The Mustard Seed leaves Portsmouth

Kim Allen casually flipped through pamphlets in the reading room of The Mustard Seed on a recent afternoon. Meanwhile, her three-year-old daughter, Sarah, peeked behind a wooden shade where tarot card readings are performed. This was not Allen’s first visit to The Mustard Seed in Portsmouth. “I come in for the loose teas and for all the information they have here,” she said.
    

After 22 years serving the Portsmouth community, The Mustard Seed Natural Living Center on State Street closes its doors on June 12. That’s the bad news. The good news is that, on June 23, owner Salandrea Patrizi reopens the shop in her barn in Nottingham, where the business was originally conceived in 1983. In addition to providing a wide selection of eco-conscious products, The Mustard Seed is known as a source of information on a variety of spiritual and healthy living practices.
    

Returning to her six-acre plot in Nottingham will allow Patrizi to showcase many of the products and practices that her business promotes, such as organic farming, natural pet food, wild herbs, natural paints and stains, and other “eco-friendly products that will allow people to make better choices for themselves,” Patrizi said.
    

Her decision to leave the downtown space at the corner of State and Penhallow streets was based on a number of factors. “Here are the things I’ve noted over the years: The flow of people traffic has changed. It’s a good thing that they are developing Congress Street, but we’re being ignored in our area. Sometimes it looks like a ghost town,” Patrizi said. “Secondly, it’s a parking issue. I don’t think the town is parking-friendly. I hear this so many times from customers, it’s sickening. I’ve always been able to move through the difficult times, but this was just too much. The rent is four or five times more than what it was when I moved here.”
    

According to Patrizi, several State Street businesses are forming a committee to address development issues along the historic city street. She feels that while city officials have lavished nearby Congress Street with renovations, State Street is being left behind.
    

“State Street is a huge part of Portsmouth’s history, but it’s being ignored. We don’t want to be one of those towns that only cater to the rich, which is what I’m seeing,” Patrizi said. “It’s so important for people to support their local businesses. We need to all survive and support each other. I don’t want to see these unique stores in Portsmouth start to leave because all these big companies are coming in. There’s got to be room for both.”
    

Employee Lindsey Hyde stood before a wall of jarred herbs on a recent day, weighing the contents on an electronic scale. Hyde agrees with her boss that it is important for independent businesses like The Mustard Seed to thrive. “I think it’s an important store to have anywhere,” Hyde said. “A lot of people in town are disappointed, but there’s a lot of excitement to go back to our roots.” Moving to Nottingham will allow Patrizi to “simplify” and work more closely with customers, Hyde added.
    

Before she moved to Portsmouth, Kim Allen lived in Maine and would drive an hour one-way to get to The Mustard Seed. She believes other customers will do the same when the store moves to Nottingham. “A lot of people rely on this place,” Allen said. Will she make the drive herself? “I’ll go to Nottingham. Oh, absolutely,” she said. The Rising Tide Natural Foods Coop in Damariscotta, Maine, will also offer Mustard Seed products for customers who can’t make it to Nottingham. 
    

“We’re not just a health food store, we go beyond that,” Patrizi said. She also plans to offer classes on herbology and ecology. “I’m going to miss a lot of familiar faces, but I’m very excited about coming back to the land and bringing my business back to this (Nottingham) community. I’m seeing a new beginning.”
    

But Patrizi admitted her emotions are mixed. “To turn that key on the 12th is going to be very emotional for me. It’s truly the end of an era,” she said.