Meet the Makers: Desert Apothecary & Wellness
Part two of our ongoing maker series — this time we're spotlighting the vendors whose work nourishes, grounds, and brings a little desert magic home with you. The high desert has always had a connection to healing — the plants that grow here, the quiet that settles over the landscape, the feeling that being out here does something to you at a cellular level. The vendors in this category understand that and build their work around it.
Heather Basile — Mojave Moon Apothecary
Mojave Moon Apothecary started as a love letter to the Mojave. Heather Basile founded it in Twentynine Palms with a simple intention — to make things that carry the spirit of this landscape wherever they go. Every blend draws from sacred herbs and botanicals inspired by both new age tradition and the plants that actually grow in the desert outside her door.
Everything Mojave Moon makes is organic, sustainably sourced, and beautifully packaged. Candles, incense, room sprays, perfume oils, essential oils, linen sprays — each one made with intention and care. And what makes this brand genuinely worth supporting beyond the quality of the products is its heart: 10% of all White Sage and Palo Santo sales are donated directly to the Native American Rights Fund, honoring the cultures and traditions that these botanicals come from.
That's not a marketing line. That's a value. And it shows in everything Mojave Moon makes.
Shop Mojave Moon Apothecary at JT Trading Post in store and online at jttradingpost.com.
Kristina Baranowski — Orchid + Ash
Kristina Baranowski is the artist and maker behind Orchid + Ash — a handcrafted brand rooted in the desert landscape and the creative spirit of Joshua Tree. Kristina's work pulls from the natural world around her — the textures, the colors, the quiet energy of a place that has been inspiring artists and healers for generations.
Orchid + Ash sits at the intersection of art and wellness — handcrafted goods that feel as beautiful as they are intentional. The desert has a way of stripping things down to what matters, and Kristina's work reflects that. Nothing unnecessary. Everything present.
Find Orchid + Ash at JT Trading Post and take something of the desert home with you.
Alyssa Sides — Plant Social
Alyssa Sides is one of JT Trading Post's founding vendors and Plant Social has been part of the shop's identity since the beginning. Alyssa brings houseplants, botanica skincare, and nature-inspired goods to her corner of the store — things that are alive, grounded, and connected to the natural world in a way that feels right at home in the desert.
The plants she brings in are healthy and thoughtfully chosen. The botanica skincare line is built around ingredients that actually do something — plant-based, intentional, the kind of skincare that fits the life of someone who spends time outdoors and cares about what goes on their skin. The nature-inspired goods throughout her section feel like the desert made them.
Supporting Plant Social means supporting one of the people who helped build what JT Trading Post is. Come find her section and bring something living home.
Good Buds — Desert Floral Arrangements
Good Buds brings something different to the wellness and home corner of JT Trading Post — beautiful, desert-inspired fake floral arrangements that capture the beauty of the high desert landscape without the upkeep. There's something about dried and faux botanicals that fits the desert aesthetic perfectly — earthy, textured, lasting. Good Buds arrangements look like they came straight from the landscape outside the shop window.
If you want to bring the desert home in a way that lives on your shelf or your table long after your trip is over, Good Buds is the answer. No watering required.
Find Good Buds exclusively at JT Trading Post in store.
Why It Matters
These four vendors represent something the high desert has always understood — that wellness isn't separate from the landscape. It comes from it. The plants, the quiet, the intentional way of making things — all of it is connected.
When you support these makers, you're supporting people who are doing the hard, daily work of building something real in a place they love. That deserves your attention and your dollars.
Browse all of our vendors at jttradingpost.com/collections and come find us in store seven days a week — weekdays noon to 5, weekends 9 to 5.
