Brewed with Resilience & Rooted in History: Edgewater's DMApothecary Blooms on Broadway & Library Celebrates a Chicago Hero

By Socialhood News · Il/Chicago/Edgewater · March 24, 2026

Edgewater is serving up a double dose of inspiration this week, with a beloved neighborhood apothecary writing a triumphant new chapter on Broadway — and the local library spotlighting a forgotten Chicago legend.

After a years-long battle with flooding and landlord troubles at their former Sheridan Road location, mother-son duo Deirdre Austin and Matthew Walcott have officially relaunched DMApothecary at 5430 N. Broadway. The shop, which Austin founded in 2016 as a tribute to her late mother, stocks over 500 jars of herbs and plans to revive the beloved tea tastings and soap- and candle-making classes that flooding had forced offline. Neighbors rallied around the business through a GoFundMe campaign when the move seemed impossible. "Just when I thought I was at my critical breaking point, there has always been some guiding light," Austin said. DMApothecary is open Tuesday–Friday 10 a.m.–4 p.m. and Saturday–Sunday 9 a.m.–4 p.m. — stop in and show some love.

Meanwhile, the Friends of the Edgewater Library have a can't-miss event on the calendar: on Tuesday, March 31, historian Dr. Pamela D. Toler will discuss her book *The Dragon From Chicago*, uncovering the life of Sigrid Schultz — the Chicago Tribune's Berlin bureau chief who was one of the first journalists to warn Americans about the rising Nazi threat. The free in-person program runs 6–7 p.m. in the Betty A. Barclay Community Room at the Edgewater Branch Library. Visit foelchicago.org for details.

Sources:
1. https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/02/16/edgewater-apothecary-opens-new-shop-on-broadway-after-years-of-floods-landlord-issues/
2. https://www.foelchicago.org/