Welcome to another edition of our Spring shop update! It’s a couple months late, but there has been a whirlwind of activity here at the Grove.
As I write this, we’re in the midst of recovering from the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. All of our April and May 2020 events were cancelled, of course. We were heartbroken to not be able to see Pagan friends and family at Beltane! (Summer trade shows are also a no-go.) We have been battling shipping delays, stock shortages, and restrictions on pickup and delivery of packages.
On the plus side, we’re a business that uses all family labor and keeps our inventory locally, so we were able to weather the catastrophe perhaps better than most. A big, loving “thank you” to all our customers who have supported us and been patient with us during this frustrating time.
Just before the outbreak struck, we were honored to be invited to the first-ever Austin Witchfest. What a beautiful day, and what an amazing crowd! (That's me at the start of the day, before the doors opened.) We were next door to the vivacious Sapphire Moonbeam, who is such a soulful artist and an amazing booth neighbor. Every vendor was feeling the love from Austin-area Witches, and Sarah and I sold out the whole booth in a matter of hours.
I don’t recall ever working so hard in a day…it was definitely a two-margarita dinner, that night!
One of the best parts of our work year is always the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. Sarah and I spent four days in February gathering up the loveliest rocks in the Southwest to bring home for our customers.
It's a big task to get everything photographed and listed, since rocks are stubbornly one-of-a-kind. But more gem treasures are arriving on the site soon--including this incredible haul of tumbled Lapis Lazuli!
New products
It wouldn’t be a shop update without turning the spotlight onto the shelves, and some of our amazing new finds.
Last year brought us two new decks from renowned Tarot artist Ciro Marchetti: Tarot Grand Luxe, and Gilded Tarot Royale (a borderless edition of the classic Gilded Tarot. Both decks are every bit as beautiful as expected, and very popular with customers who have purchased them.
We just added a line of powdered incense from the Traditional Incense Company. Traditional Incense Co. powder incenses are all-natural, fair trade certified, and come beautifully packaged in glass jars. They do not require charcoal to burn. These incense are made the traditional way, from scratch, with no artificial colors or fragrances.
For all the stick incense fans (including yours truly!) we have sought out rare and delicious varieties including Lemongrass, Benzoin, and Lily of the Valley. We are better than Baskin-Robbins: We now carry more than 40 “flavors” of HEM stick incense. It's our fave on a number of dimensions, including price, consistency of fragrance, and shelf life.
We’ve also added new enamel pins and a ton of new dragon items!
Personal stuff
If the blog has been kind of quiet this year, it’s partly because I’ve been back in school. In 2019-2020 I completed the Black Rose Witchcraft course of study and received my Black Rose initiation last month from Storm Faerywolf. I plan to continue my studies in the Feri/Faery tradition. Magick and business are intimately linked for me—as I grow and deepen in my magickal practice, so does the business move toward becoming all that it can be.
My 34th birthday is later this week, and so is the 6th anniversary of Grove and Grotto's opening day. While I'd prefer to be celebrating both occasions at my favorite pub, I am grateful for and happy with the journey so far. A socially distant "cheers" to friends far and near.
When not working at the shop this year, I’ve been out in the country getting my hands messy. Last Yule, my wife gifted me with a tiny Cedar cabin, and with the help of some pals we built it on a dear friend’s rural property. The vision is to create a pondview Faery retreat/rental that can be shared with the Pagan community when they convene for festivals and celebrations.
Small but exciting news...we have a new print postcard! These have been ordered from the printer and will start going out with packages in early June.
Well, that is all the news we have for now. Thank you for following the shop, and we look forward to being out on the festival circuit again before too long.
Your shop Faery,
Michelle Gruben
Owner, Grove and Grotto