Welcome to T.E. Market
What is different about T.E. Market? Why would two people under 30 with their first child on the way decide to start a business? What is the goal of the market? What are the beliefs of this company?
These are questions we have asked ourselves for months now in the quiet space of our home while we dreamed, planned, and worked toward opening T.E. Market. The short answer to most of these questions can be summed up that we truly believe in this way of living and in our mission to share this with our community. Over 2 years ago we started a personal health and wellness journey together hoping to heal from some of the chronic illnesses that plagued not just us but our families for years. These were things that are so widely accepted and tolerated now that we don’t even see them as medical issues more as daily irritants. This changed when Hanna’s dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer at the age of 52. This opened our eyes to look around and see that chronic illness, cancer, inflammation, infertility, and immune deficiencies have been on the rise for years now without many of us knowing. The sad truth was that the way we were living and how careless we were with what we put in and on our bodies, we were both likely headed down the path of battling illness after illness. Not only taking away our quality of life but also spending thousands in the traditional medical system. Traditional medicine is not inherently bad or negative , but for two people in their twenties this didn't seem like a life that was very appealing to us.
So we put Hanna’s research skills to work (we always knew her pursuing her Ph.D. would pay off) and started looking into what we put in and on our bodies and how it impacts our health. We started by being shocked, then defeated, and finally we got a little angry. It seemed that almost everything in our pantry contained ingredients that were disrupting our bodies natural endocrine systems. Then we realized how many other factors were at play : household cleaners, makeup products , toothpaste / deodorant and personal care items, the quality of the air in our home, the type of material making our sheets and clothing, and the list goes on. If you look at this list and feel defeated that’s okay we did too! Then we started compiling a list and making changes and finding small ways to make a big impact toward our health , and to say the time and money has been worth it is an understatement. We feel so much better, happier, and clearer on a daily basis. As we would tell family and friends they wanted to feel like this and do it with us but kept saying that they felt overwhelmed and did not know where to shop, what brands to trust, how to read labels…. this is where we felt our calling to step in.
After losing Hanna’s dad in February 2024, we both knew that the time to step up to this calling was right now. T.E. Market is not simply a store we want to be a place of fellowship and gathering within our local community where we want not only to simplify the buying process but also to educate our community. We aim to educate through sharing research on our blog and by having classes at the market to learn new skills from wreath making to sourdough. This company believes in the value of community and the ways that sharing what your learn with your neighbor strengthens us all, and hopefully we get to continue to learn from all of you as well. In the area that T.E. Market is located in Anderson, SC we currently did not have a food hub to both support local producers in the area (there are a ton and they’re fantastic) or a platform to share all of this. Instead of waiting for one, we decided to build it ourselves.
The beliefs of this company are simple: Faith, Family, Freedom, and Food.
We are so excited for this journey to start. We hope that you will follow along with us as we grow through e commerce this year, welcome our baby next year, and open our storefront in Anderson, SC. It’s going to be a great year !
-Weston & Hanna Gilreath