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Step into the little brick house on Merrimon Avenue and youâre instantly transported into another world as the scent of incense and herbal teas relax you, and your eyes take in a stunning display of magical tools.
Asheville Raven and Crone is the real deal if you happen to be into witchery, and because it is the Halloween season, we wanted to tell you more about this local North AVL business and let you know about some interesting upcoming events.
Raven and Croneâs popular panel discussion, âAsk A Witch!â will take place on October 29th from 6-7pm. This is your opportunity to meet and ask questions of real Asheville witches. October 31st at noon is their annual Halloween, or as they refer to it, âSamhainâ (pronounced âsow-inâ) Ancestor Ritual, where you can stop by and write the name of your loved one who has crossed over on one of the provided cards for them to be honored during the ritual.
Raven and Crone hosts ongoing workshops from tarot classes and candle crafting, to how to read auras and the proper use of herbs in spells and kitchen witchery. They also offer samples of different teas daily and have a different intuitive reader every day that ranges from tarot, astrology, aura and rune readings.Â
Asheville Raven and Crone offers residents and visitors high quality products created by local magical practitioners and crafts persons (over 20 and counting!) from oil blends for certain intentions or associations with various deities, to herbs, incense, books, gemstones, candles, runes, jewelry, spell kits, and tarot and oracle cards. The shop places emphasis on sourcing products that are botanical, organic, ecologically conscious and affordably priced. An inviting, positive atmosphere and a knowledgeable staff welcome you as you walk through the door, and are always prepared to educate and personally assist customers with their purchases.
âIt has always been important to my husband Michael and I that the store be visible to the public, and work to dispel old superstitions about this very misunderstood community,â says owner, Lisa Anderson. âI have been a practicing witch since I was 19, and had a dream of owning a witch store. In January of 2014, Michael and I decided the timing was right and invested our retirement money into creating this business. I had grown up here, and we had moved back 14 years earlier to raise our family. We felt Asheville had a pagan community that would support the store, and was a more tolerant community of pagan beliefs than other towns in the surrounding area. We were considered a specialized ânicheâ market, and most people we discussed our plans with were skeptical of our ability to succeed. We believed in our mission and that our community would support us.â
She and her husband opened Asheville Raven and Crone to the public on July 14, 2014. The focus of the shop was to provide other practitioners with products that were useful, affordable and whenever possible, were made by people who practiced a pagan spirituality.
âI had studied herbalism and created a line of products to sell: herbal teas, candles, oils and incense,â Anderson adds. âThe other part of the store was to provide a community room where pagans could offer classes, workshops, and readings. Our emphasis is on local, handmade, practitioner-made products, and our staff of practitioners that are always eager to answer questions and discuss magic.â
Asheville Raven and Crone is open 7 days a week from 11am-7pm. Learn more about Asheville Raven and Crone and their upcoming classes, events and specials by checking out their Dig Local profile.
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