Curate Essentials, located at 1302 Ft. Bragg Rd in historic Haymount, resides in a charming building from 1914 that once served as a private home, offering a unique blend of history and modern elegance. The white storefront beckons with its cozy wrap-around porch and lush garden oasis. Customers can shop, sip on a refreshing tea or coffee on the inviting front porch or take a leisurely stroll through the stunning garden.
Curate aims to craft all-natural products that promote balance in mind, body, and spirit. Owner Leslie Pearson explains more about what Curate provides.
“Curate Essentials is primarily an herbal apothecary. We specialize in handcrafted, all-natural bath and body products and herbal remedies such as functional tea blends, tinctures, balms and salves, and other medicinal alternatives. We make everything in small batches to provide the freshest quality, so visitors can usually find us in the kitchen making anything from soap, lotions, candles, shampoo and conditioner, and sugar scrubs. We also serve tea, coffee and pastries that people can enjoy on our wrap-around covered porch overlooking our herbal education garden.”
The garden features azaleas, camellias, dogwoods and Japanese maples. The herbal section boasts medicinal plants, wildflowers, and pollinator-friendly flora.
“We created an herbal education garden in the front of the shop so people can see, smell and touch many of the herbs we use in our tea blends. It’s a lovely addition to the Haymount neighborhood and quite an eye-catcher for passersby. We have also included many natural dye plants, pollinators, and native botanicals that enhance the overall experience.”
As Curate Essentials celebrates its second anniversary, it's the perfect time to reflect on the key milestones and success stories that have shaped their journey. Over the past two years, they have touched the lives of countless individuals, providing them with natural healing solutions and community that have made a real difference.
“Curate has become a comfortable third place for a lot of people and I feel so blessed to see the connections happening - especially for those with spouses who are deployed. We have a mom’s support group that meets up every week, book clubs, and other groups who come to Curate for informal gatherings,” Pearson said.
“Our inventory has grown based on the needs of the community who we serve - especially our functional tea blends. We make blends to soothe anything from allergies, stress and anxiety, sleep issues, and lymphatic support and even blends for pregnant and nursing mothers. We offer an alternative to pharmaceuticals, which has become important to many people. We like to say we have something from dandruff to athlete’s foot and everything in between.”
Curate Essentials is also looking ahead to the future. They are committed to continuing their research and development efforts, exploring new ingredients and techniques to enhance the effectiveness of their remedies. The team at Curate Essentials is passionate about uncovering the full potential of nature and harnessing it to create even more powerful healing solutions. They also are planning classes and workshops to get the community involved.
“We plan to eventually offer classes on a variety of things like candle and soap making, art, herbalism, and other related interests,” said Pearson.
We asked Pearson to name her top five favorite items in the shop. Here’s her "Favorite Things" list:
• The new men and women’s facial line, which includes a daily cleanser, refining toner, hydrating moisturizer, soothing eye treatment, and an age-defying serum. I feel really good about using these products on my sensitive skin and recommending them to our customers.
• Our Goat's Milk, Oatmeal and Honey bar soap is another favorite - it’s lightly scented, creamy, and gentle enough to use on babies. Oatmeal soothes sensitive skin and exfoliates with a gentle touch, honey is a natural humectant to help lock in moisture, and goat's milk has been used for years to nourish dry skin, soothe eczema and other irritated skin conditions.
• I’m currently in love with our Menopause Relief tea blend. We use Black Cohosh, Eleuthero, Red Raspberry Leaf, Red Clover, Valerian Root, Licorice Root, and Chamomile - all herbs that help reduce hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, constipation, and bloating. I drink a cup every evening before bed and I’ve experienced a noticeable difference.
• I use our Rosemary and Tea Tree Oil shampoo and conditioner. Both are specially formulated to sooth itchy scalps, promote hair growth and revitalize dry, dull hair by lifting buildup. The shampoo has a nice lather and is so invigorating that it wakes me up in the morning. It’s packed with nurturing ingredients like vitamin E oil, rosemary essential oil, and tea tree oil.
• Now let’s talk coffee - we serve Onyx Coffee Lab and my favorite is the Eclipse Blend which has notes of bakers chocolate, burnt sugar, and smoked vanilla bean. It tastes great black or as a latte and has become known as the Bosses Brew. Pair this with one of our fresh made pastries and your morning is set.
Curate Essentials is open Monday-Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Their website is www.curateessentials.com. Follow them on Facebook or Instagram @curateessentials.

(Photo: Leslie Pearson stands in front of the Curate sign. Located in Haymount, Curate is celebrating its second anniversary. Photo courtesy of Curate's Facebook page)