We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Popi Mavros. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Popi below.
Popi, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
I actually think about the pros/cons of working for myself vs. a corporation quite frequently. Especially when I see how much I pay for medical insurance each month and the steady paycheck. But in all seriousness, I’m happier as a business owner, hands down. Having your own business is not for everyone. Personally, I thrive in fast paced environments, where I’m pulled in various directions and have to juggle multiple balls. One minute I could be doing something mundane, like updating my website. And the next, I can be strategizing with an agency on developing new features on my app. I love being able to try new ideas, see what sticks, what doesn’t, rinse and repeat. In a corporate environment, you can pitch your ideas but getting them approved and then seeing them come to life is quite challenging.
Popi, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’m the co-owner of The Crooked Path, a metaphysical shop located in Burbank, CA. We are crafters and suppliers of magical goods to the Los Angeles community and beyond. My husband, Sal Santoro and I, first opened our shop doors in the summer of 2017. The thought of opening up our own metaphysical shop was actually his idea. Everyone thought opening a brick and mortar store was a terrible idea, which temporarily dettered us from moving forward but we eventually bit the bullet and signed our first shop lease.
The shop’s intent is to demystify the occult. We wanted to create an open and inclusive environment where people felt comfortable asking questions, learning, sharing in a judgement free zone. Since we first opened our doors, we’ve vastly expanded our offerings. We moved into a much larger location that afforded us the ability to teach classes, host public rituals, feature author and artist meet and greets, host makets and so much more. In 2023 we officially opened up a Temple dedicated to the Goddess Hekate, called Our Lady of The Crooked Path. Our products can be found in shops across the US, Canada, Europe and Australia.
Although I love developing ideas and seeing them come to life, I’m most proud of launching an educational app called Planetary Magick. We used to have this larger than life chart on one of our walls that guided people on the principles of planetary magick. For those not familiar, the ancient Greeks believed each planet (including the Moon and Sun) had specific energies that you’d work with to see specific changes in your life. For instance, you’d work with the Moon for protection, or the Sun for success. The chart was very useful and helpful but it was limiting. Then, one day I had the idea of developing an app that provided an expanded view of the chart. This was a new challenge for myself but I asked around, got information, hired a developer and months later the app was born. It’s been on the market for just over a year and we’re still developing new features. If I could sum up the app, it’s a great way to dip your toes in doing spell work.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
The biggest challenge when opening up your own business is actually funding it. How do you get the seed money to get going. I naively thought I’d be able to walk into a bank and ask for a loan but quickly found out that was not going to happen. So, I did something that was quite risky – I used some of my own money and supplemented with two business credit cards, and voila, we were funded. I was able to get the shop going and then rolled over my credit card debt to a loan that I paid off at a much lower rate vs. leaving it as debt on the credit cards.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
When we first started the business, I was planning on being a silent partner or weekend partner. I had a very demanding corporate job that kept me quite busy and was happy with this arrangement. But fter two years of being on the sidelines, I found myself in a position where I could leave corporate and focus on developing the shop brand and business. I launched a new website, scaled up product offerings, hired a PR agency to help us get noticed. At first I thought it would be a temporary thing. Take a few months and then re-focus on corporate but Covid rolled in and everything changed. I decided to stay full time in the business and see how I could develop it further. I’m quite happy I did.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thecrookedpathshop.com
- Instagram: @thecrookedpath_la
- Yelp: @crookedpathoccult
- Other: Planetary Magick app on iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/planetary-magick/id1658842771?ign-itscg=30200&ign-itsct=apps_box_link Planetary Magick app on Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.planetarymagic&hl=en_US&gl=US