After cooking in restaurants for over ten years, Acconcia moved into retail with the August '16 opening of Juniper Culinary Apothecary, inside the Mount Vernon Marketplace. The micro-boutique (at only 20 sq ft) is packed with herbs & spices, rare superfoods, and high quality loose leaf teas. Acconcia, a graduate of Maryland Institute College of Art, curates the store's selection with the trained palate of a chef and the design eye of an artist.