Smudge Sticks, Incense, Meditation Sessions More: Joliet Store

JOLIET — Downtown Joliet continues to attract more unique storefronts, and one of those is owned by Miriam Ibarra and her partner Juan Carlos Ibarra. In late November 2023, they opened Colibri The Hummingbird Oases at 215 N. Chicago St., near Juliet's Tavern.

The Humingbird Oases offers daily silent meditation sessions, astrology readings, Reiki and biofield tuning sessions. The Ibarras keep their store open Tuesday through Saturday, typically from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Years ago, the Joliet storefront was known as a pinball machine arcade.

Miriam Ibarra said she is a retired Joliet Public School District secretary and her partner Juan Carlos runs a construction company, ACE Boring & Excavating.

"This is Colibri, a crystal meditation center," she explained of her storefront. "I do work with Reiki energy and biofield tuning and Juan Carlos, my partner, is into astrology. We have women's circles here. I have held silent meditations. I want to start meditation for children. We've also had a lot of yoga classes."

In late January, Ibarra plans to offer a breath works class that will be donation-based.

"I want all these classes to be affordable for everyone," she said. "It was a struggle with all the construction and all of that down here, but I'm still here."

Ibarra has high hopes that 2025 will be a strong year for Colibri The Humingbird Oases. "I know it will happen," she predicted. "Just come in, we can sit down and have a cup of tea. Get to know us."

Her downtown Joliet storefront sells plenty of crystals and bracelets. She also sells incense, candles, smudge sticks, several books and natural products such as soaps, oils and sprays.

"We have to go within to find ourselves," Miriam Ibarra told Joliet Patch. "We're all struggling one way or another."

She said the smudge sticks are a popular and useful household item "to clean the energy of the office or home."

As far as her store is concerned, Ibarra wants everyone to know that they will feel welcome when they visit. "I make it homey so they can come in and sit down. I believe this is one of a kind. We've done a lot of personal work, my partner and I."

Her breath work class will last about an hour, and her Reiki sessions take an hour to 90 minutes. Her short silent meditation classes are 20 to 30 minutes.

As for the gong featured in the lead photo, Ibarra said it can be used as part of her meditation sessions. It was made in Tibet and brought here. It is not for sale, she said.

While walk-ins are most welcome, customers can also call her at Colibri The Humingbird Oases with any questions about her store merchandise or cost for the meditation sessions or astrology readings. The store number is 815-325-4341.

To visit the store's website, go here.