A grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Marine City business, Amy’s Relation to Creation and Botanicals LLC, will take place at 2 p.m. Nov. 11.
Amy’s Relation to Creation and Botanicals, located at 256 S. Water St., carries herbs and natural products to support healthy living and will also serve as a space to gather and learn for support groups, homeschool groups or friends looking for something to do. Owner Amy Martinez will also be offering monthly lectures on various health topics within her scope of practice as a registered nurse.
“Amy’s Relation to Creation and Botanicals LLC is a place to come if you are looking for natural products and are interested in living or learning to live a healthier lifestyle,” Martinez said. “Some of the products we have are dried herbs such as elderberries, calendula, reishi mushrooms, fenugreek. There are over 50 of the herbs available.”
She also said the store will sell a variety of books; teething rub and diaper balm; laundry soap and toilet cleaner; essential oils and tinctures; feminine care products; shampoo, conditioner and lice deterrent; kitchen items such as mortar and pestle, reusable tea bags and tea infusers; honey and teas; oral care products; bug spray and sunscreen; personal care items such as soaps, loofahs, cotton swabs, deodorant and beard balm; wellness items to support specific ailments such as salves for wounds, bug bites, anxiety, low mood, congestion, coughs, chapped lips, nail fungus, joint pain and eczema, and a few live plants.
The store opened to the public on Oct. 28 and has seen some customers coming in because they were walking by or saw a Facebook post.
“The customers and community have been extremely supportive,” Martinez said.
Martinez is from Applegate in Sanilac County and left the country life for work in the suburbs and to eventually pursue her nursing education. She is married and has children and grandchildren.
“I have always had a passion for rural communities with their unique health care needs that are specific to that demographic,” she said. “I feel that rural populations are often overlooked when it comes to health care when systems are making their policies or even providing education to staff about this part of society. I completed nursing school from Oakland University in 2010. About six years ago, my family and I decided it was time for a change and decided to move to a small town, which is closer to the way of living that we grew up with. We discovered Marine City and fell in love. I am still a registered nurse and this store and the services it provides are now how I practice my nursing.”
Martinez said that if someone had asked her a year ago about her future plans, opening the store was not in them.
“I have a strong relationship with God, and this business is something that I felt God put on my heart to do,” she said. “So I did. I have been interested in natural healing even before nursing school. While in nursing school, I was able to explore this area further and became even more fascinated with it and the scientific research that goes along with it. With that being said, all the while I was practicing a more traditional role in nursing, I continued to learn about alternative medicine and natural healing. I became serious about opening this business around March of this year.”
She said she opened the store in Marine City because it is where she lives and she wanted a short commute to work.
“I feel that this in an area with a need for such a business, as there is not another similar to it within 45 minutes’ drive time, and it is a community that celebrates the arts,” she said. “I remember learning about what the art of nursing is while in school and I am so excited to be able to practice my art more fully and freely. I love that Marine City is a river community, it has a very strong art presence, it is a community that cares for and supports each of its citizens.”
When asked what kind of health topics she will offer lectures on, Martinez said she will start by addressing health issues that impact the people in the community.
“The first will be related to cardiovascular disease,” she said. “I will talk about what the disease is, who is at risk for it, how it affects the body, how it is treated both traditionally and naturally and resources for further education.”
She also said she has space available for small groups to meet, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, grief groups, life groups or homeschool groups, and encouraged people to reach out if interested.
“I believe that healing can happen with conversation,” she said.
At the grand opening and ribbon cutting, Martinez will speak briefly, and then there will be an in-store scavenger hunt to be entered into a drawing for various prizes, including a gift basket with some of the store’s products in it.
“Every day we have herbal tea and/or coffee to sample, as well,” Martinez said.
Amy’s Relation to Creation and Botanicals is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and at 9 a.m. Sundays for an open Bible study. Martinez is also available for wellness consultations during off hours by appointment.
Martinez noted a website is in the works. For more information, call 810-335-4622, email amy@amysrelationcreation.com or search for “Amy’s Relation To Creation & Botanicals” on Facebook.
