Herbal Oracle in DeKalb to reopen with expanded hours, coffee

DeKALB – The natural holistic living lifestyle shop Herbal Oracle is ushering in some changes as it seeks to expand its hours of operation beginning in August.

In the lead-up to next month, the shop plans to host a grand reopening from 5:30 to 8 p.m. July 25 at its downtown location, 161 E. Lincoln Highway, DeKalb.

Owner Dezarae Haley said she feels that with classes starting soon, it makes for the perfect time to have a grand reopening. Herbal Oracle originally started doing business from its current location in November.

“The grand reopening is, in a way, kind of a celebration of going into a different building and being able to get the signage and everything up,” Haley said. “It also is to bring awareness that we did move and that we’re not Herbal Embers.”

Haley said she looks forward to commemorating the shop’s grand reopening.

Herbal Oracle had taken over a site previously occupied by the owner of Herbal Embers, which went out of business in July 2023.

“We have a lot of changes that we’ve done,” Haley said. “The front area of the store will be the lobby for the coffee shack.”

Haley said it’s clear that people are excited at the idea of having a coffee shack downtown.

“There’s been a lot of requests for coffee downtown because Barb City Bagels closes by 2 p.m. and then, [a] lot of people when they’re walking around shopping, it’d be nice to have a beverage place to go to,” she said. “Otherwise, everything else is a full restaurant.”

Haley intends to make her own special brews that patrons can buy from the coffee shack.

“I do have a tea that I’m submitting into a competition for next spring,” Haley said. “It’s from the World Tea Organization. I’m submitting one tea, and if it wins awards, then that’ll be awards on a global level.”

The coffee shack, however, won’t be up and running in time for the shop’s July 25 grand reopening.

Haley said the front area of her store that she would like to run and operate as a coffee shack requires a special-use permit and a commercial kitchen.

“I have to make an appointment with the city for them to come in and make sure the building’s up to code,” Haley said. “Then, I have to have the health department come in and tell us everything that they require in order for it to be a green light go for them. Then, after that, I have to acquire all of the machinery. We will be doing all natural syrups. It’ll be more on the health-conscious side of things, but we’ll be getting all that in eventually.”

Still, Haley said she’s been working hard to come up with different ways to draw people into the shop.

At Herbal Oracle, patrons will find, among other things, herbs, teas, meat, eggs, farmed local honey and spiritual items.

Haley said she’s been decorating the windows with herbs “to bring a little bit more of a curb appeal” to the store.

Herbal Oracle currently has reduced hours of operation from May 1 to Aug. 1. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The shop is closed Sunday through Wednesday.

Expanded hours, which Haley said she intends to have by August, will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The shop would be closed Sundays and Mondays. On the last Friday of every month, the store is open until 8 p.m.

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