JOELTON, Tenn. (WTVF) — High Garden Heirloom Herbal & Tea Craft is still recovering from the March tornado that destroyed their tea house in East Nashville.
Remembering all that was lost in the tornado has been hard for Leah Larabell and her family. “Something huge like this, you don’t want to go back to the way things were, instead we want to learn from them, and grow from them, and when the walls crumble, you can see clearly," Larabell said.
For Leah, High Garden is her passion as she believes herbalism and tea connect people to the earth. "So I thought about the plants and I was like what do they do? They get mulled over, they pull up the nutrients they need, they pull up what they require, and they grow back whatever the environment has adjusted them to,” Larabell said, And that’s what we have decided to do."
They didn't have enough funds to rebuild because they didn’t have a specific type of insurance that was needed. Instead, they built a tree house classroom at home. To help them replenish their herbs, community members donated to a Go Fund Me to help them get back up and running. "We started an online shop to get back on our feet,” Larabell said, “Put groceries on the table to eat, and it worked.”
Now, she’s teaching people about tea virtually. The pandemic has brought people back to the land which has helped. “If I had a superpower, the walls I put up between you and nature would crumble, and you would see how connected you are," Larabell said.
She's been posting videos on Instagramto stay connected with customers. They hope to have in-person herb classes outside in April. Many people want to go back to their roots and learn about nature during these times. Larabell said, "And that’s exactly what this space is guna do."
Due to an uptick in online sales, they were able to bring 5 of their employees back too. If you would like to buy tea to help keep them stay afloat, go here. As a social enterprise, High Garden likes to give back to the community. Right now they have a 'wildly healthy' tea where all the proceeds go to the Nashville Wildlife Conservation Center.
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