Today we’d like to introduce you to Kirstin Sherritt.
Hi Kirstin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I didn’t set out to become a conventional tea-shop owner. My journey really began after I graduated from Cal Poly. Rather than taking a regular post-college job, I had the opportunity to manage the bulk herb department at the local co-op. Handling the herbs was both deeply familiar and wonderfully mysterious. I felt like each plant was telling me its own story through sensory experience.
I knew I wanted to explore and learn more by getting closer to the earth, so I went farm-hopping through Central America and spent significant time on a farm in Costa Rica. There, I became more attuned to plants through the natural lessons of farm life. I was also captivated by the practical ways botanicals were sold in open-air markets—accessible, familiar, and woven into the fabric of daily life through food, wellness, tradition, and community.
I returned home with a calling to create a space in my own community where people could experience this intimate relationship between everyday life and botanicals. In 2004, I opened The Secret Garden in a tiny, tucked-away location in downtown San Luis Obispo. I originally envisioned it as an organic herb shop, but over time it evolved into so much more. I began crafting my own loose-leaf herbal tea blends designed around particular purposes, flavors, and occasions.
For nearly 20 years, I operated in that enchanting little creekside location, surrounded by hundreds of jars of herbs, spices, and teas. I enjoyed working with people one-on-one—listening to what they were looking for and creating custom blends for them. The business grew very organically, mostly through word of mouth, relationships, and my own curiosity and desire to keep experimenting. Over time, my formulas developed a reputation for being both delicious and effective, and I became known as “The Tea Lady.”
As the years passed, the collection of teas in the shop became almost like a living catalog of my relationship with the people around me. They reflected what people were seeking, what they were experiencing, and what I was learning from the plants along the way. I began supplying local cafés, restaurants, yoga studios, and naturopathic clinics, which allowed the teas to become part of people’s lives in ways I hadn’t originally imagined. In that sense, the teas became a kind of ongoing conversation between people, plants, and culture.
Today, that little operation on the back patio has grown into a thriving community. In 2024, after almost 20 years in my garden location, I moved to Parker Street, just south of downtown San Luis Obispo. With the move, I also changed the name from The Secret Garden to Secrets Of The Garden. The name change felt like a natural reflection of how much the business had evolved and how much I had evolved along with it—as a craftsperson, herbalist, and entrepreneur. The Secret Garden was always about the magic of the garden itself, but Secrets Of The Garden feels more like what I’ve come to understand and discover through the garden—the transformational power of plants, the bliss that happens when imagination meets the living intelligence of nature, and the tender appreciation that grows from years of devotion to the work.
The new space has given me room to expand into classes, workshops, tasting events, and wellness collaborations. And while the business has grown and changed, the heart of what I do remains the same. I still love introducing people to herbs and tea, helping them develop a deeper relationship with plants, and sharing the knowledge, traditions, and everyday practices that keep our connection to the natural world alive.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, although from the outside it may have looked like all butterflies and hummingbirds. I was building something that didn’t really have a blueprint. When I started, herbalism and botanical products weren’t nearly as mainstream as they are today. Herbalism was often met with skepticism, and I was learning as I went—not only how to build a sustainable business, but how to make plant medicine more widely desirable in modern society.
There have been plenty of unexpected challenges—economic downturns, enforced renovations, the pandemic, disruptions that were completely outside my control, and a few experiments that taught me what I did and didn’t want the business to become. The first major transition came during the downturn of 2008, when I had to relocate the shop. Later, a neighboring development fenced off most of my storefront, which had a devastating impact on the business. More recently, my blending facility flooded, and a relocation that was supposed to take three months stretched into ten. None of these experiences were smooth or easy, but each one required me to adapt and keep going.
I’ve also learned that not every opportunity is the right opportunity. I opened a tea bar in Avila Beach after hearing for years that I “should serve tea,” only to discover that commercial beverage service wasn’t where my heart was. It was a good lesson in trusting what I know about the work I’m meant to do.
Looking back, I am amazed by the longevity of such an unconventional shop. I think perseverance has less to do with simply pushing through and more to do with staying connected to your purpose and calling. Every challenge has eventually brought me back to the same question: What is my devotion? And the answer has consistently been the same: keeping herbalism alive and visible in the local community and ensuring that plant medicine remains an indispensable part of our culture.
As you know, we’re big fans of Secrets Of The Garden. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Secrets of the Garden is an herb shop and artisan tea company rooted in a love of plants, traditional herbalism, and the ageless pleasure of a really good cup of tea. We’re known for our hand-blended teas and herbs, specialty botanical offerings, and the knowledgeable, personal experience we provide. We offer ancient and modern secrets for strengthening our relationship with nature through simple daily practices.
What sets us apart is the combination of expertise, quality, and creativity. We’ve always wanted herbalism to feel accessible and relevant without losing its depth or its magic. Our blends are crafted with intention, our ingredients are carefully sourced, and we encourage people to explore rather than simply shop. Our weigh-by-the-ounce and pack-upon-order service elevates the take home tea experience, delivering an unforgettably fresh, potent and flavorful infusion every time.
What I’m most proud of is the ripple effect of beauty, inspiration and vitality that happens when people experience and share our teas. The shop has a distinctive calming energy, it’s a place where people can slow down, ask questions, discover something new, and develop their own relationship with plants. After more than 20 years, that sense of discovery and connection is still at the heart of the brand.
What were you like growing up?
I was an extremely sensitive, observant, and imaginative child. From an early age, I felt a sense of interconnectedness with all living things and a natural curiosity about what the world might feel like from another being’s perspective. I remember my dad bringing ailing houseplants into my bedroom, to be curiously revived. I was always a vivid dreamer and loved writing long, detailed recollections in my dream journal, a practice I’ve carried consistently through adulthood. Our home had a decent library of books on nutrition, astrology, metaphysics, and philosophy that I found endlessly fascinating. I was often trying to capture all the energy I was feeling and translate it into poetry. I loved words and writing, especially the simple elegance of ink on paper. I also got creative making all sorts of films using our family’s old school VHS gear. Despite my gentle nature, I could be quite a director. I had many different friends and seemed to easily find something special to get excited about in everyone I encountered. I grew up close to the beach, so my perfect day was spent alternating between lying in warm sand and body surfing in the ocean. As I got older, I spent hours roller skating the strand and watching ocean sunsets. Overall, I was a thoughtful, creative, and dreamy kid with a deep curiosity about people, nature, and the unseen connections between things. Looking back, I can see that many of the qualities I had as a child have remained at the heart of who I am and what I’ve created.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://organicherbshop.com
- Instagram: @secretgardenslo
