and specialists couldn’t get to the bottom of what I was going through, so I started doing some deep dives into how to heal my skin myself and how to deal with the autoimmune disorders.” 

Sandra said she stumbled into Barnes & Noble one day, found some books on herbalism, and fell in love with it. 

“I was enamored by it. So, I started doing a lot of foraging and wildcrafting and getting really familiar with the plants that grew around me,” she said. “Before I knew it, I was not only making products for myself, but I was making products for friends and family and gifting them.” 

In 2012, Sandra obtained her aesthetics license. 

“I paired herbalism and aesthetics together and practiced skin care as an aesthetician for several years,” Sandra said. “It was great, but I found that I was constantly exhausted because I was constantly switching the hat that needed to be worn that day.” 

So, when her second lease ended at the building where she practiced in Coeur d’Alene, she found space in Rathdrum to run her business. 

“I live in Twin Lakes, so I wanted to be closer to home,” Sandra said. “This place is a lot smaller than my other location was, but for some reason, it feels a lot more community-based here. I see many of the same people every day. It's become something that I really enjoy coming to work to do.” 

She no longer practices skin care, however. 

“I put that apron away when I left Coeur d'Alene and decided to solely focus on the herbs — the apothecary and — doing herbal consultations,” Sandra said. “I decided to start a mushroom elixir and tea bar where we do moon milks and mushroom elixirs and teas and wellness shots, so people could come in and try all the different herbs.” 

Mushrooms, she said, are adaptogenic, natural herbal substances that help the body adapt to stress and normalize body functions. 

“I feel like a lot of people nowadays struggle with adrenal fatigue, high cortisol levels, high adrenaline, and high stress, and that's a majority of what I see here: people who are just completely exhausted, Sandra said. “So, I thought it would be a cool idea to bring in some of those functional mushrooms and offer them in a finished beverage. It’s kind of a spinoff of mushroom coffee.” 

Moon Milks are similar in nature. 

“They’re also adaptogenic herbs — ashwagandha — maca — shaktavari and tulsi — things like that,” Sandra said. “They kind of work the same way that the functional mushrooms do.” 

Sandra said the majority of her herbs come from local sources. 

“We wildcraft a ton of them. We also grow a lot,” she said. “If we can get them locally, I have small farms throughout the country I source them from.” 

Sandra said she will, on occasion, purchase some herbs from Mountain Rose Herbs, Star West Botanicals or Frontier.  

“Those are the three reputable companies that I feel comfortable purchasing herbs from,” Sandra said. “But if we can wild harvest it or grow it or be on a bartering system with somebody else that grows it, I'm huge on that.” 

Bare Root Apothecary carries hundreds of herbs. 

“I’d say probably close to 350 different herbs. I carry all kinds of herbal-based products, so a lot of supplements, extracts, tinctures, elixirs, syrups, and mushroom powders,” she said. “We also carry a lot of joint, bone and muscle creams that are all herbal-infused. We sell elderberry syrup.” 

Sandra said elderberry syrup supports immune function.  

"It helps stimulate your immune system before getting sick. And then when you do get sick, it actually helps to speed up the viral load,” she said. “So, it shortens whatever it is that you got going on.” 

Sandra offers an herbal consultation if you are under a doctor’s care before providing anything. 

“We go over whatever medications you're currently on and make sure that there's no contraindications,” she said. “We’d then have your doctor look over the herbs we suggest and have them cleared.” 

Sandra plans to expand her space to include other wellness services. 

“I connected with a lot of practitioners when I had my apothecary in Coeur d'Alene and a few of them followed me into this building shortly after I moved in,” Sandra said. “So, Aubrey with Sacred Grove Massage, Jennifer who is a naturopath, Hope from Onyx Therapies and Grace from Garnet Electrology, will be offering their services here.” 

Bare Root Apothecary is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Visit www.barerootapothecary.net for more information. 

    The tea and elixir bar features Moon Milks, Herbal Tonics, Lion's Mane Lattes and Mushroom Elixirs.
  

    Some of the herbs and tonics available at Bare Root Apothecary.
  

Now the TidBits    

New and Upcoming 

• Idaho Primary Care and Wellness opened a new location at 1581 E. Edmonton Ave. in Post Falls. 

• Pullman-based Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories is expanding its manufacturing operations to Post Falls. 

• Immersive Studio, CDA, a full-scale projection studio, opens at 216 Coeur d'Alene Ave. 

• Ross Dress for Less is coming to Ironwood Square in Coeur d'Alene. It will be located in the old Rite Aid space. 

• Crayon Box Child Care is now open at 245 W. Bosanko Ave. in Coeur d'Alene. 

• Government Way Antique Mall at 7352 N. Government Way in Dalton Gardens is now open. 

• Mor Furniture for Less, located in the Prairie Shopping Center in Hayden, is open. 

• Golden Rule Brake at 3637 N. Government Way is open for business.  

• The Crescent Moon Bakery at 315 E. Walnut in Coeur d'Alene is now open.  

• Dragon Fly Support Services, a mental health and substance use counseling facility, is now open at 601 E. Seltice Way in Post Falls.    

Ongoing Projects   

• A Goodwill store is being built at 750 W. Canfield Ave. in Coeur d'Alene.  

• Chase Bank is under development next to Verizon and Starbucks off Prairie Avenue and U.S. 95 in Hayden. 

• The Selkirk Center is building a new Health Care and mixed-use campus at Lancaster Road and Highway 41 in Rathdrum. 

• ATC Manufacturing Inc. in Post Falls has begun a project to nearly double its 67,000-square-foot headquarters. 

• Super 1 Foods is building a new location at Highway 41 and Prairie Avenue in Post Falls.      

• A new commercial building is planned for the Riverstone development at 1570 W. Tilford Lane and will bring at least one new dining option to the area. The 7,500-square-foot mixed-use building is targeted for completion in early fall.      

• The 33-unit, mixed-use "Nonna" building across from Post Falls City Hall on Spokane Street is anticipated to be completed by October of 2026.   

• A five-story, 173-room Hilton Dual Brand Hotel is planned for a 2.71-acre parcel of land off Lee Court and Appleway Avenue in Coeur d'Alene. The project's start and completion dates are not yet determined.  

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Have a tip on local business happenings? Contact Bob at [email protected].