In the world of health and wellness, adaptogens are at the forefront of herbal medicine regimens with people using them for things like mood stability, mental focus and stamina.
Back in 2020, Omar Othman was ahead of the trend with the establishment of Culture Shrooms, a hub for anything and everything mushroom-related, in the East Village Arts District.
For Othman, the idea for Culture Shrooms came at a time when he was growing mushrooms for himself and noticed a void in the supply of grain, substrates and genetics, essential to the growing process.
“This led to noticing (that) no one has opened a brick and mortar, one-stop mushroom location and I was shocked,” Othman said. “Down the rabbit hole I went, finding a plethora of astounding products, not showcased on shelves properly. So we opened Culture Shrooms.”
The ethos behind the shop is to create a space for the community related to mushrooms. Through vertical integration, the business not only sells mushroom products but also provides education and oversees product growth, which guests can see upon a visit to the shop and taking a peak through the windows of the grow room where kits are blooming, healthier than ever.
For Othman, the idea of bringing a concept like Culture Shrooms to Long Beach was a no-brainer.
“I’ve watched the city grow, shift and modernize to (be) the city it is today,” Othman said. “Long Beach has an edge to it like nowhere else. You can find almost anything if you look hard enough.”
While the community has fully embraced Culture Shrooms, there are still those who remain skeptical about the health benefits of adaptogens. Othman and his team work hard to educate people about the way our minds and bodies can improve and change.
“(There is) tons of stigma, from people who don’t like or give the time to understand the mushroom and plant medicine kingdom, to the opposite; why don’t we sell psilocybin,” Othman said. “We try to explain that we support all mushrooms and plants as medicine but follow the laws of this amazing country that allows us to think freely enough for things like this to exist.”
In many ways, Culture Shrooms truly is a one-stop shop for most products related to mushrooms.
Guests can find things like growing supplies and all-in-one kits that Culture Shrooms will grow for them at no extra cost.
The shop also features a non-alcoholic bar with items like coffee and tea made with various mushrooms and plants.
Othman just opened a second location in Humboldt County, which features seating for about 50 people, in a lounge-type setting where people can sip and savor the herbal offerings available to them at the shop.
The future for Culture Shrooms is looking bright with plans for more international and national distribution and wholesale opportunities with big-brand grocers, always with community and education in focus.
“The most impactful part is working with Culture Shrooms as a platform to make real change using mushrooms,” Othman said. “From helping underprivileged communities use mushrooms as food supply, to mental and physical health breakthroughs for humans and animals…we can help motivate and pressure that movement.”
Culture Shrooms is open 7 days a week at 10 a.m. To learn more about them and the products they offer, be sure to visit them on the web.
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