Shanna Snowden opened Hummingbird Apothecary in the Baker Creek Preserve area in November 2023. While this location is new, Shanna has been an entrepreneur in the Knoxville community for several years. She also owns Hummingbird Apothecary (formerly Hummingbird Café) in North Knoxville, which opened in December 2019. Until last year, she owned and operated a Bed and Breakfast in the Fourth and Gill neighborhood called Hummingbird House, which opened in 2018.
As a mountain biker herself, Shanna spends a lot of time in Baker Creek Preserve and had been eying the commercial space there for some time. When it became available, she knew she had to have it. This shop seats more patrons than her North Knoxville location and has personal touches that she is very proud of. She said it has a different feel to her first location and allows for more markets and other events that she has wanted to do.
Shanna and Derek Kenson worked on the gorgeous 40ft wooden bar (8 pieces combined) for two months, sanding, carving, and then finally pouring resin to seal in the fine details that make it unique. Throughout the bartop, there is a river that has various items inlaid throughout. No seat has the same perspective. Two café employees also helped with the décor, bringing just the right feel to the space. Chloe Walker (Owltopus.co) created the chandeliers, and Josh Hinkin painted the mural on the corner space used for open mic events. Stouffer Construction completed the plumbing, electrical and other construction items to bring the space to life.
Hummingbird Apothecary serves espresso, coffee, and many loose-leaf tea and milk choices. Each variety of tea and botanical has a benefit to the body. Staff can work with you to pick the right one for the day, whether by flavor or health choice. The apothecary is a “California” sober bar that serves herbs like Kratom, Kava, and CBD sodas she calls “Fizzy Lifters.” Kratom and Kave help patrons to achieve a certain “feel” (energy, relaxation, or mellowing) without the harmful effects of alcohol.
I was uneducated on these herbs and learned a lot from Shanna. She encourages her patrons to ask questions and let her and her staff teach you about the herbs and their effects. I sampled the Kratom and Kava herbs in their tea forms. While I didn’t sample enough to affect any systems in my body, I better understood the herbs. They offer them as mocktail drinks or straight. I did enjoy a lovely honeybush pumpkin chia with oat milk.
Shanna is also a sound healer and offers sound baths in several locations around Knoxville. She will have an area for sound bathing at her upcoming Divination Fair on February 17th from 5-9 at the South location. From Medical News Today, “A sound bath is a full-body meditative experience where people lie down and listen to resonant sounds. It often involves singing bowls, which create an echoing sound that ‘bathes’ people.” Shanna learned the art of sound healing from travels all over the world and has been in practice locally for years with a studio above her North Knoxville café. She describes it this way. “The sounds and vibrations play into the body and work with the chakras to cleanse the cells. It can also be a gentle way of releasing traumas if you are ready to release those. Studies have shown how the vibrations hit different receptors in the brain, allowing the body to relax. Forty-five minutes of sound bathing is like seven hours of sleep.” Sign me up for that!
Shanna is excited about the progress in Baker Creek Preserve and her newest location. While there, I met her twin sister, Gigi Sliger, who is working on Kid Creator, a yoga, art, and music studio for kids that will open later this spring. Rumor has it that there will be a splatter room!
This year will bring more markets, concerts, and open mic events to Hummingbird Apothecary. You can sip your tea in the cozy café or sit on the patio and watch bikers ride the trails. She also offers herbs and merchandise for sale. Stay connected and informed through their social media. You may even catch Shana exercising her music degree and playing for you! Check her out on Apple Music, or watch this clip from her appearance on WATE!
