This month, Dancing Willow Herbs is celebrating 34 years in business! Many of you have followed the arc of our journey from inception, witnessed many of its transformations, and have stayed true to the herbal formulas that have been supporting your health for over 3 decades! It feels full circle to be welcoming Deb Swanson, our founder, to the Dancing Willow podcast where she shared her story of becoming an herbalist, creating our local apothecary, and handing off the reins to me- Elliott Brinkley, four years ago.
Herbalism is steeped in tradition. Wisdom passed down from generation to generation. Dancing Willow Herbs is a business that holds its own folklore and history- written in the trafficked wood floor, grey with wear in front of the counter and tincture shelf, held in the shared visions of Grandmother Willow, and in the bodies of those who have been taking our formulas over the years. In this blog post, you will find more on the initial seeds that Deb Swanson planted to build the foundation of Dancing Willow Herbs. To connect deeper and get the full story, listen to the podcast episode!
Here is the episode for those who would like to listen- Becoming Dancing Willow: Deb Swanson on Herbalism, Womanhood and Change
A Seed That Became an Apothecary
Dancing Willow didn’t start as a business idea, it started as a feeling. Deb Swanson’s love of herbs began when she was a little girl in the woods of Pennsylvania. At just seven years old, she spent a summer at a Quaker farm camp, learning the names of wild plants and feeling a connection to nature that would guide her entire life.
That early spark grew through decades of study and practice. Deb apprenticed on herbal farms, studied with teachers like Michael Moore, and immersed herself in the wisdom of plant medicine long before herbalism was part of the mainstream.
In the early 1990s, she opened her first little shop in the basement of a feminist bookstore she lovingly called “the womb room.” Over the years, the apothecary moved from one tucked-away space to another until finally settling into the bright, welcoming storefront we call home today.
A Vision That Still Guides Us
One of my favorite parts of Deb’s story, and one that gives me chills, is how the name Dancing Willow Herbs came to her. During a meditation exercise about life and death, she envisioned an old woman with long gray braids who told her: “I am Dancing Willow.”
That image became the guiding spirit of everything she built- the vision of the woman she knew she would become.
When I was in the process of purchasing the business, I felt so strongly that the business had its own energy. In moments of stillness, I kept seeing a willow tree with a face in it—a grandmother spirit holding space for healing. The day Deb told me about her vision, I realized we were connecting with the same being.
It felt like a sign that this lineage was meant to continue.
A Place of Healing, Learning, and Becoming
For over 34 years, Dancing Willow Herbs has been more than a place to pick up herbs. It has been a sanctuary, a classroom, and a refuge for so many people in our community. Deb created a space where folks could learn to trust their bodies, reconnect with nature, and feel seen.
As I’ve stepped into this role, I’ve felt such gratitude for the foundations she laid—from the formulas she crafted with care to the ethos of honoring both plants and people.
I often think about how much has changed over the decades, shifts in sourcing herbs, evolving knowledge, new approaches to wellness. But at its core, Dancing Willow Herbs has always been about listening: to the plants, to the seasons, and to that quiet inner voice that knows when it’s time to grow or to rest.
Carrying the Torch Forward
When Deb decided to pass the torch, it was a season of transition for both of us. She was letting go of a space she had tended for half her life, and I was stepping into a new identity—not just as an herbalist, but as the steward of a living legacy.
One of the gifts of this place is that it reflects all the seasons of womanhood: the maiden curiosity that first brought me here, the mothering energy that now guides me as a business owner, and the wise crone spirit that continues to whisper through the willow branches. This was reflected in Deb too- she started the business as a maiden new herbalist with energy and passion, grew into motherhood alongside moments of growth in the business, and released the business to me at the same time her daughter left for college. Dancing Willow Herbs has initiated Deb into becoming more and more like the woman from her vision, wise & grounded in the Earth’s wisdom.
Dancing Willow is still growing. The floorboards still hold the stories of everyone who has walked in seeking support or inspiration. And every day, I feel honored to be part of something bigger than any one person—a lineage of healing that began in the woods, took root in a little basement shop, and continues to bloom here in our community.
Thank you for being part of this story.
With love and gratitude,
Elliott Brinkley
