Our Story

Dogwood & Deathcap was founded to be a solution, a community problem solver, a way to reconnect us with nature, with one another, and ourselves. 

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The idea was born here in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Appalachia, where I grew up surrounded by old stories, self-reliant people, and a deep belief in the spirit of community. But as the years passed, I began to see that culture dying, neighbors no longer knowing one another, families struggling in silence, local traditions fading beneath the noise of modern life. 

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I’ve worked in public service, law enforcement, nonprofit leadership, and construction. Across every job and every town, I saw the same pattern: the breakdown of connection. People are hungry for meaning and connection, but we’ve been divided by the things that make us different, instead of being united by the things that make us alike. I believe we are all much more alike than we are different. 

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Dogwood & Deathcap was my answer to that, a framework for creative problem solving, storytelling, healing, and local action. A place where business can coexist with purpose, where commerce supports compassion, and where we can rebuild the small systems that keep a community alive.

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The name itself represents balance. Dogwood, the state flower of Virginia, symbolizing resilience, beauty, and life. Deathcap, a reminder of mortality and caution, of how creation and destruction exist side by side. Together, they form the philosophy behind this work: to embrace the full spectrum  and cycle of life, the good, the strange, the painful, and the beautiful, and use it to grow something lasting.

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Dogwood & Deathcap is not a single venture but a living ecosystem, built around four interconnected branches: the Apothecary, Publishing, Supply Co., and Community Projects. Each exists to address a different kind of need, health, expression, sustainability, and service, all rooted in one simple belief: no one is coming to help us, we have help each other.

The Apothecary

The Dogwood & Deathcap Apothecary exists to nurture mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing through intentional craftsmanship and traditional methods.

Every tincture, tea, and herbal preparation begins with respect, for the plant, the process, and the person who will eventually use it. Ingredients are foraged, grown, or sourced responsibly, with an emphasis on native plants and seasonal cycles of the Appalachian region.

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The apothecary is about reconnecting with the natural rhythms that sustain us. In a world that’s forgotten patience, we’re restoring the art of preparation  allowing time for things to set and steep, to become what they’re meant to be.

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Our offerings will include:

• Small-batch tinctures and tonics made from locally sourced botanicals

• Herbal salves and teas supporting wellness and balance

• Educational content on responsible foraging and traditional herbal knowledge

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This branch represents our belief that health, mental, physical, and spiritual, begins with awareness, connection, and care.

Dogwood & Deathcap Publishing

Dogwood & Deathcap Publishing is where story and philosophy lands on paper. It exists to give voice to ideas that matter, stories of resilience, creative reflection, and the unspoken beauty of living close to the edge of the strange and the sacred.

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Through this branch, we intend to publish works that explore the intersections of culture, community, and spirit, field guides, essays, creative writing, folklore preservation, and philosophical reflection, maybe even some public policy solutions.

We will also host projects and contributors whose works align with our purpose: those who value authenticity, curiosity, and a willingness to talk about what others avoid.

Future publications will include:

• Local field guides documenting regional ecology, heritage, and craft

• Personal and collaborative essays exploring mental health, philosophy, and community resilience

• Children’s books and zines, for kids by kids, that pass down wisdom and wonder

• Creative works that celebrate the weird, the heartfelt, and the deeply human

Publishing is our means of preservation, of ideas, of culture, and of truth in all its imperfect forms.

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D&D Supply Co.

D&D Supply Co. is the tangible side of Dogwood & Deathcap, a modern revival of the Appalachian general store. 

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This is where you’ll find our printed publications, apothecary goods, thrifted and gently used items, and practical supplies. The focus is on quality, utility, and accessibility, products made to last, priced fairly, and created with community wellbeing in mind.

In a future physical location, we envision a space that serves as a community hub, part store, part creative workspace, and part meeting place where ideas, goods, and stories are traded.

Our goals include:

• Offering affordable, useful goods for everyday life

• Reducing waste through resale, repurposing, and thrift

• Supporting local artisans and makers through consignment and collaboration

• Hosting community events and markets that bring people together

D&D Supply Co. bridges the practical and the creative, the place where commerce creates community connection.

Community Projects

From the beginning, Dogwood & Deathcap has been about creating better communities. To execute on that mission, we commit 10% of all profits to local nonprofits, mutual aid efforts, and community projects that align with our mission. We promise transparency in how much is raised, where it goes & who it helps. 

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Beyond donations, this branch exists to create and support projects that build community resilience from revitalizing shared spaces to supporting local arts, youth programs, and wellness initiatives.

Our long-term vision includes:

• Partnering with regional nonprofits to fund sustainability and education projects

• Supporting local storytelling initiatives and historic preservation

• Helping communities design their own self-sustaining systems, gardens, cooperatives, small business incubators, and repair networks

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Community Projects represent the “why” behind every other branch. Each sale, story, or product contributes to something bigger: helping rebuild the social and spiritual fabric of our community.

Dogwood & Deathcap stands at the crossroads of old and new, part reverence for the communities and culture built by our ancestors, part reinvention where ya’ll means all. It’s a reminder that we are not alone, that our stories matter, and that even the smallest acts of care and creativity can spark real change.

Meet The Fouder