We were lucky to catch up with Courtney Pheils-Hesse recently and have shared our conversation below.

Courtney, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Our mission is to create an accepting and welcoming environment for all who practice witchcraft in any form no matter what path they may be on. We want to build a community that focuses on inclusion and education as well as providing support for one another. Many who come to this path do so because they did not feel accepted or welcomed elsewhere. Many practicing Witches, Wiccans, and Pagans have had to do so in solitude for centuries due to fears of being ostracized or even persecuted. We have not had the opportunities or solidarity that a community can provide. We are hoping to help those that need it find a way out of the proverbial “broom closet” and into a way of practicing with and learning from others. There is a well known traditional social and support system that comes from being a part of other spiritual communities and when we set out to build this our one thought was “why not us too?”

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

We are essentially a witch shop. We sell Wicca/Witchcraft supplies and oddities. Anything you could need or want for your practice we likely carry and if we don’t have it we will try to get it for you. We have a large selection of books on any topic related to any Pagan path. Some of our customers have applauded our efforts at not “playing it safe” by only offering the traditional light and fluffy stuff you find at most Metaphysical shops. We don’t shy away from such subjects that can be considered by some to be taboo such as demonology, Satanism, Hoodoo, Voodoo, etc. We have a large selection of books on any related topic you can think of from spell books to books on Druidry, Celtic magic, kitchen witch cookbooks, Norse mythology, and even such things as fairy magic and werewolves. We also have an ever expanding selection of kids books and fiction books related to all things witchy. For those not in need of practical supplies we offer a lot of art, household décor, jewelry, bone art and oddities, cloaks, capes, headdresses and hats, and even stuffed animals, stickers, patches, and pins that are spooky or witchy in nature. We have many statues and altar items as well as bath and body products, kitchen wares, and of course tons of crystals! We often have a tarot reader in the shop and are looking to add more practitioners of varying types soon. We are also working to build a community around the shop and currently offer full moon gatherings each month, a drumming circle on the new moon, and other gatherings and rituals for all of the sabbats. These take place in the shop’s backyard around a large cauldron fire pit. The shop also has a community Facebook group to facilitate events and discussions as well as connecting with others and we will be looking to add relevant classes in the future as well. We are very welcoming and accepting people by nature. We provide a judgement free environment and are happy to answer any questions anyone may have, even for those who do not practice but are genuinely curious about what we do. I myself am fairly new to this path and can commiserate with anyone just starting out who may feel overwhelmed or not know how to begin. I was in that same boat not long ago whereas my husband and partner has been doing this for quite some time and has knowledge and experience in abundance. We highly believe in education and are interested in learning just as much if not more from those who walk through our doors as they are hoping to learn from us.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

There are many hurdles in opening a business. I think one of the bigger ones for us was in acquiring the perfect building. We first looked at a property in Dallas, Oregon but the owner did not seem thrilled with even a watered down version of our business idea and would not even tell us a price for her property. We had been searching all areas around Salem, OR and were not having luck. I had the difficult conversation with my husband/partner on the possibility that we needed to be willing to increase the amount we were willing to pay for a building. The next morning I awoke to him showing me the property we now own. It was not a clear cut road to purchasing it however. Every step took considerable time and persistence. We first had trouble even getting an appointment to see the building. Then it was in much more dire shape then we were hoping for. It’s a 1908 construction and did not have such modern day amenities such as heat, and working appliances. It actively had a roof leak and would need a ton of work and repairs to clean it out and fix it up to house ourselves and a business. This on top of the price tag that asked for more then 3 times the amount we originally thought we were going to pay for a building. With much trepidation we chose to make an offer anyways and again were met with delays and obstacles. We couldn’t understand why there was such difficulty. We even resorted to spell work such as a honey pot jar which is designed to ask for the involved parties to see us in a favorable manor. We also did a money jar spell in hopes to increase our funds needed to purchase the property. Eventually through much perseverance and persistence we purchased the property which has ended up being the perfect building for us. It’s iconic nature and rehabilitation has been a huge boon for us in free advertising and generating interest and word of mouth.

We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.

We met via Plenty of Fish. I generally do not recommend this approach for seeking out a business partner. lol

Contact Info:

• Website: throughtheveilshop.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/throughtheveilshop/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/throughtheveilshop/
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/groups/887286672636502/?ref=share&mibextid=S66gvF https://www.tiktok.com/@throughtheveilshop

Image Credits
Samantha Swindler