Greenspell is the educational branch of First Curve Apothecary. We are a small grassroots organization offering holistic herbal consultations, a 7-month intensive course, and monthly workshops & plant walks throughout the Chicago area.
$5 one-time contributions enters you into a raffle for the chance to win 5 First Curve Apothecary products of your choice + lifetime access to our ... Read more
Starts at
$5USD
Latest activity by
+ 3
One-time contribution
1-Year Access to Community & Virtual Garden
Contribute $100 for 1-year access to our Greenspell Community & Virtual Garden (anticipated to be ~$132 / year membership starting in 2025). You wi... Read more
$100USD
Latest activity by
+ 2
One-time contribution
Lifetime Access + Consultation Package
Contribute $400 for lifetime access to our Greenspell Community & Virtual Garden (anticipated to be ~$132 / year membership (anticipated to be ~$13... Read more
$400USD
Latest activity by
Custom contribution
Donate what you can!
Make a custom one-time or recurring contribution in any amount to support us as we make some big changes!
For those of you following First Curve over the years, our offerings have evolved from being a local herbal products business into more of a social cause for supporting individual and community wellness through connecting people with their bodies, the plants, and the ecosystems that surround us. We've done this through expanding our educational offerings and our Herbal Free Clinic to serve more of our Chicago community.
We have already signed a lease and started moving in on August 15th!
Our plan for this space is as a:
Production Apothecary (for all First Curve Apothecary products)
Classroom and Education Center (for all Greenspell Educational Offerings)
Clinic (housing the Herbal Free Clinic and Alex's Private Practice for those who would prefer to meet in person)
This crowdfunding campaign is the first of many efforts of securing funds to ensure we can continue to offer high quality herbal supplements, holistic health services, and education to our community. These funds will help us in building out the infrastructure for our new space to be able to produce product for more wholesale accounts, which will provide the financial stability to continue offering our free clinic and affordable education.
Our Many Spaces over the Years
As I move all the apothecary equipment and inventory into the new space, I can't help but reflecting on how much we've grown over the years, and the beautiful spaces where we make our medicine. When First Curve started in 2019, we were working out of a closet in our apartment in Pilsen, Chicago.
In March of 2020 (weird timing, we know), we moved into a 2-bedroom apartment in Logan Square, dedicating the larger bedroom to be our home apothecary. Here is Stef filling orders when we just moved in.
And here is how it transformed over the years!
As much as I loved working out of the bedroom, it wasn't the greatest space for teaching and classes, so we've had to do most of our education hosted in other spaces, and hold the main classes for the Greenspell Intensive at a picnic shelter at LaBagh woods:
Which, while lovely for most of the season, provided some challenges when it came to cold weather and learning to make medicine, which is very challenging without a sink and high winds blowing herbs everywhere:
Now, we've even outgrown that bedroom, hence, the new space.
What we will be using the funds for
We are raising funds to balance the increased overhead of rent, along with costs associated with furnishing and building out the space for our production needs in order to be fully compliant with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs), which may require installing additional plumbing and/or electrical wiring.
Funds raised from this campaign will help to cover the first three months of rent, plumbing and other essential installation costs (estimated around $3000), and operating costs while we build out the space and work to scale our production to accommodate more wholesale accounts and capacity for increased inventory.
In addition to providing a home base for everyday operations, this space will also allow us the room to increase production, provide a classroom space for workshops, courses, and guest workshops from other plant oriented folks, and an office and consultation space for our herbal consultations and free clinic.
Towards these ends, we are hoping to raise $14,650 by the end of December 2024. This goal is not all-or-nothing. Regardless of if we reach our goal, your contributions will still support our efforts.
All contributions will be allocated as follows:
(below are estimates, any unused funds in any category will be entirely devoted to running the herbal free clinic and offering free custom formulations to participants of the free clinic)
$5000 - Installation and purchase of key equipment and utilities
$4650 - First three months rent
$3000 - Furnishings, including additional labor to install: shelving, prep tables, ingredient storage, and any additional production tools
$2000 - Moving Costs
Check out the 'News from Greenspell Organization' section below for for updates on the move, and pictures as we build out and get the space up and running!
Contribution Perks
If you are looking to receive one of the perks, please don't contribute as 'Incognito' (or anonymous) as I will need your email to give you your perk!
$5 one-time contributions enters you into a raffle for the chance to win 5 First Curve Apothecary products of your choice + lifetime access to our Greenspell Community & Virtual Garden(anticipated to be ~$132 / year membership starting in 2025).
Every $5 you contribute up to $100 counts as 1 ticket in the raffle (for example, $5 = 1 Ticket, $25 = 5 Tickets)
For every 100 entries, we will add an additional winner (1-100 tickets = 1 winner, 101-200 tickets = 2 winners, and so on).
Winners for the first round will be drawn on October 1, 2024 and notified by email.
$100 one-time contributions, or any contributions between $100-$399 receives 1-year access to our Greenspell Community & Virtual Garden.
You will receive an email after submitting your contribution to sign up!
$400 one-time contributions, or any contributions above $400 receive lifetime access to our Greenspell Community & Virtual Garden, plus an Herbal Consultation Package (3 sessions, valued at $250, with one 4oz custom tincture or tea blend included).
You will receive an email after submitting your contribution to sign up along with details regarding your consultation package.
Of course, if you want to support us by directly purchasing First Curve Apothecary products, or a consultation package directly from our website, you are more than welcome to!
First Curve & Greenspell: Small Business meets Social and Environmental Cause
It is our belief that embodiment, movement, and self care allow us to cultivate a deeper connection with our bodies, and that this connection extends outward to our human and nonhuman community. As a result, we are better oriented to create new ways of living and being in the world that lead to positive social change. Working with the plants and fungi of our bioregion deeply supports this process of embodiment, and can act as a catalyst for this kind of human transformation.
We are proud that we offer products that help our customers and clients tap into this sense of connection. We are further proud that we can leverage our resources and revenues to give back through our Herbal Free Clinic.
We strive to maintain a sustainable business model not so we can grow and make more and more money, but rather so we can continue to make positive change in the world through our offerings, whether that be our high quality herbal products, our educational offerings, our herbal consultation services, or community outreach programs.
We are confident our business can provide new models for making a living and working collaboratively and in community with other businesses, and show others it's possible to move beyond survival and competition mindsets, towards community, collaboration, and reciprocity among human and nonhuman realms.
Our long term goals that your contributions will ultimately support
Offer free herbal formulations for Free Clinic clients (currently Free Clinic clients receive a discount on herbal products)
Education and experience for aspiring clinical herbalists to get hands on experience working with clients through the Free Clinic
Expand our free clinic to include different practitioners offering different healing modalities (bodywork, acupuncture, medical practitioners, etc.)
Purchasing land for and education center to host stewardship & conservation projects and education oriented around earth-based skills such as gardening, composting, seed saving, mushroom cultivation, beekeeping, and more.
So much more that time has yet to tell!
The New Space, A Work in Progress
Will post photos below as we update the space with your help!
