With a wide variety of natural products, from soap to household cleaning supplies to natural stone jewelry and more, Rewildings is more than just a store. It is a place to reconnect with yourself, learn how to get back into nature, and become a better you, with the help of Gandulla.

A grand opening begins Friday and continues Saturday at Rewildings, 526 W. Chisholm St., Alpena. On Friday, a ribbon cutting with the Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce will be held at 12:30 p.m., followed by the in-store event with refreshments and cake. Then at 5 p.m., a Time in Nature mini class will be offered. On Saturday, a pour over demo and taste testing will be held at 12:30 p.m. and then at 3 p.m., Gandulla, who is also the author of The Magic Book Series, will host a meet and greet with a short reading, Q & A, and a take-home activity.

Rewildings is a zero-waste store, which means you bring your own bags and containers for bulk herbs, spices, natural cleaning supplies, and many more sustainable products. RSVP for the grand opening at rewildings.net.

Rewilding is a universal call to return to a “natural” way of being, according to Gandulla’s website.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Natural products are seen at Rewildings, a new shop at 526 W. Chisholm St. in Alpena.

“Ultimately, reWilding is a paradigm based on the premise that all life is connected,” Gandulla states on her website. “And when a form of life is disconnected, it suffers. When shown in this light we find that disconnect is pervasive in the modern, ‘civilized’ world and we suffer for it.”

In an interview, Gandulla described Rewilding as a “holistic approach to wellness through reconnection.”

She described her business as a holistic wellness shop and education center.

“The products support the classes and the mentorship,” said Gandulla. “It all focuses on teaching people to reconnect … Most of our struggles mentally, physically, and even spiritually, are from disconnect. We don’t know where our food comes from. We don’t get out in nature. We are disconnected from community. There’s layers of disconnect, so it’s really bringing back all of those pieces to create whole health.”

“Reconnection and reclamation is different for everyone,” Gandulla stated on her website. “However, through my own journey and education I have developed a mentorship based program, where students are educated and empowered to create their own reWilding path.”

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Polished stone bead bracelets made locally by Infinite CoCreations are seen at Rewildings, a new shop at 526 W. Chisholm St. in Alpena.

She offers reconnection sessions on a variety of topics, including: Breath, Sleep, Fuel, Movement, Music/Technology/Social Media, Thought, Body, Nature, Animals/People, Mind, Dreams, and Energy.

She explained that “students can choose structured and/or unstructured sessions, where they discover how to create space to listen deeply, communicate authentically, and finally be free to create life from awareness … to create life from the wild spirit they were born with.”

For example, in the nature session, you will learn the proven benefits for mind, body, and spirit, from just being surrounded by nature for as little as five minutes. Gandulla said time in nature can increase happiness and self-esteem, reduce levels of stress, anger, and depression, improve immune system activity, lower blood pressure and blood sugar, enhance performance on cognitive tests, and foster a sense of community and generosity.

Gandulla also offers classes in a meeting room in the back of the shop. The meeting room can be rented out as well.

In addition to natural products, Rewildings has organic teas, chocolate, and bulk spices for sale, as well as a wide variety of seeds you can plant. As a zero-waste business, customers must bring their own bags or containers for items they purchase.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley A variety of seeds are seen at Rewildings, a new shop at 526 W. Chisholm St. in Alpena.

“Join me in heeding the call and let us begin to shift the flow of the world from disconnect to connection, from suffering to thriving, from programming to reWilding,” Gandulla said on rewildings.net.

For more information about Rewildings, call Gandulla at 989-590-0619. ​​​​​​​​

Reach News Community Editor Darby Hinkley at 989-358-5691 or dhinkley@TheAlpenaNews.com.

Courtesy Photo Julie Gandulla stands behind the counter of her new store, Rewildings, at 526 W. Chisholm St., Alpena. Her grand opening is Friday and Saturday.