Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Donna Nickerson.
Hi Dr. Donna, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Da Shack Farmer’s Market. Located in a quaint and quiet part of the neighborhood at 925 Houston Street Waco, TX 76704. Da Shack” (like the name implies) may not impress you from the outside but However, once you walk through the doors and enter the green oasis and food Forrest you realize it is a hub for nutritious food, education, mental health , beauty, and serenity.
Donna Nickerson, PhD,LCSW a licensed psychotherapist and owner of Da Shack Famers Market Health and Wellness, Inc. was established in 2017. The gardening techniques we use here were taught to me at an early age by my mother Melba Wesley who is originally from the Philippines. We are indigenous gardeners that respect the earth, environment, and create a growing environment that encourages a healthy ecosystem.
First, how did they come up with the name? “I wanted something that was catchy, something that was different. As far as the name, ‘Da Shack’ is not a place where it’s fancy…it’s just simple.” “We try to implement simple things – even with gardening. We try to utilize our resources and try to communicate that with the community as well. That way they know you can use what you have. You don’t have to be fancy with things, just use what’s available.” Da’ Shack used to be a thrift store back in the early 90s and my parents John and Melba Wesley gifted me the store in the 2014 and I converted it to Da’ Shack Farmers Market Health and Wellness, Inc.
What should a visitor expect from Da Shack? The most important thing is for customers to leave with an education, even if they do not buy anything. “When they come here, they are going to learn about healthy eating, organic growing, gardening, and composting. Our goal is not to just provide healthy organic fruits, vegetables, and herbs…but also to educate them on how to grow and start gardening.”
Da Shack is a place where there is something for every potential gardener. For folks who do not want to grow their vegetables from the ground, We provide education and guidance on how to start with pots, raised beds, vegetable cans, various containers, or even in water.
My passion for educating people on how to improve their health shares roots with my profession as a clinical social worker and psychotherapist. Da Shack provides an avenue for addressing both physical and mental health. In fact, Da Shack offers mental health services to the community via my private practice 3 Dimension Inc. which is registered with most insurance agencies and is also providing sliding scale and pro-bono sessions for visitors to learn about behavioral health, managing stress, and more. When asked about why I chose to connect therapy to the farmer’s market, “Behavioral health is a barrier for a lot of people. If it is not addressed, it creates walls for individuals. Healthy people understand stress and how to cope with it…If you are in good condition physically, you’ll be in good condition emotionally, and vice versa because they work hand-in-hand…not a lot of psychotherapy services are present in East Waco and other central texas communities and it is a big need.” Furthermore, I wanted “people in the community to come to a place where there is serenity, relaxation, warmth, and resources.”
In recent years, Waco has been a hub for social and economic transformation. Businesses are seeing a new promising market, families are finding supportive communities for their children, and students continue to flood to one of the oldest, most respected universities in the South. The work that Da Shack does in the community has reached Waco but also across Texas, various states, in the US, and people from other countries. Da Shack is a catalyst for collective impact around healthier living for many people.
Da Shack is a special place for Waco, other Central Texas cities , DFW , Houston, and other major cities in Texas. Da’ Shack has tourists and visitors from all over Texas, different states, and customers from other countries.
We offer organic products that range from houseplants and outdoor plants, to vegetables and herbs, to instructional sessions about plant benefits, composting and growing.
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Da Shack Farmer’s Market has taken a creative approach to marrying hobbies with service, nutrition, mental health, and gardening.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It was difficult when I first opened . The building was old, needed a lot of repair and upgrades. Through the years we have managed to complete the needed repairs on the building. Currently we are open to donations and potential grants that will assist us with obtaining an aquaponic system. This would be a game changer for our business and also providing more gardening education to the community, schools, and churches statewide. Introducing and educating others on how to grow via aquaponics will help many due to climate change and the challenges that many may have with gardening when weather is not ideal for gardening.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Da’ Shack Health and Wellness, Inc. ?
We offer gardening and composting education to the community, we help to establish gardens in schools, churches, and with anyone that may want to garden. We travel to various cities and states for garden consultation as well.
We are a food Forrest in the inner city of Waco Texas that sells plants, herbs, flowers, veggies , and fruit. Customers are able to see all of these things actually growing at our business. We also donate plants to the community as well.
Our store also has gardening classes, presentations from different presenters that focus on health and wellness.
We also have social work master level internship program that we partner with Baylor University. The students are trained here at our business on gardening and composting and we send the students out in the community to do community work to establish gardens and provide gardening and composting education.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
Although we are located in Waco Texas we have many Houston locals that visit our store every season. The support that we have received from our customers from Houston Texas have been great each year since we opened. The education that we offer here at Da’ Shack, many from Houston have been able to take the education and use it in their communities .
Pricing:
- Pricing is very affordable because we grow all of our plants, veggies, herbs, fruit, and flowers
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @dashackfarmers
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1DqjK583cg/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@dashack254?si=cZ4GRWWkshDDE9cW
