‘Witchy’ business: Metaphysical shops in McHenry County celebrate spooky season

Those interested in the metaphysical – using crystals, herbs and essential oils as part of their daily lives – can find shops scattered around McHenry County to help them.

Whether customers are looking for simmering herbs, crystals and crystal jewelry, tarot readings or a reiki practitioner, there is a shop here to meet that need.

[ Photos: Peek inside two of McHenry County's metaphysical shops ]

Two of those newer shops are celebrating anniversaries in October.

“I love the diversity of all of the metaphysical shops in the area,” said Steph Perez at Crystal Lume on Riverside Drive in McHenry. “We want to make sure they are perfect for people to embrace their own magic.”

She and business partner Cassie Prigge are celebrating their first anniversary on Oct. 20. Their focus is on jewelry, gems and crystals with a fairy vibe.

“We are fairy, or fae,” Prigge said, using the plural word for fairy. “We are mossy and mushrooms.”

In Richmond, mother-daughter team Amanda Brock and Makenzie Varitek opened Wicked Woods and Goods two years ago. They also are marking their anniversary Saturday, Oct. 26, with a celebration at the store.

“I have an open mind on what a spiritual path might be.”

—  Makenzie Varitek, Wicked Woods and Goods

“We are a gothic-spiritual lifestyle shop,” Varitek said. “We dabble in some metaphysical – that is a big part of it – but we gear toward a witchy, dark, home goods lifestyle shop.”

Varitek also considers herself a little “witchy” but not a witch.

“I get that question a lot. We are not witches. We are spiritual but not religious,” she said. “I have an open mind on what a spiritual path might be.”

Wicked Woods and Goods leans heavily into housewares, including repurposing and restyling furniture for resale. Brock works on those pieces at a Spring Grove studio.

“She goes around to the estate, barn and garage sales and finds the quality pieces,” Varitek said.

All of those pieces are then stained in a similar color pallet, so that buyers can mix and match when buying furniture for their homes.

It was their love for boutique shopping – and talking about opening a store themselves – that brought them to Richmond. Varitek had a baby and had to decide whether to return to work in retail. Brock, who worked in construction for 20 years, was ready for a change.

“If it was going to happen, it had to happen now,” Varitek said.

They came up with the name, found it was available according to the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office, and Brock found the Richmond location two months later.

“All of the signs were there – the paths here became so easy,” Varitek said.

In the two years they have been open, they’ve been able to create a strong internet presence. Included in that is a monthly Wicked Coven subscription box that they mail out, filled with products they’ve curated.

The subscription box and the products available in store are made by local or national women- and family-owned businesses.

“Half of the products that we don’t make ourselves in-house are sourced locally from friends who have their own business,” Varitek said.

Much of the jewelry, herb packs and crystals at Crystal Lume are sourced or made by Prigge and Perez, Prigge said. They met a dozen years ago while doing craft and jewelry show booths and decided to go into business together.

They are the yin to each other’s yang, Perez said, with her being creative on the marketing side and Prigge being better at running the business side. As “traveling fairies,” they did the show circuit for 10 years before deciding to open a storefront.

They also lean into the “witchy” aspect of the metaphysical.

“We love the witchy community, and we are open to nonwitches and nonbelievers, too,” Prigge said.

Witches also are mainstream now, she said.

“In the age of social media, everyone is yearning for mystery,” Prigge said.

As the store’s name indicates, it leans heavily into crystals and jewelry.

“They are like flowers that never die,” Prigge said, adding that she attends gem shows around the country and that they ethically source the stones.

McHenry County metaphysical stores

Crystal Lake

• Enlightened Balance, 30 N. Williams St., Brink Street Market, Suite F; 815-307-1180, enlightenedbalance.com
• Evolve for Inner Peace, 54 N. Williams St.; 815-444-9905, evolveforinnerpeace.com

McHenry

• Crystal Lume, 1310 Riverside Drive; 224-202-7888, thecrystallume.com
• Temperance Crystals, 3940 Main St., 815-219-5372, temperancecrystals.com

Richmond

• Wicked Woods and Goods, 5613 Broadway St.; 815-862-1148, wickedwoodsil.com

Woodstock

• Down 2 Earth, 107 E. Van Buren St.; 815-527-5300, facebook.com/down2earth107