The Concord Monitor reports on a prominent trend within the modern Pagan communities that often goes unexamined. That trend is the opening of metaphysical stores. While most articles about newly opened stores are little more than altered press releases (or an excuse to talk about Wicca), Shira Schoenberg comments on how well they are (or aren’t) doing fiscally.

“From a business perspective, Dragon’s Paradox, a Contoocook gift shop specializing in metaphysical items, is not a rousing success after its first 10 months. On a good day, the store gets three customers…although she knows the store is off the beaten path. But she said she is not nervous about staying in business, despite minimal traffic.”

While I have no hard figures, I would guess that many aspiring metaphysical shops close within a couple years of opening (for a variety of reasons). But why open a shop today? While Pagan and occult-oriented gifts and books used to be hard to find, thanks to the Internet and major books chains like Borders and Barnes & Noble most modern Pagans can equip themselves with more than they will ever need from the comfort of their home. Those stores that do thrive are in places where the local Pagan/occult community is big enough (or supportive enough) to keep a specialty store open.

I dare say that the current urge to open a store is partially from nostalgia. For many modern Pagans of my generation (I’m in my 30s) our first experiences with community and a sense of belonging came from the local (or not-so-local) metaphysical shop. A point illustrated in Schoenberg’s article.

“But at 19, she started meeting Wiccan friends, celebrating holidays, and reading about the practice. She also started shopping in metaphysical stores. ‘I felt the majority of metaphysical, new age, witch shops had all the same thing,’ she said. ‘I wanted to have my own stuff.’”

While I wish this store owner every success (fiscal and otherwise), I often wonder if a store is really what some of these people (and their customers) are after. Why not a temple, grove, or community center? Isn’t that what many people are looking for when they go to metaphysical shops today? Community? A sense of connectedness? You could even attach a small gift area to sell your handcrafted items.

As a growing family of religions, we sometimes seem a bit backward. We open shops first, and think of Pagan-owned land or community centers as pie-in-the-sky ideals that few achieve. Shouldn’t it be the other way around, especially now that these stores are less necessary than they once were?

Tags: Metaphysical Shops, Paganism