His Daughter – A Modern Apothecary – moved this fall for the third time in 10 years, and owner Felicia Timas is confident she finally has the right space for her wide selection of natural health products.
His Daughter – A Modern Apothecary – moved this fall for the third time in 10 years, and owner Felicia Timas is confident she finally has the right space for her wide selection of natural health products.
Except now, she needs more storage space, she said in an interview during her grand reopening Nov. 14-15.
Timas gave a tour of the workspace where her crew mixes and packages scented soaps, scrubs and other products sold in the shop at 15425 West High Street and around the country.
Visitors can watch through the large front windows as young Amish women handcraft all-natural, skin-friendly products before entering the spacious, fragrant showroom.
“We use mostly essential oils from plants trusted for centuries — herbs, spices and exotics, to provide splendid aromas and additional benefits,” according to His Daughter’s website.
Timas said she worked in a bakery while in high school. Later, she began creating salves and creams and eventually named the business His Daughter, meaning she is God’s daughter, she explained.
“It started as a hobby,” she said, but demand for her products increased and more space was needed.
As the business grew, Timas moved it from a site near Carl’s Jewelry on East High Street to a location on South State Road.
Most recently, she leased a 7,000-square-foot space formerly occupied by the 24-Hour Gym in a plaza shared by Sherwin Williams Paint and a hardware store, opening the doors in October.
The bright, open shop, which Jim Gingerich designed, allows Timas to artistically display her products alongside crafts by other artisans.
“I love being here. It’s great,” Timas said, adding she appreciates the large parking area.
“It’s a win-win-win,” she said.
Shoppers may find her behind the cash register, but more often she is out on the floor showing customers her goods, answering questions and explaining how her products can be used to best advantage.
Timas said she concentrates on natural ingredients, recently expanding the baby products line and offering hemp products for pain and inflammation.
While she said she is done growing her business, Timas did express a desire to produce a natural makeup line.
“And I might expand our cleaning line. People are loving our laundry detergent,” Timas said.
A room between the mixing area and the shop provides space for workshops and for educating groups on natural lifestyles and reducing exposure to chemicals common in health and household products, according to her website.
His Daughter employs 14 people, both Amish and non-Amish, Timas said, with Beth Foutti managing the day-to-day operations.
She also has two Berkshire Schools students from the Badger Lab who help package catalog items shipped to vendors as far away as Kentucky, she said.
“We send out a dozen to 18 packages a week all over the U.S. I don’t know how the word gets out but it does,” Timas said. “We do get around.”
Locally, Timas has 15 to 20 wholesale accounts, including Rothenbuehler Cheese Chalet, the Burton Log Cabin, Scribblers Coffee Company in Geneva and The Collective Rose boutique in Chardon, she said.
She and her husband, Mike, an engineer with The Buckley Group in Newbury Township, have worked together to nurture the business, Timas said.
Their grown children – Eleni Jackson, Elizabeth Delaney, Michael and Luke — have careers and no interest in taking it over one day, Timas said, laughing and recalling one daughter commenting, “Mom, we’re not in a Hallmark movie.”
Timas credits her husband for his advice as His Daughter has expanded and relocated.
“We take our time – he’s very cautious. I’m glad,” she said.
Timas also enjoys employing and mentoring young people, holding potlucks at the shop and transporting Amish employees to and from work.
“I love having the girls come in – they run circles around me. I have an excellent staff,” she said.
Occasionally, Timas and Foutti take the group on field trips.
“We take the Amish staff to the Eastwood Mall. I probably have four or five girls in my car,” she said, adding they all have a lot of fun and the girls shop until the mall closes.
Interacting with the Amish community is one of many reasons His Daughter has grown and evolved over the past decade, Timas said.
“I love being in Middlefield,” she said. “I think Middlefield has a lot to offer.”
Her shop has become a stop for out-of-town visitors who come for a day of shopping and dining from as far as Columbus. They hit Pretzel Bar and the Fig Tree, then have lunch at Mary Yoder’s restaurant, Timas said.
“We’re one of their stops,” she said.
Members of Middlefield Village Council and the Middlefield Chamber of Commerce toured the shop and cut the red ribbon Nov. 20.
“We have a really wonderful, unique community here,” Timas said. “I’m very, very grateful to be in Middlefield with the support of (Mayor) Ben (Garlich) and everybody.”
