A couple of my favorite shopkeepers (spiritual gurus) have opened a retail location on Hertel Avenue. Ciara and Susan Morreale, the mother/daughter team from Her Story Boutique on Elmwood Avenue, are spreading their wings, rippling outward into North Buffalo.
The inspirational duo got the idea to open a location on Hertel after their “Her Story Hours” series began to be too much for their Elmwood location. The idea behind the “Her Story Hours” was to invite empowered women from Buffalo to come speak about their lives, in hope that they would inspire others to set out on their true life journeys. The talks/workshops gained so much momentum that Ciara and Susan began to look around for a place to accommodate the overflow. That place turned out to be Hertel. The new life-empowering boutique is called “Her Sanctuary”.
The beautiful thing about Ciara and Sue is that they set out in this world to make a difference. Have you ever heard of the saying, “Why not turn lemons into lemonade?” Yes? Well, this mother daughter team decided to take a few lemons that were handed them, and they stomped on them. Then they picked up the rinds and threw them out the window, washed their hands and set out to make a difference in the live’s of other people by creating sanctuaries of peace and hope. You might say, “Yeah, I’ve heard that one before.” I’m telling you right now that you haven’t. Ciara and Sue aren’t developers. They are not rehabbing historic buildings. But they are doing things that are just as impressive. They are changing the lives of others because they truly believe that human compassion is the answer to so many of the problems that we all face.
Take “Her Story Hours” for example. Who would have known that something so simple, so natural, so common sensical would be so popular and life-altering that they would have to seek out another space entirely to accommodate the love, kindness and emotion that built up over the course of the five-year series?
“It has been something we were dreaming of for a while,” Ciara told me. “We wanted to create a space that allowed women to share their gifts with the community (the same idea as Her Story, except with services, not products). This space is in honor of my aunt who passed away in October. It is a double-sided space. One side is retail, providing products to help you create a sanctuary for yourself, in your body or in your space ( ie. healthy snacks, healthy drinks, teas, wellness books, crystals, inspirational items, meditation tools, yoga mats, natural body care ). The other side is a collaborative workspace. During the day, or whenever there is not an event booked, it is free and available for people to come in, grab a book from our healing library, sip on a kombucha, and just relax (or use our Free Wifi Hot Spot). We also rent this space out for workshops, classes, and events – women’s circles, pop-up shops, brainstorming sessions, yoga classes, basically anything related to health, wellness, or women in business/entrepreneurship.”
Look at you, Hertel. Every time I turn around, something new is brewing. Now you’ve got these two “living life to the fullest” ladies joining in, to bring an entirely other dimension to the mix. Her Sanctuary will hopefully become a city-wide retreat for people who have felt that life, sometimes, is not… exactly… what… they… expected.
Not only will Her Sanctuary live on Hertel, it will also be a part of the broader community, according to Ciara. But that is another part of the plan that I cannot divulge. In the meantime, there’s plenty to look forward to, including health and wellness books, wellness products, tea essential oils, natural bath and body care juices/drinks, healthy snacks, home décor, flowers, plants, meditation tools, sage/smudges, crystals, and yoga mats.
The boutique is also a collaborative workspace, so keep you ears and eyes open for workshops and events. If you don’t have the time or the energy to create your own sanctuary, let Ciara and Susan create one for you. If you’re interested in booking the space for a workshop, email hersanctuarybuffalo@gmail.com.
Stay tuned to Her Sanctuary happenings – for the next three Saturday’s in July there will be a series of pop-ups that you won’t want to miss! Click here for more information.
Her Sanctuary | 1438 Hertel Avenue | Buffalo NY | 716-886-6457 | Facebook