2021 July

Manish Gupta, Founder of Matr Boomie

From the Editor

Cheers…

This issue celebrates the importance of communities and visionary ‘mindful’ minds!

In this edition, discover why sustainable and socially conscious products are increasingly in demand among customers looking to spend money to support brands and businesses that give back to communities and the environment. Those companies are accomplishing notable goals while creating fashion for a great cause! In turn, they’re making other

brands take notice and start to rethink their way of doing business for the long-term.

Also in this issue, you can learn why more people are turning to decks as a way to help them discover their identities and view the world with different eyes these days, and how sound healing tools are used to promote self-exploration, self-maintenance, self-therapy, and healing.

We know how many small businesses are struggling since this pandemic started last year, but now another ‘not-so-surprise’ event has hit us — the shortage of supplies and staff! So, let’s navigate the after-effects of this pandemic together to discover ways to help your business this year and beyond.

Stay tuned, our seasonal issue The Art of Gratitude is coming in September! Until then…

Have an insightful reading!

Roberta G.

Roberta Gazzarolle Editor-in-Chief

Editorial

Retailing Insight Magazine is a bimonthly trade magazine specializing in the conscious living retail market. The magazine is published exclusively for qualified retailers and small independent businesses in the United States. Our mission is to share one on business advice, product reviews, advertisement from top sellers and makers in the industry, and exclusive topics to help business continue to thrive.

Editor-in-Chief

Roberta Gazzarolle

Copyeditor

Sean Ruck

Designer Marina Avila

Digital Media & Sales

Karen Johnson

Contributing Writers

Lynn Araujo

Nick Bantock

Michelle Berlin

Melinda Carver

Katie Hess

Megy Karydes

Evelyn Mulders

Jacki Smith

Sean Ruck

©2021 New Way Publishing, LLC.  All rights reserved. ISSN 2372-7977. Volume35/ Issue 4/ Year 2021. The magazine is published bimonthly/ six times a year (January, March, May, July, September, November) by New Way Publishing, LLC. 4117 Park Road, 12252, Charlotte, NC 28220. Periodicals postage paid at Charlotte, NC and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER send address changes to Retailing Insight Magazine, P.O. Box 12252, Charlotte, NC 28220.

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Retailing Insight Magazine is published by New Way Publishing, LLC. 101 S Tryon Street, 27th Floor Charlotte, NC 28280 800-730-1147 I circ@retailinginsight.com

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FEATURES

Supplies & Staffing

SUPPLY CHAIN SHORTAGES and staffing issues will continue into 2022. Complaining won’t solve it and it’s time to dive deep into your business practices and make a new plan.

Just when things are picking up and we can start our individual business recoveries, the pandemic after-effects hit us squarely. Every retailer and supplier I talk to shares the same issue: they can’t find employees and can’t get their products and supplies! The pandemic has affected almost every marketing segment. The rising cost of gas, the reduced availability of truck drivers, and slow return to work for entry-level workers — every manufacturer, distributor, and retailer is having issues meeting the demand of shoppers. Stories are hitting the newswires about the increasing costs, decreased availability or a mix of both for lumber, microchips, gas, and steel causing a slowdown in delivery everywhere. What does this mean for the independent retailer?

We all love the surge in retail buying and when there is an unpredictable demand, supply chain issues are the standard. High demand brings new players into the market to meet the opportunity. Never before have I witnessed a surge in new crafters entering the wholesale gift market. High unemployment last year and early 2021 inspired many new home-based businesses. When your source of income is removed, you start something new.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: JACKI SMITH is the founder, witch and enchantress at Coventry Creations. Jacki’s bestselling Blessed Herbal Candles started the intentional candle industry almost 30 years ago. Check out her brand of magic in Coventry Magic with Herbs, Oils and Candles, or visit her website www.coventrycreations.com.

Making, selling, or delivering seems to be top of the list for replacing the lost income and that is great for the retailer who is looking for more unique items to sell. For your standard supply chain, that creates a higher demand on their raw materials and in turn, a slowdown for everyone.

For instance, there is a surge in cottage industry candle makers. There is competition for wicks, oils, containers, and bottles that didn’t exist until 2020. Suppliers, who were shut down early last year had to suddenly max out their capacity and prioritize who gets their limited supply. They question how long this surge will last and struggle with the decision of when to invest in capacity increases. Will there be equipment available when they do invest? In the meantime, keeping up with demand, keeping supplies coming in, and finding the needed staff limits capacity even more.

For retailers like you (and me), there are supply chain issues with crystal supplies, imported products, store supplies, technology, and other standard products you carry and are newly in demand. When you are out of stock, that’s a lost sale you might be unable to capture later. Customers have the ability to go almost anywhere for their items through online shopping, creating more urgency for having the impulse buys in stock. How, as retailers, can we manage this supply chain and staffing issues?

THE BIG ISSUE

| What is Happening?

According to a report by consulting firm Accenture 94% of fortune 1000 firms are affected by supply chain issues such as: driver shortage for the trucking industry, raw materials unavailable due to worker shortage, higher demand due to government stimulus dollars, unexpected demand due to remote working and travel restrictions, and a housing boom.

|

Why is This Happening?

The supply chain was disrupted in 2020 due to pandemic shutdowns. Once production began again, demand went through the roof. Shopping became the entertainment of the moment and people had time and stimulus money to pursue the self-care or big purchases they had been putting off.

|

What to Expect?

In the recent article “When Will the Supply Chain Return to ‘Normal?’” published in Supply Chain Management Review, it says: “...it is unfortunate that supply chain leaders have few answers to create immediate relief. There simply are no easy answers and no fast solutions.” Due to the pandemic, demand is unpredictable, employees able to return to work are unpredictable, and manufacturers will need months, if not years to react to this level of demand.

HPREP/ REACT TO THE SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES

According to Accenture, “…by taking the right actions, supply chain leaders can turn massive complexity and supply chain disruption into meaningful change.” There are five priorities they recommend businesses take action on immediately:

Put people first: Keep your team healthy and productive by supporting new ways of working and coping with the changes.

Leverage data to improve visibility: Let people know what you have and how they can get their needs met at your store. Social Media is the new “yellow pages” for businesses. People will look up your pages as a way to see what is happening in your business.

Define segmentation to prioritize demand: Who is buying what. Look at your customer segments and see what they are looking for. Prioritize what is creating the most sales and profit.

Build a sales and ops SWAT team: Even if you are an indie store and the only employee, don’t try and go this alone. Create a team that can help promote your store and find new and creative ways of promotion and sales. There is a lot of competition

in the digital world, and you need ways to stand out and sell what you have.

Evaluate your supply chain scenario: What will you do if you can no longer get your best sellers? How will you still meet the needs of your customers? For instance, a local liquor store cannot get certain popular bourbons, so they have a “compared to” display where they recommend replacements for the items not available. Run simulations to predict when and where excesses and shortages are likely to occur and measure your sales and results.

Supply chain issues are predicted to resolve in fits and spurts, one by one your suppliers will either catch up or shut down, so keep your buying options open. Even with supply chain issues slowly resolving, many stores are still short-handed and struggling to find the staff they need.

STAFFING SHORTAGE

|

What is Happening?

According to CNN Business, “America’s job market… is still millions of jobs short of where it was before the pandemic, but businesses complain that they cannot find staff.” On the surface it looks like the jobless benefits Congress provided during the pandemic is keeping people from returning to the workforce. If they can make as much or more money at home, why wouldn’t they? But resistance to returning to work is not that simple.

| Why is it

Happening?

The resistance to returning to work is complex. There is the “better off on unemployment” factor where people who are making less than $15 an hour are better off on Unemployment Insurance. Hundreds of thousands of women dropped out of the workforce when schools went virtual and childcare was scarce. Elder care has also become an issue. With the spread of COVID in elder care facilities, families are bringing their loved ones home to protect them. Then there is the fear factor, people are still afraid of working in public. Even with the growing vaccination rates, there is awareness of how easy it is to contract an illness when working with the public. Remote jobs are in demand as people want to remain at home in what they feel is a safer environment.

| What to Expect?

Entry level wages are going up. White Castle and McDonalds have announced that as of July 1, all employees will make at least $15 an hour. Starbucks,

Amazon, Costco, and Target are the long-time leaders in paying more than $15 as a starting wage and big chains are recognizing that they must offer this minimum living wage to fill any of the open positions they have.

| What Can We Do?

If you are having trouble recruiting and hiring the staff you need, it’s time to look at all of your hiring practices. How much are you paying per hour? Do you have a bonus program? What are your benefits, financial and otherwise? Who are your ideal candidates, and do they want to work for you? Some online job sites have a library of free resources to help you fine-tune your job posting, recruit on social media and make your job appealing to the ideal candidate. At our store, we reworded our ad to start with “A CDC compliant company with documented and enforced COVID-19 protocols.” Our response rate doubled with that one line.

NOTHING IS CERTAIN

We are still in a pandemic phase, and it can be expected to take few more years for businesses to fully recover. There is no timeline of when things will get back to normal, forcing all business to stay nimble and ready to change and cope with unexpected issues.

Staying connected to your business community can help keep the surprises to a minimum. The local chapters of the SBA are on full blast with sending out helpful articles and relevant information about the upcoming challenges to commerce. The Chambers of Commerce have never been so active in providing resources and information and don’t forget SCORE, a volunteer corps of retired professionals who are stepping up as mentors to help small businesses. Is time to think outside the box, a new world of options has opened up for your business. Stay true to your values, mission and vision while you reinvent what success looks like to you. •

BUSINESS & MARKETING

Social Media Strategy: A Case of Success

FOR MANY INDEPENDENT RETAILERS and wholesalers, it took a pandemic to force us to experiment with new ways of doing business. In some cases, those experiments made the difference in terms of opening new opportunities instead of closing doors.

Wendy Patchett, owner of Sassy Primitives in McHenry, Illinois, has been in business for 19 years and focused on selling her handcrafted candles and home décor items through craft shows and open houses — until March 2020, when the pandemic and lockdown orders effectively hobbled those outlets.

Patchett had been slowly growing her social media presence on Facebook but when she saw an online boutique host a Facebook Live, a feature on Facebook that uses a computer or mobile device to broadcast real-time video to Facebook, she knew that she had to give it a try, no matter how challenging it would be.

“That next week, I assembled a small team to create what was going to be our new way of doing business,” Patchett explains. Since March 2020, she and her team have hosted more than three dozen Facebook Live shows. Many of her videos get more than 28,000 views, something, she says, she never dreamed possible.

While she loves attending craft shows because she enjoys interacting face to face, she admits she really

enjoys being connected 24/7 to her customers rather than waiting for the next craft show to come around.

| SEO and Social Media

Patchett feels social media has provider brands and companies like hers an opportunity to connect to a larger audience. “I believe that the success behind a company’s social media presence is engaging with customers regularly, maintaining interest by providing excellent customer service, and having a WOW factor within your content,” she says.

Although Sassy Primitives updated its website to be more user-friendly this past year, Patchett says that’s not where she gets most of her business. She’s continuing to improve it for SEO purposes, but she prefers to focus on making connections with customers through Facebook. If one would do a Google search for Sassy Primitives, her website is the first to show, followed by Facebook.

“Our SEO tricks for Facebook include having the description of our business as ‘home décor’ that will match us to other pages similar to ours,”

Patchett shares. “Possibly the largest way we get online traffic to our Facebook page is by giving our customers an incentive to share and tag their friends on our posts and live videos to create a larger network of people on Facebook coming across our Sassy Primitives page.”

|

Consistency and Community

One of the reasons Patchett believes their Facebooks Live videos are so successful comes down to how her and her team engage with customers daily on their Facebook page. They don’t wait until show time on Tuesday at 7 p.m. — they’re working every single day of the week, building up the excitement.

“We post sneak peeks of upcoming products for our live shows, share the recipe of our drink of the night so customers can make it with us, and posts that ask them to ‘drop’ their favorite emoji if they can’t wait for our Tuesday live show,” Patchett explains.

“We always include that incentive to have them mark ‘going’ on our live event, share the event with their Facebook friends and even tag them in our posts to be entered into win our end of the night big giveaway! This really makes the Sassy Primitives Facebook page feel like a community and connects us to our customers during these odd times.”

These live events aren’t short. They’re almost two hours — and many customers stay the whole time.

“Creating a drink of the night, designing a fun backdrop that goes with the theme, and doing multiple fun giveaways during the live show keeps people interested the whole way through,” she shares. “Customer service for us always comes first at Sassyland and although our customers cannot touch and physically see these items in person, we try and give the best description and up-close look at each item. We try to answer any questions that come up on the live feed from ‘how tall?’ to ‘can this item go outside?’ and really make them feel like they are having an in-person shopping experience.”

That level of consistency and one-on-one attention helps people come together every week and feel like they’re part of a larger community, which is one of the hallmarks of a great social media strategy. •

On a Path with Manish Gupta

MANISH GUPTA is the founder and CEO of Matr Boomie – which means “motherland” in English. The company name is apt for a few different reasons. Connecting customers with artisans in India is the obvious one, but there’s more. This is a story of creation and birth of an idea and a business ethic 15 years ago that continues to serve the company that offers everything from jewelry and apparel to artisan paper and other handmade gifts.

Retailing Insight spoke with Manish to learn more about how the company started, where it is today and the philosophy that energizes him and his team.

IMAGES: ASHLEE HUFF

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: SEAN RUCK is an editor and writer. He lives in Vermont with his wife and three children. When he finds spare time, he typically digs into environmental concerns and causes.

Retailing Insight: What was your background leading up to the start of the company? Were you already working in the space?

Manish Gupta: No, it was very different. I never thought I’d be doing what I’m doing today. I’m actually a chemical engineer by education and I was working in the manufacturing space.

My sister runs a handmade paper workshop in India and I was trying to help her establish her product on the market and I came across the concept of Fair Trade, ethically produced, handmade goods. To me that sounded like a good business idea and to explore that, I took some time off from my job. I traveled in India, met a lot of artists and at that point, I realized a lot of the artists I met were struggling to keep their art going because they didn’t have access to markets. They either couldn’t sell their products or if they were able to find a buyer, they were not getting paid fairly. Their motivation was down, they didn’t want their children to take up their traditional art form because they just couldn’t connect with the people that wanted their products at a fair price for the work they were putting in. I looked at it and saw some of the most amazing art with so much culture and heritage attached to it. I thought if I could start a business to create market access for these artists, then it would be a win-win for them and me. That’s how it was started.

RI: Were there any particular pieces in the early days that were really riveting for you or was it more of an overall feeling?

MG: I think India has so much art with every region, every community, having their own art form. When I started, I traveled into regions where I found a lot of beautiful textiles products. I started with those, but at every point in time it seems, we have discovered an amazing art form that has a lot of potential. I think it was more the concept, the excitement of starting my own business, but also the idea of creating a social impact while doing it that added to the excitement.

RI: How do you curate the products that Matr Boomie carries?

MG: We have a product design team here in Austin, Texas and we have a team of designers in India. Our team in India is always finding artisan groups we can partner with and our designers here study the art form and figure out how that art can be applied to

create product designs that appeal to customers here. Every product we carry is designed by our team, and our team here then sends the design to our team in India to work with the artists to bring those designs to life. Every product we sell is also created using natural or upcycled materials. We don’t use synthetic materials. Sometimes that leads to more challenges which requires us to be more creative with our designs, but at the end of the day we not only create these exclusive handmade products, but also these products which are sustainable for the planet.

RI: When you say you get inspiration from different art forms on the India side, do you mean seeing a sculpture or painting and turning that into an idea for a pendant?

MG: When I talk inspiration, it’s more about the art form. For example, wood carving is an art form. We found an artisan group who could take a piece of wood and carve it beautifully. That is the initial inspiration for us to think about what products we could make that involve wood carving and how can that be applied to different things? We had to think about

PHOTO

ATR BOOMIE

what patterns can work for people here. And what specific product do we create? So one idea was a box, another was a bookstand. Not only do we create the pattern, but also the application or the functionality. The inspiration is the ability for an artist to carve a beautiful pattern in a piece of wood.

RI: So wood carving comes into play. Looking on your site, there’s fabric, so weavers, jewelers…

MG: Correct. We do textiles and blocks, we work with jewelers, we work with papermakers. In the papermaker community, they upcycle used cartons and scraps to make paper. It’s a beautifully textured paper made out of cotton scraps reclaimed from the textile industry, which is 100% tree-free. We also do a lot of work with upcycled bone pieces. Our artisans are able to create boxes and photo frames. We do pottery and ceramics, baskets. We now work with about 40 different artisan communities across India. I’d say we have about 25 different art forms we promote.

RI: Do you have a favorite yourself?

MG: I would have to say our carved wood pieces. I like things that will last for a long time and have an inherent beauty to them.

RI: How your background translated into your niche with the company? Do you get involved in the design process or the marketing or finance?

MG: It started with me doing everything. Now that we have a strong team, my role with the

design process is to share my input as far as the market potential or pricing. But the design team makes the design decisions. We have a strong marketing team who is doing a lot of building and digital growth. I’m still fairly involved in sales. I service some of our key accounts. We also do custom products, so for that you need an understanding of artisan capability. As we continue to grow, I would like for my focus to be more on making sure that we have a strong mission, delivering an impact and having a company culture which is positive, growing and fun.

RI: You work with about 40 different artisan communities, but how large is your staff?

MG: We have about 20 here in Austin and 15 in India.

RI: When you started the company, what was surprising? What challenges came up that you didn’t expect?

MG: The list is too long! I think my starting point was that it was a good business idea and we could

make an impact. But I had literally no understanding or knowledge of product design, sales or marketing. I feel like I’m good at figuring out things, but not knowing that women wear different colors in spring and fall for example, was a pretty big challenge to figure out. Over a period of time, we had to work a lot on our product designs. Our designs were fairly ethnic when we got started, so slowly we built a strong design team. And they’ve created products that appeal to a wider audience. Presentation has been a challenge. We have to take great photography, we have to make sure we’re telling the story. We have a presence online now, a catalog. When I started, I went to the artisans and got samples. I had the product, but I had to find the buyers. I called random stores and they would say “OK, if you are selling bags, send us a catalog.” I didn’t have a catalog. I didn’t even have a decent camera. This was 15 years ago and the internet was dial-up, so it wouldn’t send anything large. One thing I’ve always felt is that people have come together – the right people have come together at the right time — to help bring this

vision to life, to create beautiful products, to create joy for the people using them and to create joy for the people making them.

RI: How long was it before you felt confidence you could make it work?

MG: The good thing with not knowing, is the fact you don’t know what you don’t know. For good or for bad, I’m the kind of person who always looks at the positive. I look at every small thing that’s working and I’m forever optimistic that we’ll figure out the solution if something is stuck. For example, when I started selling, the first thing I did was get some samples to exhibit at a tradeshow. And I didn’t have inventory. I didn’t have the capital to build inventory. I set up a booth and told retailers if they liked the product, they had to give a 50% advance with the rest due when we shipped. And we surprisingly got orders. I didn’t know how much of a big deal it is to ask people for an advance, to get them product later. To be honest, we are learning every day. Yes, a lot of our basics are figured out now, but we are continuing to explore things like building connections with larger brands. I think our challenges are changing, but the “a-ha” moments never stop. That’s the fun of building and growing a business. I feel like as a person, I’ve never doubted what I’m doing. My core feeling is that if I’m on a path, there’s a reason. If it won’t succeed, I’ll still learn. So I don’t worry about “what if,” that’s not a part that comes to my mind.

RI: How has the pandemic disrupted your business?

MG: There’s a lot of change. The supply chain has been impacted significantly. All our products come out of India and the country was in lockdown from March to July of last year. So we didn’t get stock all summer. Once the lockdown was lifted, there were still restrictions in travel. All the freight costs have gone up, all the freight time. Last summer, when most of the world was in lockdown, all the stores we work with were closed. So, our sales were down. At the same time, we work with a lot of online brands, a lot of catalog companies and subscription boxes — their business boomed. So though our brick and mortar business was down, our business with online brands was significantly up. And we also work with a lot of natural food stores and they were open. Overall, I think we grew last year, but our market segment mix shifted. This year, supply chain is still

shaky with India being in lockdown again so I know we will have a little bit of trouble heading into the holidays, but right now we are up 50% over last year.

RI: What is your customer mix?

MG: We are still primarily a wholesale company. I think our direct to consumer is less than 10%. We sell about 30% to natural food stores. Another 30 to 40% is for independent gift shops, Fair Trade stores, bookstores, museums, nurseries. And the final 30% is with large chains, catalogs or online brands. The good thing about our brand is the variety of products we offer gives us opportunities to partner with different market segments. Another thing we do is not only sell products, but also create solutions. For example, some stores need help with merchandising, so we’ll create displays. We also create product collections or bundles where we put together our best sellers to allow stores to merchandise and tell our story well.

RI: What is your ideal goal for where you see the company in five years?

MG: I think we would be a fairly strong market leader in sustainable, ethically produced products.

A company that is the go-to for consumer goods ethically made. I see us having distribution all over the world.

RI: With this big jump you made years back, do you personally feel like challenging yourself again or have you found where you need to be?

MG: I think my personal growth is going to continue. I’m still continuing to learn a lot. The challenges are changing, but my learning continues. I feel like having a business is like having a child. When the business was starting, it was in its infancy and my learning and what I needed to know was different from where it is now that the business is in its teenage phase. I have a little bit more learning, a little bit more work to do in building an independent strong team. Having started the business, I remain clear in the desire to stay in the realm of giving back to the community. I want to start more enterprises to improve our communities. But I also feel having gone through this journey, I’m a lot more equipped to do future businesses a lot more smoothly.

RI: Is there anything you wish you had known when you started so you could have done things differently?

MG: Honestly, no. I think there is a beauty in the journey. I think there is a perfect synchronized dance the universe plays with to create opportunities and challenges. I feel like there’s a reason things happen in a certain manner.

RI: Is there anything we didn’t cover you want to mention?

MG: I think there’s a few messages to share. Sustainable products as an industry is growing fast with more consumers aware and focused on it. For our business personally, there are three factors that have helped us to be successful: the basic mission of our company that our products are ethically made with both social and environmental justice in mind. Our product designs are created for this market. And finally, our products are within reach. So we have a good story, a good design and the right price. •

T H E Z E N S T O N E G A R D E N

Kelly Barker Newport, OR 541-961-1285 kelly@kellybarker.com

Artist # 22255 www.IndieMe.com

Both items come with a point of sale display that draws and informs your customers.

Tarot for Today

TAROT HAS COME A LONG WAY

since the early perceptions of the cards as an occult form of divination, full of esoteric symbols and dark, hidden secrets. Over the past few decades tarot has emerged from the shadows as evidenced by its ubiquitous presence in the media and mainstream culture. Especially in the past few years of unprecedented challenges in the world, the 78 cards have been embraced as a channel for positive self-discovery and soul healing.

An important part of this evolution relates to the expansive offerings of contemporary tarot products that have helped make

tarot readings more appealing, relevant, and accessible.

For over 50 years, the beloved Rider-Waite Tarot has been the touchstone for the world tarot community and the source of inspiration for countless other tarot decks. Though many of us find comfort in the familiar symbols and theatrical characters created by Pamela Colman Smith, more and more readers have been eager to venture beyond these imaginary scenes to other worlds created by tarot artists. Some of the settings conjured by the 78 cards reflect more realistically the places we live and the real-world issues we face.

New Era Elements Tarot and Urban Tarot are two examples of decks set in modern, urban settings. In Urban Tarot, the metropolis itself is as much a character as the diverse inhabitants who appear in the deck’s scenes. New Era Elements Tarot, another ultra-realistic deck, replaces the esoteric symbolism of traditional tarot with compelling graphite images that highlight details of 21st century global life.

As tarot has become a powerful way of expressing our identities and our world views, it has become more vitally important for the

cards to reflect the diversity and inclusivity of the people in the “tarot tribe.” Napo Tarot was inspired by indigenous Argentine culture and history. Pride Tarot, a colorful collaborative deck featuring diverse artists from around the globe, delves into the personal stories and struggles, and milestone achievements of the LGBTQ+ community.

While tarot is holding up a mirror to modern life, there is also a creative movement at the other end of the spectrum, where tarot art leads us into the natural realms, and helps us connect with the healing energy of plants and animals. The award-winning Spiritsong Tarot, by popular tarot artist Paulina Fae (aka Paulina Cassidy), follows the structure of Rider-Waite Tarot, but each card in both the Major and Minor Arcana is an animal spirit guide with wise messages to share. Each animal was specifically selected based upon shamanic and Native American symbolism, merging each animal’s unique power with classic tarot practices. Other U.S. Games Systems tarot decks that work with animal energy include White Sage Tarot, Hush Tarot, The Wise

Dog Tarot, and Crow Tarot, which invites us to fly through the veil and connect with our intuitive powers

The idea that we all have this innate intuition to be developed and utilized is another perceptual shift in the tarot experience. No longer is it the exclusive domain of the professional psychic to read the cards. Instead, tarot empowers readers of all levels to gain insights about themselves by studying the decks that resonate for them personally. Tarot has become an empowering practice.

Since many tarot readers identify as Wiccan or witches, it makes sense that tarot deck creators offer reading experiences that help readers tap into their own powers of intention and manifestation. Harmony Tarot is a unique Wiccan-based tarot deck that also blends elements from both the natural and magical realms. The botanically-inspired Minor Arcana follows themes of nature, with each suit associated with a season. Harmony Nice created this tarot deck as a spiritual tool to provide guidance, encouragement and inspiration for personal growth and healing. Another deck steeped in the botanical world, Herbcrafter’s Tarot celebrates the handicrafts, tools, and time-honored folk skills related to herbs, trees, flowers and other plants that share their gifts with us. This deck and book set explores the relationship between herbs and how people use them for medicine, creativity, ritual, and spiritual guidance. Both these decks, and others like them, draw readers in by allowing them to connect with tarot through naturalistic artwork that doesn’t

always look like traditional tarot. The Field Tarot and Tarot of Mystical Moments are two popular examples of decks with beautiful collage style artwork that blends natural and magical elements, encouraging readers to rely on their own imagination and intuition to discover the card meanings.

Another realm being explored by tarot creators and readers is the land of dreamscapes.

Fascinating decks like The Jungian Tarot, Deviant Moon Tarot, Tarot of Dreams, and Dreamkeepers

Tarot take a deeply psychological approach to the exploration of tarot archetypes. These intriguing decks allow serious readers to engage in shadow work and explore their darkest fears as well as their brightest hopes and dreams.

While colorful collage art, digital art and nature-based illustrative techniques produce a wide variety of tarot art styles that are lush with imagery and ripe with meaning,

another more pared down approach seems to be emerging at the same time. There is a growing appreciation for well-rendered black and white decks such as Tarot of the Abyss, Inversion Tarot, Heart & Hands Tarot, and Bianco Nero Tarot. For sure, these decks have a certain simple beauty, but the appeal is more than just aesthetics. Decks with black and white art allow readers to focus on important visual details and nuances of meaning in the cards.

Tarot decks resonate with people for different reasons.

Sometimes a complex, challenging (“kick butt”) deck is required for soul work on serious issues. At other times, a charming, attractive deck offers the encouragement and inspiration we need to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Fortunately, there is a plethora of tarot deck choices for today’s readers that is more expansive than ever and still growing. •

FEATURES

SOUND HEALING

What’s All the Buzz About?

NOW IT SEEMS LIKE SOUND BOWLS are the new yoga pants. Although sound baths may seem like a “New Age” concept, the practice of using sound for meditation and healing has been around for thousands of years with deep roots in cultures across the world. The general intention of using certain instruments that produce sound waves is to calm the mind and body. The sounds aid in reaching a state of relaxation as well as setting a fertile environment in the mind for meditation.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: MICHELLE BERLIN began her path of yoga many years ago which evolved into teaching in 2007. After a car accident created multiple spinal injuries and her doctors told her the only option was major surgery, Michelle began looking for alternative treatments. She decided to take the lead in her own healing and began studying and practicing Iyengar Yoga. She spent a year travelling and studying in India, Bali, Thailand, and Nepal. While in India, she studied at the Iyengar Himalayan Center. Her thirst for knowledge in the healing arts lead her to Nepal where she had the opportunity to study sound healing with Tibetan Monks in the Himalayas. While there, she did some apprentice work with the sound shaman of a small village along Annapurna circuit.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MICHELLE BERLIN

The overtones produced by the sound of Tibetan bowls is effective because they work with brainwave entrainment which is intended to induce different forms of tranquility such as relaxation, trances, sleep, and dreams by synchronizing with a periodic external stimulus that corresponds with the desired brain state. These stimuli can be sound, light, or vibrations at different frequencies.

| How Does Sound HEAL?

If quantum physics tells us everything is vibration, then we know that our own bodies hold their own resonance frequency. That means, the heart, the liver, the kidneys, bones, tissues and blood are all vibrating. But when a portion of the body is vibrating out of ease, we call this “dis-ease.” By applying the use of sound, we can put the energetic body in a state of balance and harmony which will, in turn, enhance the resonant frequency of the emotional, mental and physical body. The more the body can relax through the rejuvenating and restorative qualities of sound, the more it will then be able to access the parasympathetic nervous system where healing can take place. It is more a holistic approach. We know if we are stressed, we are more susceptible to get rundown and sick. The more we can relax, the healthier we will be. It is no wonder we use the term “sound health.” Sound healing can also help quiet the mind, empower positive cognitive change, access and release trauma, enhance self-awareness, diminish panic attacks, and help with insomnia.

| My Journey

I ’m Michelle Berlin, a Miami “sound sorceress” (a name my students gave me). I’ve been working with yoga and sound for 17 years. I have conducted sound experiences privately, in corporate settings and events. My “sound journeys” create an internal narrative and experience that can not only induce relaxation, but also invoke emotions that may need to come to the surface. My students and participants report feeling relaxed, sleeping better, and feeling balanced. They’ve also described gaining a new spark of creativity or recalling a past memory that helped them understand a current life situation. Many even report they feel like they were “tripping,” “floating” or having an “out-of-body-experience.”

When travelling in Nepal, I had the opportunity to study with the village sound shaman and observe the way the monks use sound for meditation. Every

morning at 5 a.m. the temple doors would be open for meditation with the Tibetan monks where they would chant, use bells, horns, bowls and gigantic gongs. In the middle of the chanting the monks would play and hit gongs with all their might. I found it quite jarring and not relaxing at all. I asked one of the monks “Why do you play in that way?” He explained that their practice is one rooted in mindfulness and awareness and the loud sounds are a call to action to be present and to understand that the only thing that matters is THE NOW.

I realized that when those sounds went off you have no other option but to BE HERE NOW.

So, in that setting, the sounds aren’t really used to relax you, but to keep you rooted in the present moment.

However, I did get to observe how the local doctor or “sound shaman” would use the sounds in a more therapeutic environment. Now, this clinic was at about 15,000 feet up in the Himalayas. You cannot get there by car, bus or plane. The only ways to get there are by walking, taking a donkey or a horse. This explains how the healers in the village worked with the “medicine” around them. They used herbs, seeds and plants that grew in the area to make tinctures and tonics for certain ailments. Oftentimes, a treatment was accompanied with sound. If somebody came in with a stomach issue, the shaman would put a bowl on the belly and play it for an hour until the pain or discomfort subsided. It makes sense because modern medicine is now using certain frequencies to eradicate unwanted rogue cells and dissolve substances, such as crystallized minerals in the kidneys. This technique is also applied in more innovative sound healing to assist in ridding the body of unwanted bacteria and fungi. With this knowledge of ancient culture in combination with emerging science, I knew I was on the right path to help people on their wellness journey.

The thing that I love about sound is that everyone can enjoy it.

Everyone can lay down and receive with no risk. It’s not as intimidating as yoga or meditation. Literally all you have to do is listen and be receptive.

In my travels I’ve picked up a variety of instruments that I use as “tools for awakening.” I go beyond the very popular crystal bowls and implement other shamanic tools and New Age instruments that can really color the participant’s inner landscape. I use Himalayan bowls, chimes, gongs, hand pans and bells to invoke different qualities within the human psyche. Sound is an incredible tool for self-exploration, self-maintenance, self-therapy and healing. It is an experience that creates a space for a healthier mind, body, and lifestyle. If the sound bath trend is anything like the yoga and fitness trends, it can be expected to become commonly used for mental health and meditation. Especially for people seeking alternative ways to relax. •

FEATURES

Botanical WiFi

HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF YEARS before the Internet, Mother Earth developed her own “World Wide Web” — a mycelial network. This network consists of a single-cell layer of mushroom cells within the first layer of the Earth. The network is so fine that if we took a walk in an old-growth forest, under each footstep would lie enough mycelial cells to stretch 300 miles1

These tiny, subterranean fungal strands connect plants and trees together, sharing nutrients and helpful substances to protect them from pathogens and harmful insects. This is the same network used by “mother trees” to pass along nutrients to smaller

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: KATIE H ES S is a flower alchemist, author of Flowerevolution and founder of LOTUSWEI, one of the world’s leading floral apothecaries. To know about the author, visit www.lotuswei.com.

1 Paul Stamets, Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World (Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2005).

trees — even of a different species — who cannot reach the same resources as the older, taller trees.

Communication between trees, plants and flowers does not require a brain, and they do not experience themselves as separate from their ecosystem, as we humans do. Through this mycelial network, plants are inseparable from one another and pass along information in a series of subtle electrical impulses; it could be said they speak in waves of energy. Additionally, the entire communication network is a giant living organism that grows several inches daily and recharges itself, no outlet needed.

Similarly, every day humans use technology to stream invisible waves of energy through space to receive texts on cell phones, listen to music on the radio, or watch moving pictures on a computer or television. Just as technology transmits information through space, so do flowers. I like to call it “Floral WiFi.”

| Flowers Have Energy

Until recently, most people believed that bees were attracted to flowers for their bright colors or fragrances. However, recent research demonstrates that bees are attracted to the energy in flowers, not their fragrance or color. Flowers emit electrical impulses in the form of vibrations and the bees are able to detect the electrical fields of different flowers.

Research led by Professor Daniel Eric, at the University of Bristol in the U.K., demonstrated that bumblebees and flowers communicate through electrical fields. The researchers placed electrodes inside the stems of petunias and they found that each flower’s electrical charge changed after a bee had visited. It stayed that way for several minutes, alerting other bees to the fact that a bee had already been there. They also found that flowers emit different electrical impulses when they are full of nectar and pollen versus when they have none left, communicating to bees whether or not to alight.

Flowers emit electrical impulses in the form of vibrations, and the bees are able to detect the

electrical fields of different flowers through the hairs on their legs, which may move in a way similar to how our hair moves with the presence of static electricity2

This is one way that we know that flowers have electrical energy. Some people would call it the ‘chi’ of the flower, or even its aura.

In this way, flowers are like the antennae of the Earth’s wisdom, emitting subtle electricity that is invisible to the human eye, just like the waves of technology.

Unlike our electronic WiFi that is incompatible with our bodies and over time can make us feel fatigued, “Floral WiFi” is rejuvenating to our bodies. We human beings are the sophisticated technology that translates the information and knows what to do with it. While we may not fully understand it, it makes us feel more balanced and stable.

We don’t question our technology because we know it works — we just use it. So, isn’t it then possible that Mother Earth has had this technology long before we have?

2 Dominic Clarke, Heather Whitney, Gregory Sutton, and Daniel Eric, “Detection and Learning of Floral Electrical Fields by Bumblebees,” Science 340, no. 6128 (2013): 6669, doi: 10.1126/science.1230883.

| How Can We Use This Botanical WiFi?

Close your eyes and imagine yourself in a rose garden — and notice how you feel when thinking about being surrounded by deep red roses overfl owing from the bushes.

Now imagine yourself walking in a vast field of wild white daisies, waving back and forth in the breeze and the sunshine.

How do you feel?

How about while walking in a redwood forest? Or when burying your face in a bunch of huge ruffl y peonies? Or sitting underneath a willow tree? Or gazing at a pristine pink lotus or water lily in a pond?

Did you notice how even just the visualization of different flowers and trees evokes different feelings?

That feeling — whether in reality or through visualization — is indicative of the benefits and special qualities of that particular flower, tree or plant.

Those qualities can be captured, collected and infused into water — Mother Nature’s greatest recording device. Water, like the shiny substrate on CDs or the magnetic strip inside cassette tapes, records information. In this case, water can retain the special qualities of a flower in the form of what we call a flower essence, flower elixir or flower remedy.

If you have an intense or chronic physical issue, however, it would be more appropriate to use the whole body of the plant in the form of herbal tinctures or teas, employing the roots, stems, leaves, seeds, flowers.

Similarly, essential oils or aromatherapy are like the blood, or immune system of a plant that is extracted into a highly aromatic oil. Essential oils often help the plant keep predators away. When we infuse essential oils into something like massage oil, it stimulates our circulation and our immune system. It also works through the olfactory pathways and affects the nervous system through the brain. Essential oils are an aromatic, sensual experience and stimulate our mood or emotions; they have become widely used in recent years.

Flower essences, by contrast, are like the mind or consciousness of a plant, and are less well known. Different from aromatherapy, flower elixirs don’t have a scent and work through the acupuncture meridians. They work on a mind and heart level and have emotional, mental, spiritual and energetic benefits. Flower essences have more subtle and longterm effects. They operate differently from essential oils and help shift emotional and mental patterns over time with consistent use.

Flowers are the part of the plant used to collect the essence because they contain the highest concentration of energetics within the plant. A flower elixir is a solar infusion of that flower in water, which can then be preserved and stabilized with alcohol. It is a liquid infusion of a flower or plant’s

‘chi’ or life-force, perfectly encapsulating the quality of the flower.

An elixir can be taken internally or applied topically, shifting your mood within minutes. Taken consistently over time, they accelerate personal growth. Long-term flower essence fans say they are utterly life changing.

For example, when Cheryl came to see me, she was terrified of flying on a plane. For years she refused to travel. Yet, one month after taking a flower elixir regularly, she got on an airplane!

After six months of taking flower remedies, she had flown so much that she started to accumulate enough frequent flyer miles to book free travel! She was overjoyed to be able to reconnect with family and friends in other parts of the country as well as take vacations internationally.

I’ve spent the last 20 years working with flower elixirs and observing their transformative effects on people. At a time when we are more distracted, fatigued and stressed than ever, nature offers us an inspiring way to rebalance. With most of us living in metropolitan areas or working indoors all day, flower elixirs help us tap into the abundant healing power of nature and bring it back effortlessly into our everyday lives to help us be our best selves. •

Editor'sPicks

1. Recycled Pocket Bags by MatrBoomie.com

These modern and colorful market bags were made from recycled saris! The brand is committed to helping women artisans in India by investing in vocational training, literacy programs and providing fair wage opportunities.

2. Fjura Backpack, Daisy by Donsje.com

This adorable backpack is designed by a social-giving brand based in Amsterdam which helps children to take their fi rst step in education! The company donates part of their profits to the Shining Start School in Nairobi, Kenya.

We spotted great products from new to established brands in the ethical fashion scene that are socially responsible and sustainable. Take a look at the selection of gifts and new trends for this upcoming season:

Mindful Picks Upcycling Gifts & Accessories

3. Giant Mermaid Doll, Harmony by BlaBlaKids.com

This adorable giant knitted doll is 3’ feet tall and handmade by local artisans in Peru. Each purchase you make, they (and you) are not only supporting underserved communities, but also planting a tree!

4. Wood Tribal Neck Piece by The8thDrifter.com

This tribal inspired statement necklace is crafted with handcut wood and handwoven fibers by local makers in Papua New Guinea.

5. Hand-Knit Winter Accessories by FrenchKnot.com

This vintage-inspired brand from Massachusetts celebrates (and works with) talented women artisans in Nepal who create unique and colorful handknitted winter accessories that emphasizes quality, design, and social responsibility.

6. Ellsworth Circle Work Mismatch Earrings by RavenAndLily.com

Crafted in Kenya by local artisans, these earrings are shaped and cut by hand from semi-precious stones.

7. Tierra Heart Pom-Tassel by XulaHandmade.com

This boho chic tassel is ethically made by indigenous women artisans in Mexico.

8. Revival Clasp Bracelet by FairAnita.com

Made from handwoven organic cotton and screen printed with eco-friendly dyes by a cooperative of women artisans in Cambodia.

This design loop bracelet was made from brass-plated recycled metals (nickel-free) by artisans in India.

10. Wicker Handbag by WickerWings.com

This British brand works with women artisans in Indonesia to keep their traditions, inspired by their grandmothers, alive. Each basket created is handwoven by female artisans in Indonesia and sent to the studio in England where craftspeople help transform the basket into a bag.

9. ID Cases Zippered Pouch by FairAnita.com

PHOTOS

Kelly Weinberger, founder of WorldFinds with their artisans in India.

Ethical Fashion: Meet WorldFinds

BY THE EDITOR

YOU MAY KNOW WorldFinds for their colorful jewelry and covetable accessories and gifts. But their story is what really makes them standout. They’re women-owned and fueled and committed to empowering women and their communities. Their high-quality products are handcrafted, fair trade, sustainable and ethically sourced, using wooden scraps from furniture factories and repurposed Sari and Kantha textiles. We went behind the scenes with founder Kelly Weinberger to learn more about the ethos serving as the core of their brand.

Retailing Insight — First of all, how are you doing?

Kelly Weinberger — We are well! It’s been a challenging year, but things are finally beginning to improve. We’ve been okay here in the U.S., but

India’s second wave of covid has been just horrible for our artisan partners and they’ve had a very rough time. It is improving finally, and we’re all determined to get through this.

RI: Let’s go back to the beginning a bit and tell us how the brand started?

KW: It all began way back in 1999. I was in the middle of a 14-month trip backpacking around the world with my husband. We were in Nepal and a fellow-traveler friend from New Zealand mentioned she was going to visit a women’s cooperative that day, as her mom was really into fair trade. I immediately needed to know more! I had my lightbulb moment after learning that it addressed so many of the root causes of poverty, acting as a tool to provide economic empowerment,

and was a way to connect with women in underserved communities. I thought perhaps some of my previous work experience in marketing might be useful to do something on my own in fair trade. I spent the rest of our travels completely obsessed with the concept of starting a ‘business with a purpose’, determined to learn as much as possible about artisan communities’ needs in the different places we visited. When we got back home, I began testing out products at trunk shows friends kindly had for me, and when everything sold out, I thought I might be on to something. I quickly moved into wholesale by calling on stores as

the volumes were better and I could get more orders back into the artisans faster. There was a lot of just sort of figuring things out as I go, which we still sometimes feel like we’re doing even today!

RI: How did you find your artisan partners?

KW: For me everything is about connections and relationships. Our artisan partners are a combination of World Fair Trade Organization members, small families of artisans, and women’s cooperatives. We’ve been working with most of them for about 20 years. When I was first starting out, it was about finding groups that I felt a strong connection with, that were easy to

work with, had a solid foundation of social impact initiatives, who were keen to work on new designs, and had potential so that we could grow together. Plus, lots of trust and respect. We have so much invested in our partners, and they in us. I just love working with them on so many levels.

RI: How are your designs sustainable?

KW: Everything we design, source and sell is handmade by women artisans who work from their homes or in small workshops. We’re definitely part of the small batch, slow fashion movement and with time, we’ve been able to scale up production and build capacity.

A majority of our designs are made using repurposed materials, like kantha quilts, sari pieces, wood scraps, and Kutch textiles. All are found in abundance in India and we’re able to reimagine them into something fresh and beautiful! We’re now beginning to work with recycled metals which is also exciting. We consider the environmental impact in everything we do. Statistics from the garment industry are simply staggering, fashion waste is having a horrible effect on our planet, and we try to do all we can to use materials

in existence, so we don’t contribute to the problem.

RI: How large is your team?

KW: We have an amazing group here in the U.S. Our office/design studio/warehouse is in the Chicago area, and we have a small but mighty team of eight people. Six of us are based here, including my husband and business partner (who is a master at reports, spreadsheets, IT and finances). Our product designer was our first hire back in 2007, she is just incredibly talented and also misses not being able to get to India. We also have a great warehouse manager, a brilliant marketing coordinator, and an amazing

account manager. Two of our team members work remotely, our sales manager is based in North Carolina, and our marketplace manager is in San Diego — so we’re used to Zoom meetings and working with multiple time zones.

RI: Tell us more your culture and philosophy?

KW: So much of what we do with our artisan partners is collaborative, and I wanted that to be part of our office vibe here in the United States. It took several years before we had grown enough so that we could hire anyone, so every day I’m grateful that we have a team and it’s not just me. I think kindness is important

in all relationships, as you never know what difficulty someone might be going through in their personal life. Also fun, creative, respectful, and thoughtful are other words I’d use. We bridge this interesting world between really challenging social issues in India and the fashion and trend space here in the U.S. Good design is the great equalizer, and we put a lot of time and effort into our new collections.

RI: What inspires you?

KW: From a motivation standpoint, our artisan partners are just incredibly strong, resilient and inspiring. I’m motivated every day to continue growing our business to keep the partnerships with

them going strong. In the “before times” pre-covid, I’d be in India at least once a year which helps to keep connections strong. Regarding what inspires me from a design standpoint, it’s a mix of art museums, nature, traveling, architecture, and India itself. With museums closed and travel cancelled, I’ve been relying on nature quite a bit this past year. But normally I get a lot of inspiration in India.

RI: Where do you find retail partners?

KW: We love trade shows and have always found a lot of our partners that way. We can’t wait to return to Atlanta and NY NOW shows this summer. Online

NEW BOOKS

wholesale marketplaces like Faire and Abound have been great this past year with trade shows being canceled. We’re also active in the Museum Store Association as well as the Fair Trade Federation. We find a lot of retailers through those communities.

RI: How about your involvement in fair trade?

KW – Fair trade has been the foundation of our business since the beginning. It’s a 360* wholistic approach to trade, with nine-principles and practices at the core of what we do. These tenets include the basics like paying a living wage, preserving cultural traditions, respect for the environment, long-term relationships and much more. We’re celebrating

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NewDeck The Archeo

NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author and artist Nick Bantock guides you through the deck, revealing the myriad of ways these archetypes can help you reach your full potential. He shows you how to work with the cards and shares a short tale for each Archeo that gives you an even deeper understanding of it. This deck is your road map to an epic hero’s journey.

The Archeo was a long time coming. From the start, the intent was to try and expand the concept of Archetypes, by revealing a new cast of characters and examining ways in which each of us can engage with our multifaceted personalities.

If you are familiar with using the tarot or any other divination decks, you will know that there are practical methods of laying out the cards so that you can read them. However, The Archeo cards are not meant to predict the future, they are more of a practical and functional device designed specifically

to help you look into yourself and see what your better selves already perceive, but cannot grasp.

Like most Tarot and other divination decks, this is more a tool of self-realization, a means by which

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: NICK BANTOCK (British Columbia, Canada) is the author and artist of the New York Times bestselling Griffin and Sabine series. He has authored 30 books, 11 of which have appeared on bestseller lists. His works have been translated into 13 languages and over five million have been sold worldwide.

we can identify the issues facing us in our ordinary and un-ordinary lives. Some of these archetypes you will undoubtedly recognize as having been with you all the way, while others might remain silent, like dormant seeds. The more you familiarize yourself with the figures, the more they reveal the attributes they have to offer.

The images created for The Archeo cards came from a wide arena of geography and history. I wanted them to represent as expansive a source of mythology as possible. The colour and graphite drawings are created on art paper pre-printed from old documents and letters. This was specifically done to give the characters a sense of timeless authenticity. As well as a description of the 40 principal archetypes, the companion guide also includes The Archeo’s attributes and personas, along with a set of short tales that reflect their individual pathologies. In addition, the guidebok has a section on layouts and spreads, as well as alternative ways of using the cards when dealing with such things as encounters with people who are difficult or hard to comprehend. The way to get the most out of the cards is to work with them, and to understand how you relate to them… and them to you.

How This Deck Can Be Used:

With all closed spreads, begin by shuffling the full deck facedown. Make sure you are in a focused, meditative frame of mind. Without judgment or preconception, concentrate on the general topography of your life.

As you shuffle the cards, try not to dwell on specific questions, but instead attempt to locate your center — that place within you that’s balanced and knows good choices from bad. Then, when you feel stilled, cut the cards cleanly and begin your spread.

Lay three cards out in a row. Take your time and examine them individually. Ask yourself what you know of them already and how they relate to both your inner and outer life. Then deal out six more cards, three above and three below the existing set, giving you a block of nine. These new cards are the effectors, or influencers, over the first three. They can represent outside elements or the characters you are failing to pay attention to. It is up to you and your intuition. •

The Archeo: Personal Archetype Cards Published by Llewellyn Worldwide

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includes a 40-card deck and 204-page color guidebook

Take Five

Bad Moods & Clutter:

5 STEPS TO OVERCOME NEGATIVITY

IF YOU ARE HAVING A BAD MORNING prior to arriving at your store, it will affect your attitude. Your bad mood impacts your ability to service your customers in the “love and light” way they are accustomed to from you. Your mood may further turn negative after dealing with a very demanding customer, or with an annoying employee’s actions.

Dealing with clutter in your workspace is another maddening way to dampen your attitude. Feng Shui experts would shudder in horror at your piles of catalogs, invoices, broken items, unused displays and boxes of products strewn about your shop.

Your aggravation can impact your sales negatively since your ability to sell and move product is based on superior customer experience. You do not want to lose a large sale due to a bad mood or a frowning face. Here are steps that you can take to remove this alarming energy:

1 Recognize & Banish

It is necessary to recognize when you are in a negative mindset. Set a timer for five minutes, an allowed time to vent, cry or scream. Release that bad mood. When the timer goes off, stop venting and do something that will improve your mood such as dancing around the store; blare your preferred music; sage yourself or meditate. Banishing negativity is vital to start your day attracting abundance.

2

Leave & Return

Sometimes you need to step outside to clear your thoughts. Go for a walk, hug a tree, blow bubbles or grab your favorite beverage or snack. Completing a different activity assists you in releasing the negative thought train from your brain. When you feel lighter, return to your store ready to conquer the sales floor.

3

Catch & Release

If you are experiencing an employee’s off-putting manner, tell them to take a break or provide them with busy work in the storeroom. Sometimes removing the employee physically from your sight will lighten your mood. If your discourteous customer sapped your joy, keep a smile on your face as they leave. Knowing that the whirlwind of rudeness is over and out the door, can instantly change your outlook after dealing with them. Being proactive in each instance allows you to re-focus and be at your best to sail through the remainder of the day to sales goals.

4

Decide & Organize

Block out time in your schedule to deal with your store’s clutter. Start with contacting companies about items broken in transit, prep return of the items or throw them away. Next, organize your storeroom’s shelves so that you know where everything is. You may find hidden products that need to be placed on the floor, or outdated products that need to be removed. Once your storeroom is in order, move on to those piles of catalogs and invoices to categorize and file them. These tasks can be accomplished in one afternoon or throughout the week.

5 Sparkle & Shine

Stand in your door and take an overview look of your store. Is your store clean and welcoming or is it dusty and in disarray? If your store requires cleaning, ask the employees to straighten displays, dust and vacuum. You are selling magical products – they need to be energetically and visually appealing to your customers.

Adjusting your mood and removing clutter will immediately change the energy of your store to attract abundance. Your customers will notice the difference. Make it a magical day of sales; hit those goals with a positive mindset and a sparkling store. •

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Zen Stone Garden, The 23 541-961-1285 I www.kellybarker.com

Wake Me When You Leave Love and Encouragement via Dreams from the Other Side

Elisa Donovan’s acting career was on the fast track—until her new show was unexpectedly cancelled, her relationship ended, and her father was diagnosed with terminal cancer. This book chronicles Elisa’s journey out of despair and heartbreak, with nudges from a subtle spiritual presence that could only be her father looking out for her. By sharing the lessons and challenges that the universe sent her, Elisa inspires anyone who has ever suffered a loss to live again with authenticity, hope, and humor.

Elisa Donovan Elisa Donovan

is best known for her roles in Clueless, Beverly Hills 90210, and Sabrina The Teenage Witch. She has been a Celebrity Mom Blogger for People.com and narrated bestselling audiobooks Lean In and Option B. The film version of Wake Me When You Leave is in development and will be her directorial debut.

CANNABIS DREAMS

Chill-out music for Relaxation, Healing and Well-Being

 “Combining 5,000 years of Two Ancient Healing Traditions!”

Pioneering Sound Healer

Founding Father of New Age Music

• Mesmerizing soundscapes, ethereal vocals that orchestrate ‘higher’ consciousness

• Each track is inspired by a specific strain

• The music creates an Auditory Contact High (ACH)*

• Includes Earth resonance alpha brainwave entrainment tones

 No consumption of cannabis (toke, vape, edible) needed to enjoy the ACH* of the music…but it helps!

ECHOES of a DREAM Feat. Kristin Hoffmann

CHAKRA