“I try to go to the small, small businesses that no one knows about. That’s always my first choice,” she says.

McCalister’s store carries kitchen appliances, gardening supplies, clothing and accessories, home decor and stationery.

Mulberry Jean’s is known for its Fairtrade coffee grounds and loose leaf teas from around the world. There are 20 unique coffee blends – including seasonal offerings like Christmas Cookie and Taste of Spring – and year-round flavors like Jamaican Me Crazy and Cherry Bomb.

A tea lover herself, McCalister carries 70 varieties including rooibos, oolong, chamomile, raspberry, lemongrass, valerian root, green tea, white tea and more. She also hosts tea lectures throughout the Midwest and South on the health benefits of tea, which can include relieving allergies and arthritis as well as improving blood sugar, cholesterol, circulation and more.

“I care deeply about where my coffee and tea comes from,” says McCalister.