<![CDATA[
NORTHAMPTON — Are you looking for a crystal that will help manage your fears and anxiety? How about a candle that will manifest some self-love? What about a pair of earrings with the fabulous and fictional character of David Rose from “Schitt’s Creek?”
Look no further than Spill The Tea Sis Apothecary on Main Street.
The queer- and woman-owned Northampton metaphysical shop opened last July at 183 Main St., in the space previously occupied by Tim’s Used Books. The apothecary, operated by three generations of a blended family, offers a curated collection of items for the modern mystic with about 40% of the items made by the staff, says owner Mischa Roy.
“The whole idea is that people get to come in and connect with what connects with them,” Roy said. “We picked the right stuff and something for you is in here. Now you have to find it.”
Roy, a native of Northampton, launched Spill The Tea Sis five years ago as a wholesale business selling — you guessed it — tea.
The phrase, “Spill the ‘t’, sis,” has been referenced in popular culture as spilling the truth and has evolved to mean other things to different people as “tea” was used for “t.” To Roy, the saying signals to others that her shop is a safe space for magical folks.
After tea, Roy moved on to make small batches of hand-poured candles with natural, phthalate-free soy wax infused with clean scents. The Practical Magic candle, for example, has scents of garden mint, lavender and wild rose, and includes toppings of lavender, rosemary, rose quartz and pink salt.
Roy said she transitioned into the business after spending about a decade as a hand-cut paper artist, doing between 30 to 50 shows every year, including the Mattoon Street Arts Festival and the Big E.
Article continues after...
“I went from being someone who had a business that although it was about art, it was about commerce, to a business that was about passion and purpose,” she said. “And when I really embraced that, it just … completely changed the quality of the product, and it changed the quality of the relationship with my customers. It changed the authenticity of the communication I have in every way. Once you agree to do work with the spirits, spirits kind of take the wheel.”
From there, she began offering more metaphysical products.
When she returned home to Northampton post-COVID-19 and walked through the city’s downtown, she saw the open storefront and recalled the relationship she had when she used to sell her own artwork. The ability to watch a consumer connect with her artwork offered a rejuvenating quality to witness their impression or emotion.
“It creates this really cool exchange between artists and consumers, and having a shop we get to do that again,” she said.
In addition to candles and tea, staff members make artwork that can be used for praxis or placed on an altar. Among the items currently on display is three-dimensional spiritual art, the Persephone series, created by manager Kaia Fox. The art includes ethically-sourced skulls.
“I know it’s not everybody’s cup of tea, but it’s definitely my form of magic,” she said. “It’s the beauty of spring that comes from the death that is required for winter and the whole cycle.”
Magic and rituals can often seem like a larger activity and take specific dedications, but Roy says it can make mysticism more accessible and practical. For some, wearing earrings with a moon on them can make them feel more connected, she added.
Strolling through the shop, Roy can tell a story about where each item came from. On one shelf, there’s a few coins propped up on display. Upon closer inspection, one of the coins has the late David Bowie’s likeness of his character of Jareth the Goblin King from Jim Henson’s 1986 movie, “The Labyrinth.” The other side of the coin depicts the castle at the center of the Labyrinth, with a few goblins hidden behind its walls beyond the Goblin City.
The coins were made by a family-owned coin mint in Arkansas called Shire Post Mint. The company engraves its own coin designs and strikes them into solid metals using antique coin presses. Each coin comes in a folded paper envelope sealed with a wax seal.
“This is what I mean when I say we intentionally curate really cool stuff. We really want it to be super freakin’ cool,” she said. “It’s not like your run of the mill basic gift store.”
In a few months, Spill The Tea Sis will expand to include another shop two doors down. The new shop, located at the former Happy Valley gift shop, will be dedicated to home and gift items, while the current space will be focused more on metaphysical items.
Having these two locations will allow Roy to create an herb wall in the current space, offering an ounce of any of the 150 available, and offer more metaphysical items that they currently don’t have room to display. The new space will also have a gallery section to highlight local and queer artists.
“It’s about representation,” she said. “We want to have a space where it is open and welcoming representation which we desperately need? I mean, which everyone desperately needs to, you know. We want to have space where it is open and welcoming, and that people can meet things that matter to them. And that’s what this is for me, it’s something that really matters.”
Spill The Tea Sis Apothecary is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Monday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit spilltheteasis.com or call 727- 386-0004.
Emily Thurlow can be reached at ethurlow@gazettenet.com.]]>
