A Magickal Day in Salem, MA
Today I had 2 plans: pass out more flyers and go with my soul sister, Kristina, to have her aura read, and hot dog, I was able to do both of those things in the same witchy and wonderful place: Salem, MA!
After a delicious meal at Life Alive, we made our way to a few places I had never been to before in this magickal town: Black Cat Curiosity Shoppe, Hive and Forge, and Ghost Box, a pop-up shop for the PEM. And of course, we went to my favorite, inspiring, beautiful, and delightfully aromatic shop: Hauswitch.
Let’s shine the Pretty Mirror on Hauswitch for a minute. When you walk into this store, you’re greeted by the aroma of one of their many incredible scented candles – my favorite is called “Coven” – it makes me feel like the powerful badass witch that I am, and it also just tickles my nose in the most delightful way. It’s magick. Then, you start wandering around the store, and not only is it full (but not chock full in an intimidating way) of books, cards, candles, crystals, and everything you will definitely want to buy, but it is also laid out in the most intentional, aesthetic way. This makes sense, as the store’s owner, Erica Feldmann, is in fact, a Hauswitch, expert in interior design with witchcraft. She only wrote a whole book about it, no big deal.
Then you meet Melissa, the aura photographer. She reads your aura and no matter what it looks like, she makes you feel like a unicorn princess. All auras are beautiful – she will show you how. She is clever, has a gentle but decisive approach, and you will know yourself better after spending just a few minutes with her. You feel you are in good hands when you put your vulnerable energetic self in her aura photographing machine. I highly recommend giving it a try the next time you are in Salem.
Then you notice the zines and other soft-cover publications elegantly laid out for purchase. I picked one up, and one of the saleswitches said. “I wrote that.” Holy cannoli - Hauswitch is selling the brainworks of its brilliant witches on staff – How amazing is that?! I bought DIY Witchcraft: Suggestions for Creating an Empowering Witchcraft Practice based on Your Experiences and No One Else’s by Paige Curtin – it’s excellent.
The whole vibe of Hauswitch is empowering; it’s welcoming, it’s light, bright, and optimistic, and it’s inclusive of all in a very intentional way. Just go – it’s chef’s kiss perfection.
But let’s not forget to put the pretty mirror spotlight on the other amazing spots we visited today!
Hive and Forge – co-founded by Jennifer Cerretti and in business for 6 years, it was a total joy to soak in all the art, jewelry, artifacts for sale… and taxidermied animals for rent– yes, you saw that right. I didn’t know it was an artist collective until I looked it up after the fact– it was so cohesive, like walking into the brain of someone very very cool. Jen was at the register, and you can tell this store is her pride and joy. She has poured her heart into it and created a community of makers putting their unique creations out there for us to feast our eyes (and noses – there is great soap!) on.
Black Cat Curiosity Shoppe – according to the delightful cashier we spoke to, Jay, this is a new spot in Salem within the last year. It’s full of beautiful wooden period furniture covered with curiosities. The name for the shop really couldn’t be better – this is a place for a curious person to have a total field day, from the artifacts from foreign countries to the pieces from historical moments, to the items used as props in movies. Not only can you buy much of the cool stuff, but you can also read about it. It’s a self-described combination of shop and museum, and as such, there are captions for many of the artifacts, so you can learn a bunch just from walking around. Coming soon are tours of the space too, with some spirits popping in for visits – hopefully I am not spoiling anything when I say you may meet Nathaniel Hawthorne or Edgar Allen Poe on your tour…
Ghost Box – this is a pop-up shop for the Peabody Essex Museum’s upcoming exhibition: Conjuring the Spirit World: Art, Magic, and Mediums. The folks working there are visibly jazzed for the exhibition to open come September; they know they are part of something awesome. When you first walk in, there is a book for sale with the same name as the exhibition written by the curator, George Schwartz. I flipped through and stumbled upon a quote by Einstein, “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.” I have been noodling it around all day, and I just love it. What a joy it is to wonder. If I find myself doubting my choice to leave life as a pharmacist, I will come back to this quote – it is within the space of witchiness where I have rediscovered my sense of wonder, and I feel so fortunate.
The rest of the Ghost Box shop is equally cool – it is full of books I want to read. I am so excited to go back when the exhibit is open in September!
I’m incredibly grateful for Salem, MA and its myriad shops and restaurants with passionate, brave, welcoming, and open-minded owners and workers. This town gives me an infusion of hope in a future where we come together in curiosity and compassion. There are places that give me the heebie jeebies and tourist traps, of course, but there is a whole lot more love and creating happening. Thanks, Salem!