The magic of social media is a boon for business in Salem
The trend of healing crystals has gone from cute to colossal—there’s even a crystal subscription box service—but for most people buying crystals and other related items, it’s really just witch kitsch. For the witches of Salem, Mass., however, it’s a way of life, and capitalizing on the trend is just fine by them. That’s why this year, shop owners are hoping the witch trend will bring more visitors than ever.“I’ve worked in Salem for six years, and it’s gradually been getting busier every year,” said Nikki LaMothe, co-owner of The Coven’s Cottage, a traditional witch shop that opened two years ago. “With it being more of a trend, more people are coming out.”The month of October, obviously, is the biggest month for visitors in Salem, with many shop owners making most of their money for the entire year during just 31 days. The town is already seeing an 11 percent increase in visitor traffic this year over 2015, according to the Salem Regional Visitor Center. Kate Fox, executive director of Destination Salem, said a new website redesign for Salem.org has already led to a 28 percent increase in web traffic this summer.
Interior of Hauswitch in Salem
Just down the road from LaMothe’s shop is a less traditional shop called Hauswitch. Everything in the bright, airy space has been meticulously curated by owner Erica Feldmann, from the furniture placement to the flowing energy. Her store is what some might call a “modern metaphysical boutique,” selling a variety of goods from candles to handmade crafts. The store hosts unique events such as guided meditations, astrology workshops, natural fabric dying, and bookbinding.
The lofty space looks tailor-made for social media, as if a Pinterest board came to life. It’s this kind of style that has earned Feldmann more than 13,000 followers on Instagram.
“When I opened the store, I had 1,000 followers and now I have [more than 13,000],” Feldmann said. “We’ve got some good press, and I put an embarrassing amount of time into my Instagram. I don’t have to do a lot of paid advertising or marketing. We get people who come into the store from all over the world and they’ll say, ‘I follow you on Instagram!’”
Before opening her downtown Salem shop in 2015, Feldmann embarked on a career in style and design. She started curating and selling spell kits—complete with all the fixings you’d expect like sage, crystals, and candles—on Etsy. Soon after, national retailer Urban Outfitters was selling her wares. It wasn’t long before national press started asking Feldmann for spell suggestions and featuring her kits in their product slideshows.
Items for sale at Hauswitch
“The kits showed me that I knew how to shop and curate in a way that people responded to,” Feldmann said. “I couldn’t work a day job anymore because I was having so much success with the kits. The store opened the next year.”
With the New Age trend in full swing, the witches of Salem are hoping that other aspects of their lives can also become more mainstream.
“A lot of it is people who have maybe always been interested in this stuff, but were too scared to ask about it have now come forward as things become more commonplace,” Feldmann said. “People are learning there’s more to it than crystals.”
For LaMothe, who moved to Salem with her family in 2009, the town has been a haven of freedom, a place where they can practice their way of life out in the open.
“Even though it’s trendy now, I’ve been practicing witchcraft my whole life,” LaMothe said. “My mom started when she was 16. We moved to Salem because we couldn’t openly practice in Illinois. We aren’t doing too much different this year to keep up with demand, but we’ll probably bring in more crystals.”
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