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The Herb Shoppe
The Herb Shoppe, a quaint retail outlet located at 3618 El Cajon Boulevard, has been in business since 1969. A lovely man, Mr. James Kane was the original owner. In 1988, the business was listed for sale in the Union Tribune, and another
lovely man, Liviu Bacila bought the business and has been running it ever since.
Like many of his customers, Liviu grew up taking natural herb supplements that his mother provided. He is inherently oriented towards a healthy lifestyle and has an excellent understanding of how natural herbs benefit the human body.
Liviu grew up in Romania. He studied music and worked for the national broadcasting company as a classical musical critic, but he also promoted jazz music, which along with herbs is one of his lifelong passions. Like many people, Liviu
left Romania because of its political regime and moved to New York City. After several years working as a taxi driver in one of the busiest cities in the world, Liviu seeked out a more suitable lifestyle here in San Diego.
In 1992, there was a big debate in Congress over health supplements. It is still illegal for someone like Liviu to make claims that natural herbs can improve one's health. Fortunately, that is a not an issue at the Herb Shoppe, because
most of his customers come inside and know exactly what they need. In fact, many of the newly settled Somali and Ethiopian refugees in San Diego are regular patrons. With more than 450 herbs and spices, customers are also referred to the
shop from Henry's and Whole Foods, whose selection of herbs is minimal compared to the Herb Shoppe.
Hours: Tues – Sat, 10 – 5:30pm
Yelp About the Boulevard
Pancho Villa's Farmer's Market - 3245 El Cajon Boulevard
Yelper:
Incredible prices, especially on fruits, vegetables, and herbs. For weeks they had oranges at 6 pounds for 99 cents--and these oranges were every bit as good as at any other supermarket. Once the avocados were (edit) 9(!) for a dollar!
Cilantro? You want cilantro? At Pancho Villa, you can sometimes get (edit) 9 bunches of a dollar. I could go on and on. If you are like me, you get a little giddy when you look at the receipt and you spent 22 cents on a bunch of
Broccoli, especially when it's just as good as broccoli from anywhere else.
Why else should you visit Pancho Via? If you like to cook Mexican food they have some of the little things that takes your cooking to another level. I only recently discovered the wonders of epazote in homemade beans. Mmm. They have a huge
selection of chilies, dried and fresh; there's no mole recipe too authentic for Pancho Villa. They also have amazing freshly made corn tortillas. They are so warm and soft that you just might get the urge to snuggle them on your drive
home!
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Featured Arts and Events on the Boulevard
This weekend, the Little Saigon Foundation, a local non-profit organization, is hosting their second annual San Diego Lantern Festival and Street Fair. A 2,000 year old celebration with a modern twist, the festival is a celebration
that seeks to bring together residents, community organizations, local businesses, students and visitors from all over San Diego County to experience the illuminating elegance of thousands of lanterns brightening the night sky.
This year's theme is "Light Up San Diego" and will feature nearly 6,000 traditional silk lanterns. Other attractions include a street fair (Saturday and Sunday), lantern parades and lion dance every evening, multi-cultural entertainment, a
martial arts competition, carnival rides, break dancing competitions, an array of Asian cuisine, San Diego and LA food trucks, a beer garden, and a breath-taking display of lanterns every night of the festival.
The festival will also host the first-ever Miss Asia San Diego 2011 Pageant on Saturday August 28 at 7:00pm after the festival's Opening Ceremony. This will be a historic event for San Diego to learn about the bright and talented young
Asian American women who represent their respective communities.
The San Diego Lantern Festival and Street Fair is a unique celebration that showcases the local Vietnamese culture in the urban beat of City Heights. This multi-cultural family event is part of Little Saigon Foundation's ongoing effort to
revitalize the area between Euclid Avenue and Highland Avenue on El Cajon Boulevard through cultural celebration and economic revitalization.
The festival hopes to provide a fun and unique experience at an affordable price – admission is only $5 for adults and $3 for children.
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