Your Dream 'Occult' Shop

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 02 Aug 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Kiama	02 Aug 2002
I have always been interested in owning my own Pagan/Occult/Tarot shop... My friend also has set his mind to it, but is looking to do it in the very near future, unlike me, who won't be doing it for at least another decade. I was wondering, if you had quite a large shop space, what sort of things you would stock? (Other than plenty of Tarot decks of course!) Kiama

wavebreaker	02 Aug 2002
Do we need anything else but tarot decks?? :D There is a shop here in the Netherlands, I've only visited it once, but I really like it. They have loads of tarot decks and books. They also have a section where they sell jewellery, crystals, incense, candles, CDs, etc. I think it would also be nice to have a corner in the shop where you can sit down and look through books and decks. And where people can get all sorts of readings (tarot, runes, etc.).

Liliana	02 Aug 2002
I had close to my dream occult shop in my town for awhile, but the old owner sold it to a new guy and he changed it. But my ideal occult shop would be interfaith, Pagan, Buddhistm, Christian, Jewish, whatever, stuff for every faith. It would have tons and tons of Tarot decks, with a sample deck of each one so we can see and feel all the cards before buying. It would also sell a large variety of stones, oils, incense (from the supplier my local shop still uses, it6 is the best smelling longest burning, most affordable incense, only 7 cents a stick raised recently from 5 cents), various altar/spread cloths and bags, a little corner with big plush comfy seating and complimentary tea where people could browse decks and books, of course thered have to be books on tarot, pagan religion, and occult aspects of Christian religion and other religions as well. Id also sell rosaries of both Catholic and Pagan varieties, and little figures of God/desses including Christ, Buddha, other Indian gods, and Pagan ones, as well as spirit animal ones. And of course all the traditional witchy fare of cauldrons, herbs, charcoal, incense burners, athames, wands, chalices, offering dishes, etc, and also jewelry releveant to many different faiths, especially stocking crosses with pentacles in the center to the Christian Wiccans like me ;) And, like my friends shop, Id like to hold classes and maybe even a shop coven. Im sure theres more I forgot, oh yeah also pendalums and runes and other divining tools. :THP

meatbox666	02 Aug 2002
I would sell Hand of glory, big black spiders in jars impaled with pins. All Saturnine herbs, deadly nightshade, henbane, etc.Every herb. I would have bat eyes and real kidskin( from an actual kid because i'm friends with someone in the morgue) I'll have a pot full of bones from real people and I travled to Africa to get from the Real priests of witchdom. Skulls with holes in them for people to drink from and use as candle holders. I'll have all types of magick oils from the Middle East and North Africa...etc. Ahh, books, books, books on the goddess in the front room, but Secret Books of Higher Magick that are located upstairs in the store and people have to ask for them. They will get them when I ask who sent them and they must name a trustworthy client and he would notify me to their comming in advance. I'll have old hags constantly making food in the kitchen and slaving to make potions over the big freaking couldren I'll own. (think of the three old ladies and that big couldren on the floor).

Sorceress_Jade	02 Aug 2002
I’ll post then go back and read the others, just to let you know in case there’s much repeat here. :) I, also, have often dreamt of owning my own shop. I even have a town I’d like to move to to open it up, though I feel there wouldn’t be much market unfortunately. But /if/ I did have a shop I would sell all sorts of candles: tapered long and short, pillar, and pyramids and all kinds of others. I would sell figurines and small statues and artwork of all kinds that might possibly interest people spiritually and religiously. I would sell wind-chimes and other hanging and window decorations. Of course I would have a Tarot case and a big old binder full of samples, and then the requisite box of odd cards to purchase for spells or whatnot. I’d have a large book section, with benches so you don’t have to stand or sit on the floor (like I always do, which I know is SO improper). I’d sell jewelry of course and charms and beads and special items for crafts like feathers and maybe blessed materials or something. I would sell material (like on bolts or something) of flat colors and decorated patterns that would interest the clients. Incense and oils and the items that are needed to use them of course. Also, and I would have a large Herbal section. I think I’d like to sell live plants, but also have on hand any sort of dried plant one could possibly need or want for magical and medicinal reasons. And of course I would sell things that one might need to use those, jars and canisters, mortar & pestle, etc. I’d like to have Tarot readers on hand, as a shop nearby me had when it was open and I loved that, it gave the store a fantastic atmosphere. I would of course also sell gems and stones. I’d like to have a selection of other tools as well: athames, wands, chalices, bowls, pedestals and plates, cauldrons, spoons and actual knives. Also other odds and ends like water from different regions, also ashes of different things done in all manner of ways, and lots of other things that ppl could want that I won’t get into because this is already a mile long, lol. I love this idea and I’ve had dreams of the store that I would own, the layout and everything. So easy to visualize, but I can’t imagine having the market base to see it happen.

Sam	02 Aug 2002
mine would be aduplicate of the one in my city's downtown. ;)

Minderwiz	02 Aug 2002
One of the problems of a dream Pagan/Tarot shop is that it might not be everyone else's dream and thus it ends up closing. Virtually all New Age shops are compromises of some sort. However here in the UK good places to shop are in Edinburgh where there are several, including the aptly named wyrdshop. For those into Wicca and related herbal and other remedies the Greenwitch in Aberdour, in Fyfe is good and has a good web site at http://www.greenwitch.co.uk/index.htm. There's also one or two good shops in St Andrews, especially, Psyche's Garden which has a bias towards crystals and crystal healing. Finally at the other end of the country there's a shop in Penzance in Cornwall which has Tarot and other divination decks as well as crystals and good Wicca links, plus a good shop in Saint Ives not far away. All these are different but for us they provide us with most of the things we want. The best shop for Tarot Decks I've come across is in Philadelphia, I think it was called Garland of Letters on South Street. It even had Kaplan's Encyclopedia Vol 2 on the shelves! If any UK member has suggestions of good shops in the Manchester area please let me know! Regards Minderwiz

Laurel	02 Aug 2002
I was in my dream occult shop last night. Not only did it stock a zillion tarot decks, with a table full of display copies but it had a very good selection of books on a lot of different paths, candles, herbs, jewelry, etc., a tarot reader in a quiet corner offering professional readings, weird and "kewl" magical statues, art and weapons... but best of all... The basement are is full of comfy chairs and a ritual space that anyone can reserve for classes, meetings, or magickal events. In fact, that was the reason I was there, because a friend was teaching a class on basic Hermetic ritual and I promised I'd come. The only thing that would have made this dream occult shop better in my mind would be if I owned it myself :) Laurel

The Your Dream 'Occult' Shop thread was originally posted on 02 Aug 2002 in the Spirituality board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Spirituality, or read more archived threads.