Fig & yarrow apothecary products.

• Author: Peterson, Eric
• Position: COLORADO COOL STUFF

While studying contemplative psychology at Naropa University in Boulder in 2010, Brandy Monique opened an Etsy storefront to sell "organic handcrafted apothecary products," such as mouth rinse, hair tonic and underarm lotion.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

"I was just a broke student trying to get by," she says of the launch. Two months later, national retailers like Anthropologie and Terrain came calling, offering "immediate exposure." Three short years thereafter she has a catalog that's 44 products deep and 80 retailers touting her line.

"It's been pretty tremendous," Monique says, describing a...