Thirty-six years in business is quite a milestone.

But 36 years in business all in the same place is a rarity.

But that’s just what Parsley Sage and Thyme’s Health Store has achieved. It’s a long history of serving the community’s health needs which makes perfect sense once you discover the history of the building on Elliott Street—between Westminster Ave. and River Rd.—which dates back to around 1910.

“There doesn’t seem to be a day that goes by without someone coming in here and telling us they were born here,” says Amber Dawe who purchased the business eight years ago from the original owners, Rose and Jim Asser, and now runs it with daughter Karmin.

The building at 4916 Elliot Street was a family home for most of its history. But it was also a birthing home, one of several in the area—a place where local women could come when expecting the immiment arrival of a newborn.

“This was at the time when they (expectant mothers) would have to take the ferry to Vancouver and the hospital or to New Westminster,” Dawe says. “They’d come here if there wasn’t time.”

Times may have changed much about the former, four bedroom homestead, but the aspect of caring continues, right down the choice of paint on the walls and original doors and handles.

“When we repainted, I wanted a lot of what was done to keep the essence of a home because I wanted customers to come in and feel welcome and at ease,” Dawe says.

The deep green and yellow tones are actually the reverse of what buildings of the period used on the exterior, while the current earth tones were popular on the interior.

“It’s a bit of a switch,” Dawe says, adding it works well.

So does the homey window seat in one corner of the store.

Dawe says she encourages senior customers to come to the store on foot as a way of getting exercise into their day, and often serves tea to those who have a moment to sit down and absorb some of the store’s surrounding heritage.

“I’ve got a feeling this building may be older than the 1910 we believe it to be,” says Dawe who is also a professional geneologist and is familiar with poring through historical documents.

She says an old fire department map lists the structure as far back as 1895.

Over the years, the building changed hands several times before the Assers bought it in 1973 and set up the health food store.

“William Dennison is listed in 1927 as the owner, and W.H. Ladner had it in 1916,” Dawe says. “In fact, he wrote a letter to the council of the day complaining about the high levels of taxes on the property.”

It just goes to show that as time goes by, some things do not change.

n editor@southdeltaleader.com