Photo by Tom Jenz
Angela Mallett
Angela Mallett
Angela Mallett is the owner of the HoneyBee Sage Wellness & Apothecary at 1819 N. Martin Luther King Drive. But she is more than an owner of a store and cafe. She considers herself a “professional space holder” because she creates a safe space for her patrons, who often do healing work through the HoneyBee offerings.
Angela has been working in the field of health and wellness for over 11 years. She is a certified massage therapist, reiki healer, full circle doula, and a yoni steam practitioner. She told me, “HoneyBee Sage Wellness & Apothecary has become a resource for herbs, medicinal herbal teas, clean body products, metaphysical healing tools, and homegrown healers.”
I met her at HoneyBee Sage, and I waited until she finished her confabs with clients. She has a disarming, charismatic personality. Instantly likable.
Tell me about your background, where you grew up, your parents, neighborhoods and schools you attended.
I was born and raised in Milwaukee until I was seven years old, then we moved to Kosciusko, Mississippi to be with my dad, who was a Marine veteran. I went to Kosciusko Elementary and Middle School. When I was 14, my parents separated, and my mom moved us back to Milwaukee where I graduated from Rufus King High School. I loved that school.
After you got out of high school, what did you do next?
I went to the University of Southern Mississippi for one semester, came back to Milwaukee, took classes at MATC and Alverno College, and did clerical jobs. I became a paraprofessional at Young Leaders Academy, then Youth Program Coordinator at HartLove Place. Finally, I ended up working at Froedtert Hospital Clinic as a scheduler.
Your life changed when you became a massage therapist.
Yes, it did. In 2010, for a full year, I attended Lakeside School of Massage Therapy at night and worked during the day. Long hours for a long time, but it was worth it.
After you became a certified Massage Therapist, did you get a job in that field?
Yes. In November 2011, I moved to Nashville to be with my brother and his wife. I was there for six years. Four of those years, I worked as a massage therapist at the national chain, Massage Envy. For two years, I ran my own independent practice in Franklin, just south of Nashville. In 2017, I moved back home to Milwaukee to eventually open my store, HoneyBee Sage Wellness & Apothecary in the Sherman Phoenix complex on Fond du Lac Ave. During the Sherman Park unrest in the summer of 2016, the BMO Bank building was burned down. The developer, JoAnn Sabir, raised the capital to restore that building and convert it into the Sherman Phoenix marketplace where it is today. JoAnn and I became friends during a training we took together while I was still living in Nashville. When I moved home, she convinced me to open my store in the Phoenix, which was the best decision at that time. She paid for the design plans, and my herbal store ended up located in the old BMO bank vault in the rear of the complex. We got a lot of foot traffic from people passing by to get to the main floor restrooms, and the HoneyBee Apothecary business became successful.
You have been working in the area of health & wellness for over 11 years. You are a certified massage therapist and reiki healer. Why did you choose the health and wellness field for your career?
When I was 15, I had a dermoid cyst on my left ovary. I had my left ovary surgically removed. That experience was traumatic, and it prompted my interest in natural health. In my early 20s, I was using natural healing remedies, herbs, raw foods for nutrition, organic products, and natural wellness. I came to learn that the best doctor is your internal doctor, and the most effective healing comes from the steps you take to improve your own health. Listen to what your body is telling you. It will always offer clues and cues to help you heal.
In late 2022, you opened up the HoneyBee Sage Wellness & Apothecary location on MLK Drive where we are sitting right now.
This HoneyBee Sage Wellness & Apothecary is more like a cafe. We prepare our herbal teas hot. We also offer alcohol-free craft cocktails for people to sip as they sit at our bar. We will be serving food soon, salads, soups, fruit cups and grazing trays.
Describe the process of starting a business in Milwaukee. Securing a space, finding a location, getting a business loan, sourcing products, and hiring staff.
Starting a business is challenging. There are a lot of steps in the process. Locating, planning, and building the space, going through the city licensing, coding, and zoning. Sourcing products. Raising capital, getting a business loan. In my case, we used some of the profits from our Lisbon Avenue store to fund this space. The starting budget to renovate this space was $70,000, We raised about $30,000 through crowdfunding, Brew City Match, and the Main Street Bounce Back Grant combined. This project finally ended up with a budget of $130,000. We received an operating loan through the Legacy Redevelopment Corporation. (NOTE: LRC provides strategic lending solutions for Milwaukee’s underserved markets.)
I understand your dad was a motivational force for your getting into the field of health and wellness. What was his story?
As early as I can remember, my dad was an alcoholic. He also suffered from other drug addictions throughout his life. My dad passed about four months after I opened the first Honeybee Sage store, and he never got to physically visit the store. He ultimately died of alcohol-related organ failure. This HoneyBee Cafe here is part of my dad’s legacy. I did not want to get a liquor and wine license because we offer healing alternatives and medicine. I felt like serving alcohol would be like offering medicine and poison out of the same bottle. So instead, our drinks are made with fresh fruit, natural sweeteners, glycerin-based bitters, herbs and alcohol-free spirits. We use ingredients like honey, maple and agave. This is also a space for people who are recovering, those who simply choose not to drink, or for people who just want to add balance to their lifestyle.
I was in this very HoneyBee Sage Cafe not long ago to meet a friend. I noticed that your customers and staff are quite friendly. How did you create this family-like atmosphere?
When I started my first business, a T-shirt accessory line, back in 2009, my trademark was “Spread Love.” Although that business failed, ever since, “Spread Love” has been my personal mission. My idea in this space is to provide an environment where people feel validated in their experience. I want to curate health-wellness for them.
Personally, I feel good when I walk into this space—the lighting, the interior design, warm colors, the helpful staff.
There is a lot of detail in this space, and love went into every inch of it. HoneyBee has been created to give our customers, who we affectionately call HoneyBees, that positive feeling of love. I hired a staff that shares my vision and my heart.
Your store shelves are lined with herbal remedies. You have a bar where patrons sit side by side sipping beautiful looking concoctions. What kind of products do you offer here?
We have medicinal that we bulk and from which we also make proprietary medicinal herbal tea blends. Our organic tea products are sourced from Portland, Ore., Sacramento, Calif. and North Liberty, Iowa. Those companies source from all over the world. We make our own herbal glycerites. The jars of herbs along the walls are all medicinal but also have spiritual properties. Some of our customers use herbs for spiritual rituals. Medicinal herbs can help with blood pressure, blood sugar, male and female sexual reproductive health, anxiety, and more.
The Black community does have problems with health issues. Lack of a healthy diet, even obesity.
Our diets evolved from what many of our Black ancestors ate while living in the south. They ate what they could. At HoneyBee, we are offering healthier options to the Black community, but we attract customers from many different ethnic groups. Everyone is welcome.
I understand that HoneyBee Sage will be facilitating workshops, informational sessions, one on one consultations, and classes on healing and movement arts. You said, and I quote, “Our community is seeking empowerment through a hands-on approach to their health and wellness.” What do you mean by “our community?” The Black community?
Absolutely.
You once said, “Establishing trusted relationships with health and wellness practitioners and educators is top priority for our ideal customers. They want to have a safe and comfortable healing space.” Do these outside practitioners consult with clients here in this store?
I met with a holistic nutritionist who specializes in mental health. She will be curating classes here. Our goal is to create a broader community of people focused on emotional, spiritual and financial health to support their physical health goals. Small breakout groups led by moderators and meetings to encourage one another.
Call me dumb, but what is an apothecary?
Not dumb at all. Many people ask that. An apothecary is literally a place to store things. The word itself has Greek origins. It’s historically what “pharmacies” were called before pharmaceutical drugs became their primary offerings. We’re an herbal apothecary. We store medicine, 200 herbs that we serve by bulk, so if you’re an herbalist or you're curious about herbs, we can provide them for you.
