In Spencer MA Ron SinClair-Clee runs AvalonRose Cottage, the “edgiest Witch Shoppe west of Salem.” He especially delights in carrying unusual and “obscure” items that “are very hard to come by, which is what I like,” he says. “Anyone who wants to follow the Light, come in. I’m trying to make the Craft available to everybody. I’m here to help people through their spiritual journey. You’re not alone. You’re never alone.” A note at the checkout reads in part: “This is a Positive Witchcraft store… Please leave your negativity outside.”
The store sells too many items to list, including brooms, ritual bath soaps, athames, mortars and pestles, top hats, books on pagan topics such as henna magick, statues of Lugh and of other deities, ritual robes, goblets, gargoyles, and herbs.
Mr. SinClair-Clee says, “The herbs I’m proud of, because they’re organic and wildcrafted.” (Wildcrafted plants are harvested by hand rather than by machine.) The herbs can be used in teas, incenses, mojo bags, and for other magickal uses. He carries all the usual herbs and other magickal substances carried by other apothecaries, as well as some unusual ones. “I get all excited when I find one that’s hard to find.” His shelves of herbs are accompanied by two herbal reference guides that are not for sale; customers are welcome to look up the herbs themselves and buy what they need for their purposes.
He is also especially proud of his folk magick items. “Folk magick is pure American. It’s indigenous. That’s what I like. I think we should be more proud of what we have, instead of looking at what other people have.” To this end he carries many Voodoo/Houdou items, including “authentic New Orleans juju” items produced by the “Bayou Wytch” exclusively for AvalonRose Cottage.
He calls his store a “supply store,” and his supplies include some uncommon and powerful items. “What they [customers] do with the stuff is their own choice. That’s why we’re given free will. I’m here to be their supplier. You have to make your own choices. Be careful of your choices. Everything you do will have an effect.”
“We’re the same faith; we’re just of different orders. Some follow Mommy; some follow Daddy. There’ll always be a Witch. There’ll always be someone who worships the Goddess.”
Contact AvalonRose Cottage at 774-745-8550 or avalonrosecottage@me.com. Ask about their readings and their upcoming events, including a February 2012 class in Celtic-tradition Witchcraft. The store is fully accessible. It is open every day of the week.
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