Navigate to Noble Earth
by Cate Murway
The Noble Earth Lounge & Retail on Mill Street offers a cornucopia of wellness needs, as well as an education in self care, prevention, and well-being. Its retail space showcases an Organic/Wild Harvested Herbal section fully committed to providing the highest quality herbs and Spices. “Whether it's a pinch or a pound, we will provide you with the best resources for all of your Herbal needs.”
The Kombucha [a raw fermented drink made with tea, sugar, bacteria and yeast traced back to China and Russia] and Tea lounge is a unique calm setting for those enjoying their Organic Kombucha varieties made in house or any of their truly premium exotic teas. For the health minded, Kombucha, a lightly effervescent sweetened black or green tea, provides the same health benefits as tea. It is rich in beneficial probiotics, the key part of a healthy diet, and it contains antioxidants.
Joseph Patrick Rakowski purchased the 212 Mill Street property, previously Dr. Stuart J. Burg’s Optometry to house his organic Kombucha tea, loose herbs and teas and a large selection of Herbal tinctures, Elixirs, essential oils, balms, cosmetics, and other pleasantries.
The herbs and some of the teas come from Mountain Rose Herbs, an American herbal distribution retailer based in Eugene, Oregon.
Love Grows CSA, a local CSA [Community Supported Agriculture] farm located at Snipes Farm in Morrisville, delivers fresh, local, organically grown vegetables around Bucks County and they supply ingredients for the Noble Earth Kombucha teas. Their CSA farm stand maintains a seasonal presence in Joe’s shoppe through mid-December.
The structure itself was originally built as a newspaper stand in 1910. The Bristol Daily Courier, a "weekly", had switched to a daily newspaper that year.
“It looks absolutely nothing like it used to; it needed a lot of work. 95% of the wood is PA wood and we up-cycled a lot of stuff.” Joe discovered the incredible red brick that adds to the ambiance under the plaster on the walls by sheer accident during construction.
“When we knocked out a wall, we saw lettering: ‘No Trust Don’t ask for it for you will not get it’ Joe made it something positive and left the word “Trust” on the wall.
His buddy, contractor Malcolm Roach, Jr. “helped me in here big time”. Joe’s brother, Edward Crines also assisted him in the considerable improvements.
Noble Earth opened the First Friday in August.
Joe and his two siblings “grew up on the canal” on Airport Road. “It was perfect for us, with a huge backyard. My dad and I were volunteer rangers for the canal. I caught turtles and frogs and fish and tried to save them.” He even started a reptile refuge.
He played alto sax when he was younger and was a member of the Bracken Cavaliers.
Joe’s late parents, Patricia Carry and Joseph James “Mouse” Rakowski were from NE Philadelphia. His father was a “jack of all trades”, a machinist who worked on heavy, industrial machines. His framed picture commands a prominent space on the bar in his store.
His late paternal grandfather WWII Marine veteran Joseph H. Rakowski was a strong influence in his life. These impactful, untimely family deaths were a catalyst for him to pursue a healthy lifestyle.
Joe studied in Arizona and went to school in California, attending Kerala Ayurveda Academy and the National Holistic Institute in Emeryville, CA, earning degrees as a certified Ayurveda Practitioner, “basically means science of life", a wellness counselor and as a certified Massage Therapist/ Wellness Practitioner.
Joe has also been a vocalist in various bands, including “Hollow Point” and “Dead in the Face” and he still shares his pipes with “Vagabond”. He also worked for A&M Truck Tire Service, Inc. in Tullytown, where that job was virtually a “strong man competition every day”.
“Life is about experience.”
Joe is a vegan. Focusing on holistic wellness, he is planning on his Noble Earth being a vegan food spot, offering organic smoothies and juices for folks to enjoy at their choice of the wall bar with stools, or at the tables and floor seating. The prominent, beautiful heavy wood furniture dining set was salvaged from Kildare's Irish Pub in Manayunk.
“It’s the conversation piece in the window. We wanted a different, community ‘welcoming atmosphere’ place.” The Noble Earth is a late night, non-alcoholic option; a very, casually cool spot!
“Something different that makes sense and really makes people feel welcome.”
Two wellness rooms are available for various types of holistic classes and services including therapeutic massage and yoga. Joe is actively searching for sub-contractor therapists/ practitioners for these rooms.
He wants Noble Earth to be a community space and an educational space. He is keeping a low carbon footprint. They recycle and compost. “We’re working toward zero waste.”
Future plans include a bicycle/ canoe/ kayak rental in the back of his building.
He laughed, “Maybe we’ll ride around on a trike, delivering Kombucha.”
He moved into the apartment above the store front. “I never leave here!”
Joe is a BBBA member and he promotes and frequents most of the Borough shops. “We all work very well together.” He recently put in his bid to be elected to the Board of HARB [the Historical Architectural Review Board].
Every day of the week hosts an eclectic mix of events. Sundays & Mondays there is Yoga, Tuesdays are Meditation, Wednesdays are Spiritual Meet-Ups, Thursday is PhilosoTea Night [discuss, befriend & steep] and Friday presents live music.
“Love this place! It has a peaceful vibe and wonderful products!” noted a patron, Amy Chomiak-Thornton.
Noble Earth will feature ‘Monsters Eat People’ [a fun 4-piece ‘instrupostmetal’ Rock Band] with special guest Joe B. this Friday, December 22nd starting at 8:00PM.
On Saturday evening, December 23rd, there will be a Krampus [a horrible, horned, anthropomorphic figure that is pretty much the exact opposite of jolly old St. Nick] Celebration & Bazaar for a friendly Krampusnacht Yuletide party.
FREE TO ATTEND…. bring yourself and a friend!
Noble Earth
212 Mill Street
Bristol, PA
215.458.7049
joe@nobleearth.net
Recommend a “Spotlight”. E-mail vjmrun@yahoo.com
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