Timberly McKinley opened The Stone Moon in Bellingham, Washington in 2012. She has an amazing collection of tarot cards and oracle decks. Here is an interview with her.
I’ve always been interested in
religion, culture, spirituality and metaphysical things in general, which is why
I majored in Religion and Culture at WWU. I really enjoy the
metaphysical/Occult/New Age shops in other towns and have wondered why
Bellingham didn’t have one of its own. There are some stores in town that sell
some metaphysical things, such as: Village Books has a small metaphysical book
section and a humble selection of Tarot Decks, The Co-Op has some incense and
candles, The Lucky Monkey has some statuary and an array of world cultural
items as well as some fun things like stickers and knick-knacks and Wise
Awakening is great for sound healing, nice crystals and metaphysical
books/music and awesome classes, but, I was wanting one shop where I could find
everything. Some of my main goals were to have the best selection of Tarot
decks and incense in town, some affordable pocket gemstones, books, unscented
& colored candles of all different sizes, Statuary, prayer flags, and also
to create a warm, positive vibe where people would feel comfortable exploring
and asking questions. I also wanted to feature in-store Tarot Readings, so I
was quite excited to meet Jordan (she’s a great reader and is available for
walk in readings every Tuesday and Friday from 3-5:30pm). My original vision
was to have a separate room in the back of my shop where I could offer private
readings, meditations and larger classes, but I love the space I have now –and
have been creatively finding ways to make some of those things work.
How did you decide on the name?
I wanted the word “moon” to be
in the name, because I’ve always felt very connected to the moon and her
cycles, but couldn’t come up with anything that really resonated with me until
my husband actually presented me with “The Stone Moon” – I immediately loved it
and thought it fit really well with my vision for the shop. As for the slogan
“Physical Elements For Your Spiritual Journey”, my family and I were walking
around Lake Padden one day and I was deep in thought (as usual) when the words
just came to me and I said it out loud and so it was.
What guided you to your location?
The location was difficult to
find. I looked all around downtown Bellingham for months and decided to give up
for awhile and only sell online and at fairs. I really needed to be downtown,
and wanted to be near Railroad and/or Holly in order to get all of the foot
traffic downtown has to offer and there just wasn’t anything that seemed to
jump out at me. Then one day I was downtown running an errand and just happened
to walk by 1304 Cornwall Avenue. It was empty and I loved the window display
area, the terra cotta tile and the old panels on the walls. I just had a
really, really good feeling when I stood in front of that space. So, I
immediately called the real estate agent and left a voicemail… I was moving in
less than two weeks later.
How long have you lived in Sudden Valley? Have local residents found your shop?
I have lived in Sudden Valley
for about 10 years. I have had some fellow Sudden Valley residents stop in,
most surprising though, has been a group of women from Sudden Valley who belong
to a Tarot group that actually takes place in the Valley. Had I known about
them before opening my shop, I would have liked to participate. That’s one of
goals I have for this shop - to try to
get a source for all things metaphysical taking place in Bellingham and the
surrounding areas. I plan to put together a directory in the near future for
those of us who are looking for certain groups, classes, meet ups, alternative
healthcare providers, yoga, etc… stay tuned.
What are
store hours?
The store hours are currently
Tuesday-Saturday from 11am-5:30pm. Once spring/summer comes around I will
likely stay open later in the evenings. I would also like to note that on all
of my signs and online sources it says that I open “around 11am” which means
that you shouldn’t count on the shop opening at exactly 11am… I have a sort of
casual European sense of time, but I usually make up for it in the evenings by
staying a bit later than 5:30 J
What is
your most popular item?
The most popular item in the
store is Satya Nag Champa Stick Incense – with Sage, Palo Santo, Chime Candles,
gemstones and other incense following close behind.
List categories for Valentine gift items and a
few specific things.
Tarot Cards: The Heart Tarot,
The Tarot of Jane Austen
Gemstones: Any of the Gemstone
Hearts, Rose Quartz, Lapis Lazuli, Amethyst, Red Carnelian
Candles: “Seduction” Soy
votive/pillar, “Love” Soy votive/pillar, or a simple 3 or 6 pack of pink and red
chime candles
Earrings: Any of the natural
gemstone earrings in the “Mystical Dreams” line (these are created by my
eleven-year-old daughter, Myah). She has a few different colored Jade heart
earrings right now that are $5 each!
Jewelry: Tree of Life Pendants
& Earrings made by a local artist
Books: Love Numbers by Margaret
Arnold
Incense: Rose scented stick or
cone incense, Shoyeido Japanese “Love” incense
What is your most unique item?
The most unique item in the
shop would have to be the gigantic antique cauldron in the front window. I
found it at an antique store in Mount Vernon. Close runners up are the out of
print Wonderland Tarot, the beautiful Amethyst cathedral that I found at a
trade show in Denver, CO and these really great handmade brooms by Skagit
Broomworks (they use willow and Manzanita branches which give the brooms a
really unique style).
Do you carry crystal balls?
I do carry crystal balls. Sizes
range from 50mm up to 200mm. The colors and sizes that I have in stock vary –
and the large gazing balls go out the door almost as quickly as they come in!
What classes do you offer?
We offer Introduction to Tarot,
Reading Tarot for Others, which are both taught by our in house Tarot reader,
Jordan Langen. There is also a new class beginning this year called
Introduction to Altars taught by Julia Crouch. I hope to have some more classes
in the future – so be sure to check our website and/or Facebook.
Tell us about your newsletter.
I offer a monthly e-newsletter
(sent out around the first of each month) that highlights any new products,
promotions or sales. It also features a Tarot card of the month, Gemstone of
the month, Lunar Cycles, Info regarding the Pagan Sabbats, along with some
great articles by local writers and a section for advertising. I offer FREE
advertising for any local metaphysical service, group, event, class, etc… All
past newsletters and sign up info can be found on our website.
What would you like people to
know about the Stone Moon?
The Stone Moon is a much-needed
addition to Bellingham and is definitely worth the drive into town. As our
slogan states: “Physical Elements For Your Spiritual Journey”. It doesn’t matter
which spiritual path you’re on, we have the tools that will help you on your
way – whether you prefer to simply light a candle or incense while meditating
or reading a book, or you are looking to stock up on items for your next ritual
– we will likely have what you’re looking for and if we don’t we would be quite
happy to get it for you.
What payment is accepted?
We do not currently offer a senior
discount, but we are certainly willing to begin offering one along with our
student discount of 10%. We accept, Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, Amex and
Square Wallet as payment. For those of you with smartphones, I strongly suggest
checking out Square Wallet as there are more and more businesses in town using
square up for their credit card processing (The Stone Moon, Chocolate
Necessities, Starbucks on Holly, Dashi Noodle Bar, Goat Mountain Pizza, Ciao
Thyme, Cheese Meats Beer, and more) https://squareup.com/wallet
- You also get 20% off your purchase at The Stone Moon if you sign up and use
Square Wallet as your method of payment.
The Stone Moon
1304 Cornwall Avenue
Bellingham, Washington
www.thestonemoon.com
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