Homestead Apothecary started with humble beginnings in a renovated barn on a family farm in Western Massachusetts. In 2013 owner Nicholas Weinstein moved the business back home to California and opened a retail storefront in Oakland’s beloved Temescal Alley. The business was met with wild success and shortly after, he opened a second location with a dedicated lab and education space in the Laurel District. In 2018 Nic and his partner, renowned breathwork teacher Ashley Neese, had the great fortune of bringing their sweet son Solomon earthside and their priorities were rearranged in a flash.
After 7 years of serving the Oakland community Nic and Ashley decided to move to beautiful Mariposa CA, the gateway to Yosemite National Park. They set to work building Granite Mountain, a personal retreat center and small scale herbal medicine farm on 29 acres in an old Oak grove peppered with granite outcroppings, shared with owls, hawks and a myriad of other woodland creatures.
While manifesting their collective vision they became foster parents and were blessed with the placement of their now adopted son Zen. Before Zen’s second birthday his sister arrived in their home and the family grew to 5! After another year Nic and Ashley realized that time was moving faster than they could have imagined and decided they needed more time with the children and the land. At the end of 2024, Nic closed Homestead Apothecary to take time to rest, enjoy his family and give more time to his philanthropic work making meaningful change in the child welfare system, fostering dogs and rescuing and training miniature horses.
To find out more about Nic, Ashley, the kids and all the goings on over at Granite Mountain check out the links below.