Kyle Jackson is an enthusiastic self-educator and recently certified herbologist – a practitioner of natural, plant-based medicine – whose goals are to offer healthy, homemade body products and to educate the public as he continues to educate himself on all things natural. He opened 1910 Apothecary in a historic building on Trade Street about six months ago, in June 2017, as a place where he could carry out this mission. His products include candles, soaps, body butters and lotions – all organic and all made by Jackson in a kitchen unit he added to the back of the building.

“I wanted to offer all these different things that I enjoy doing,” Jackson said. “That’s one of the things that I really like about small business; there’s so much heart in everything people do. I wanted to have a place to share part of my heart with other people. That’s why I started the store.” 

Jackson said herbology is a field he’s wanted to pursue since he was 12 years old. “I grew up in Harnett County, and where we lived was very rural,” he said. “Using home remedies was kind of just very natural to us. … We always had a garden; we had cabinets full of herbs and spices.”

Jackson buys most of his ingredients from sources in Oregon to ensure they are certified organic. “Unfortunately, there are not too many people locally that I can use at the moment. Hopefully that will change some time soon,” he said. One of the store’s most popular products, Mint Milk bar soap, has a simple list of ingredients that’s reflective of Jackson’s approach in all his original recipes. The soap includes (all organic) shea butter; palm kernel, castor, avocado and olive oils; beeswax; goat milk; and essential oil of peppermint. Unlike many commercially made soaps, which use synthetically produced fragrance oils, Jackson uses pure essential oil in his recipe. He also leaves out sodium lauryl sulphate, the agent that causes many cleaning products to bubble – and actually dries and irritates skin rather than nourishing it. “The goat milk helps feed skin and gives it ... more of a supple feel,” Jackson said. “It also helps to promote cell growth.”

1910 Apothecary proudly carries products crafted by two other local artisans. Michael Wells of Into the Well makes bath bombs, and Jamie Rae creates lavender-and-rice bags that can be used in place of heat or ice packs filled with chemical solutions.

“Customers are not just supporting me, they’re supporting other people with similar interests,” Jackson said. “You can know exactly what goes into (the products), and the ingredient lists are not confusing.”

Customers of 1910 Apothecary also benefit from Jackson’s passion for furthering his knowledge through self-study and experimentation. “I change the products up all the time just to make sure that I’m figuring out which ones peoples’ favorites are and if they like a particular recipe,” he said. He also welcomes requests for custom concoctions.

“When a customer comes in for that, we break down exactly what we feel like they need, and then I start making a bunch of little samples for them,” he said. “So we’ll try one sample, and then they’ll come back and say, ‘It needs to be a little more like this,’ and we’ll keep trying until we can nail down something that works well for them. I always reiterate that I’m here for criticism. That’s what makes a business grow. I appreciate when people tell me their honest opinion of something. Currently, I’m working on shaving soap, which has been something that customers ask me for. We’re still in test stages on that one because I haven’t quite nailed it yet.”

Jackson has used this custom-creation method to fulfill an order for a candle that a customer wanted to smell like their grandfather’s cherry pipe tobacco. Another time, he created special candles for an an Army battalion before it deployed to a region in Africa; those candles smelled of zanzibar clove and orange.

Jackson also holds free essential oils classes every month, generally on the third Friday, at 6:30 p.m. Each month, he gives an hour-long presentation detailing the properties, uses of and facts about five different essential oils.

“I try to gear the classes off the season,” he said. When kids went back to school, we focused on immune support and opening airway passages.” There will be no class this month due to the holidays, but if you are interested in attending January’s class, call (910) 835-6833 or search 1910 Apothecary on Facebook.

Jackson said his ultimate, long-term goal is to expand his business into a natural healing center. To this end, he’s currently attending Hope Mills’ Get Twisted Yoga studio to become certified as a nationally accredited yoga instructor. “It’s not necessarily about making a million dollars because I doubt we’ll ever do that here,” he said. “I just want to educate people on natural alternatives and (on) what’s important about shopping with those small-business people who are really putting their heart and soul and sweat and tears into everything that they do and everything they make.”

1910 Apothecary is located at 5486 Trade St. in Hope Mills. The building, originally built in 1910, still proudly displays the original owner’s name, Alice L. Gilbert, who owned a drug store. Store hours are Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Visit www.1910apothecary.com to browse the store’s inventory and to learn more.

Photo: Kyle Jackson, a recently certified herbologist, opened 1910 Apothecary on Trade Street in June 2017.