Jade Massel and Alexis Norris standing back to back.

Saturday, Feb. 10, ArtRat Gallery gets in the mood for romance with a day of Valentine’s delights. Besides joining South Division Ave.’s vintage stores and art galleries in a shop hop from 12-6pm, ArtRat is proud to host a Puritea Valentine’s Soirée 6-10pm. 

The evening of food, music, art and fun is presented by Puritea, a young partnership bringing its line of herbal teas to Grand Rapids’ discerning palates. (Admission is $15, tickets available from Eventbrite.)

Ahead of the show, ArtRat asked co-founders Jade Massel and Alexis Norris about Puritea and their plans for the soirée.

What inspired you to team up to create and sell herbal teas? 

Our mutual determination to invest in our passions and love the work we do as intuitive artists. We are confident in the power of herbal healing, and we’re grateful to share our individual healing journeys with each other and our community. Naturally, our business is channeled through events comprising various artistic mediums like music, art and fashion.

Puritea teas with crystals on the beach.

What’s Puritea’s philosophy of wellness and creativity? 

We know how much art can heal, and sharing this artistic approach to health with our community is powerful. Through events and local sales, we realize how valuable it is to have a shared experience centered around mind-body-spirit connectiorn. Through this business, we feel authentic growth on both individual and collective levels.

We’re happy to tap into an aspect of wellness that extends beyond what “healthy” conventionally looks like, offering a more creative and collaborative approach.

Describe the vibe guests to the Valentine’s Soirée will experience.

Alexis and Jade selling tea outdoors.

This event is a loving collection of art, music, food, and healing. Attendees will be immersed in this lighthearted collaboration of local Grand Rapids talent, and leave feeling more connected to both themselves and their community through creative healing.

Finish this sentence: “Puritea and Valentine’s Day go together like … “

A garden and roses.

What opportunities are you seeking in the Grand Rapids market? 

We hope to expand into more spaces that reflect our mission of artistic healing, including but not limited to storefronts, collaborations and more experiential events.

Where can readers order Puritea?

Readers can order Puritea through our Instagram (@hello.puritea); email (hello.puritea@gmail.com); and in-person events.

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