Meet Karyn Schwartz, the owner of SugarPill in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. Karyn is a herbalist and homeopath and her passion for natural medicine is evident in her large selection of medicinal house blends and herbs. The modern apothecary also carries artisanal foods, rare chocolates, and gourmet salts.
Get to know more about Karyn and SugarPill in this Business Spotlight Q&A.
Bonus: Save 20% when you purchase a SugarPill gift certificate through the end of the month!
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What’s your favorite part about the community your business is in & why?
Having been here at SugarPill for nearly 12 years, and working in this community for almost 33, I have known some of my customers for a very long time. I have seen people through all stages of their lives, and am now also getting to know their children and even some grandchildren. Carrying people’s stories through all this time is one of the most amazing aspects of my work here. I have been witness to so much life — and the entire spectrum of experience from before a birth to after a death and every struggle and triumph in between. It’s an incredible honor to be trusted with this responsibility, and one that I never take for granted.
What’s something your customers may not know about you or your business?
Even though it says right in our logo that SugarPill is an apothecary, I think people are often surprised to find out that we are a functional, medicinal apothecary with herbal medicines and other natural healing resources available. I think that the word apothecary and the general aesthetic of apothecary-related things got real sexy in the last decade or so — but we don’t just use the word as a part of our branding. We actually ARE an apothecary!
What are some of your favorite local businesses and why?
It’s impossible to single out businesses here in the gayborhood that are my favorites — there are so many. But I can say that I would not exist without my across-the-street neighbors at The Century Ballroom and The Tin Table. And I love being in close proximity to Retail Therapy, Elliot Bay Books. I will ALWAYS have a soft spot for the Wildrose, where I was offered my very first job when I arrived here in the late 80s. I never ended up working there, but the fact that I was welcomed with open arms to my new city literally within hours of arriving here is a big part of why I am here today.