Business is not yet booming for Bendigo’s newest gift and spiritual needs store – but its eponymous owner foresees the dawning of a new age in which it will serve as a one-stop shop for those seeking tarot readings, reiki sessions and/or a top up of healing crystals.
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“I have two girls doing tarot now but I want to turn this room into a room for rent which can host things like candle making workshops, yoga classes, drumming sessions and all sorts of weird and wonderful things,” Johanna Hobson said as she surveyed one of the two front rooms of Johanna’s Gift and New Age store.
Currently it is home to the “quirky” gifts of her stock: alpaca wool shawls, bronze hand-wrought tortoise statues, hessian mats with the words ‘live, laugh, love’ embroidered on them, mugs which read ‘I love you Logan’ and carry the image of heartthrobs from ‘The Bold and the Beautiful.’
But her real passion is for the items in the other room: Himalayan salt lamps, Tibetan Healing wands, ‘sorcerers' stones (only $25),’ gems to open the chakras, bring good fortune and ward off bad energy.
It is an eclectic collection of stock which makes up a shop Mrs Hobson described as a “boutique, yet affordable”.
“It’s a new age store which offers quirky and unique gifts,” she said.
But though it has only been open since November, Johanna’s Gift and New Age store is already set for a new direction.
Many of the gifts are destined for storage and online sales as Mrs Hobson seeks to make room to draw the many “healers” who live in the Bendigo area to offer their services to the community by way of classes, workshops and sessions.
“I’d love for people to be able to walk in of the street and see a reiki master,” she said.
“Opening up this room will be a way of giving back to the community – I want to involve the community more, to give back to them.
It is an approach which she hopes will not only serve the spiritual community, but get her fledgling business “hopping”.
“There are other new age gift stores in town but there will be nothing like this,” she said.
“It’s a tough business climate right now and you’ve got to know your market, you've got to get to know your market and you’ve got to get your market to know you.”
The store will offer the first of its workshops later this month with free candle-making classes on January 30.
“Spaces are limited, so please book ahead,” Mrs Hobson said.
The store is located at 108 High Street.
“There are other new age gift stores in town but none which will offer anything like this,” she said.
