How to Spend $250 at Into the Feral

Nicole Picou is an unapologetic aesthete. So when the pandemic slowed her freelance art director and photographer business, she pursued a passion: herbs. Picou took tea courses at First Curve Apothecary. “Tea offers a certain slowness, a chance to pause and reflect while it steeps,” the St. Louis transplant explains. She soon launched her Feral Herbalist tea company, watched it outgrow her kitchen, and opened the Into the Feral store in Avondale in 2023. It is part gift shop, part apothecary, and all eye candy. “I’m a little fancy and a little feral, and the boutique is a combo of that,” Picou says. In the 900-square-foot space, your senses perk. A black floral statement wall draws the eye, gentle music piques the ear, upcycled furniture and jewelry beg to be touched. And then there is the aroma. “Everyone asks about the amazing smell, but it could be a lot of things: a bergamot, lavender, and vetiver candle I’m burning or an herbal tea I’ve blended in the back kitchen.” 2914 W. Belmont Ave.