Sometimes, you just need to see a deck in person

taylorkiteling

Unfortunately, the only stores I have in the area that sell Tarot decks are Borders and Barnes & Noble. Borders used to have a bunch of sample cards on a ring (hole punched in the corner, one card from each deck), but they didn't always have examples from all the decks, and as you all well know, looking at one card doesn't exactly tell you much about what the deck as a whole will be like!

But I know what you mean about needing to see a deck in person. I was never drawn to the RWS deck - it always looked...well...it didn't look bad to me, but I just never connected with it. Then I was at a Tarot meetup at my local metaphysical store, and another lady did a reading for me using her Universal Waite deck. I pointed at it and said "That's it!" I had bought a Rider-Waite deck previously, but I wasn't at all fond of the colors (color is a big issue for me). As soon as I had the money, I ran straight out to Borders and purchased myself a Universal Waite deck. It is beautiful and works very well for me.
 

Cerulean

What a wonderous experience...

Long ago there were 3 stores within driving distance you could look at deck samples, but they all vanished.

We do have generic bookstores and a few older used bookstores. One brick and morter metaphysical...

Llewellyn and Bear & Co. offers catalogs at their site, but that is not the same as a lovely metaphysical shop...and different decks...

Yes, I have given many a deck a nice home that physically I had to see in person.


SloughSister said:
After baptism-by-tarot a few weeks ago, I have made two trips to the city to check out five stores to look for decks. I had my AT wishlist in hand each time.

The first store - a few cards from each deck, hole punched in the corner and able to be flipped around on a metal ring. All Llewellyn, nothing I had hoped for, nothing that grabbed me.

The second store - a superb old drawer with two metal rods running the depth of the drawer down in the bottom, and sliding along those rods, about 60? 70? decks with a cutout of the front of the box and a half a dozen cards from each. Lovely, wide selection - of which, a mere 4 decks were available for sale in the store. ??? All else had to be ordered and wait. I didn't get it - most all of us could do that on-line. But I was totally and completely surprised by what grabbed me - nothing at all that I could've known from on-line: Cat People, Cary-Yale and Feng Shui. Very much based on look/feel there in the store. But none I could get!

The third store - a dozen decks, no samples, and none of interest.

The fourth store - they wanted to provide me with samples, and had had some, but they had been stolen during the previous week. No wonder providing samples becomes hard for a business. Twenty decks or so, but the store owner had and used and let me handle her Shadowscapes, so I knew those were a no-go. But they had the Feng Shui, so I bought those.

The fifth store - probably 40 tarot and oracle decks on the shelf, more oracles than tarot, quite a varied selection, but once again, no samples, no pictures, no way to open and even look at the backs through the cellophane. I wrote down a half-dozen and felt very grateful to AT, knowing I could come home and give them a good look-see.

I want to go to Niti's store and feel all the decks there! It sounds idyllically rich. I would never, ever have guessed I would like the look and feel of the 3 that did grab me. So, there, that's a long way to wholeheartedly agree with you, Niti.
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WyrdRaven

Yes, I remember those stores that had sample decks! It was such a treat to spend the day looking through cards. Alas, all of these are gone except one, and who knows how long it will continue? I remember viewing Tarot of the Trance online and thinking, "Well, it's okay, but nothing to write home about." Then I had a chance to look through a sample deck and wow-- what a difference that made! The cards were so much more vibrant in person. I just had to get one! Too bad that so many thieves stole sample cards and decks. That spoiled it for the rest of us!
 

tarotcognito

My local store has several oracle decks open for customers to look through, but no open Tarot decks. :(
 

Little Hare

Canadian Girl said:
My local store has several oracle decks open for customers to look through, but no open Tarot decks. :(
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yep same here :/ I've noticed alot of stores will have oracle decks open for customers to look through. Most of the time the are DV's decks :/
 

cronegoddess54

Yes it is hard to know just what the deck 'does for you' without seeing the cards in person. Where I live we just have a Barnes and Noble and that is it, they do not have open decks to view. Certainly miss the little Pyramid Book Shop where I purchased so many of my cards and they had many to browse through before buying. Two lovely ladies, mother and daughter ran it. Loved browsing and always found something to buy, whether tarot or just whatever I could not live without! Sadly they sold and the store was not the same, it closed within a few months. I would have to travel 35 miles to find a shop, and many of them have closed. :( So I just lurk on here and check out all the decks and opinions of them. Then if one catches my eye and I become where I cannot stand to not have I will order.......Always dream about walking into an old book store and finding Victorian Romantic! You just never know.. :)
 

morticia monroe

Speaking of the Victorian Romantic, that is exactly the deck this thread brought to mind for me. When It came out, I had no interest in it whatsoever. It just didn't look like my type of deck. Then my boyfriend sent it to me as a gift, and when I had it in hand, I completely changed my mind.

Everything about it was grand. I also felt the same way about the Fantastic Menagerie. It elicited a lukewarm-at-best response from me until I saw it in person and then *WOW*!
 

Briar Rose

Aerin said:
I think this is why LS brought out their wonderful Tarot Gallery book, because they knew that most small suppliers can't stock all the decks.

What I do hate is when someone has opened the deck and messed it all up without asking, so it then is not buyable. Having a display deck is great where sellers can afford to offer that service.
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What's a Tarot Gallery Book? and, can I buy one?
 

HearthCricket

We have a few Metaphysical stores in the area, but they are not very active anymore and sell very little in the way of tarot decks. One used to sell a lot of oracles, but even that has come down to just a small handful and they have not restocked in ages. B&N was great when they had a bunch of cards on a ring that you could thumb through and really see and feel the various USG decks, but that is gone. They only sell recent releases with large packaging.

I won't ever forget the first time I stepped into a New Age shop back in the early 80's. It was heaven. Incense burning, music from India playing in the background and a table full of decks you could try out before buying a fresh one. Later, as more decks became available, they put entire decks in a library card holder and you could sit at a table, sip tea and grab a drawer and just thumb through them and see all the images. I found some great decks at that place.

You are right. As much as I buy online the experience is not at all the same as walking into a shop and connecting to a deck one on one. Sadly it seems like more and more of these shops are disappearing. :(
 
Alone with Tarot? Happy to answer web related questions for you guys :)