About

Hello, my name is Amye Clark, and I created Anam Cara Apothecary in 2014. I did have a brick-and-mortar shop in downtown Frederick Maryland, but when the pandemic hit, it gave me a chance to explore other options. I closed the doors in the summer of 2022, to go full time online. Another shift in business made me realize that I needed to focus solely upon my passions in this, and so I closed the website down in the summer of 2023, knowing that I was to rebuild and that I would be better. Welcome spring of 2024, and I am bringing Anam Cara Apothecary back into the public space with clarity and vision. It is good to be back.

Perfumery is an art. Like the great painters and musical composers, not everyone will like the presentation, yet all will agree that art is an expression of the heart and soul of its creator, and the creation of art is a force that cannot be contained. It is born from the depths of our souls.

My love of perfumery and scents has always been important to me. To me scent is another language. Perfumery plays with our emotions, imagination and our mood. This “scent language” is not only interpreted differently, but it mingles with our own essence and becomes part of us, making us an integral part of a blend. Two individuals can wear the same perfume, and yet that perfume will work differently with the wearer. Perfumery showed me that I wanted and needed to be part of this magical alchemy.

I remember telling my mother at a young age that I wanted to be a perfumer when I grew up. She told me that I was not French, and I needed to be born into a perfume family. To her, that was the way it was done. But I believed differently, and thankfully the determination of a naive child kept me on that belief that I could indeed become a perfumer. As a teenager, my saved allowance went to the purchases of essential oils, fragrances, and seed packets so I could grow fragrant herbs and flowers. I transformed a part of my family porch into a mini greenhouse. I invested everything I had into this passion. Always traveling in the direction of perfumery.

I wanted to know as much as I could, I read a lot of books, I learned from Herbalists, and from my studies and time spent with plants and essential oils, I learned that they embody powerful medicine to the mind, body and spirit. The plants became a whole new group of friends who helped me on several levels. Learning this (knowledge – the head) and practicing blending (feeling – the heart) helped me to develop the skill of perfume artistry. I created my perfumery from inspirations, as a story, or a feeling that I felt from an experience. This gift, which was given at a very early age, became a reality.

My education has been an eclectic journey. I have a degree from Penn State University, got certified in Emergency medicine, took multiple certifications in healing arts and therapy, studied many different cultural healing modalities including Traditional Chinese Medicine and 5 Element theory, and got my certification in Master Clinical Aromatherapy.

This means collectively I am a caring, fast reacting, healer that understands the ancient arts and various herbal methods!

The archetypes that reside heavily with me are the Teacher, the Queen, the Sage, the Alchemist, the Seeker, the Engineer, the Nature child, the Visionary and the Crone.

My mother showed me how to see the magic within the earth, she understood nature. One of my greatest joys is spending time with my family, including my critter family, experiencing and being in nature. Nature has so much to offer, and I soak up every chance I get to experience it.

I live in south central Pennsylvania with my husband, 4 horses, 2 dogs, 2 cats and 5 chickens. We have 6 children, 7 grandchildren and 12 grand-dogs. I was a homeschooling mom, and then a small businesswoman after that. As I move through my 6th decade of life, I am still in awe of the many different kingdoms that share their wisdom, if we take time to listen, see and observe.