Thirteen Circles – A New Store on Fayette Street Opening Soon!

Thirteen Circles – A New Store on Fayette Street Opening Soon!

9/14/2022

by Brian Coll

For the past few weeks I have been trying to peek in my neighbors windows a couple doors down from our frame shop, the new business on the block and in Conshohocken: Thirteen Circles. One day I got to watch a talented mural artist sprucing up the space. Another day I watched a couple of people moving some stuff in and then finally I got the chance to pop in, look around and talk to the owners Lily and Joe. I realized I had met them before when we did some framing for them. They actually live in Conshohocken and when they saw the store front for rent, they jumped at the chance to have a shop in the borough they call home. I asked if I could take a picture and chat with them and here you go. (I’ll admit, I took a picture when there was a lot of organizing going on, and they sent me a better photo the next day, so I’m using their photo)

I’m going to ask a tough question right off the bat… when do you plan on opening? 

Ha! We will be opening on September 23rd at 11am. Come see us that weekend Friday to Sunday 11-6pm. You can also visit our website for our regular shop days/hours. We are very very excited!

Can you explain how you came up with the name Thirteen Circles?

Sure! The name Thirteen Circles came from a conversation with our dear friend Josh who also works with us here. In my culture (Italian) thirteen is a lucky number, it’s also our wedding anniversary day. We stood in a circle of protection at our wedding. Circles represent no end and no beginning, a symbol of oneness, unity, wholeness, and infinity (which we hope to stay open for infinity). In sacred geometry thirteen circles make up the ancient structure of the flower of life. We picked it as our shop name for all of these reasons.

To be honest, there has been a few people questioning your store/business after hearing something about witchcraft… I know something may have been taken out of context, but can you help explain what you do here and the types of items available for sale. 

There were a few “news” sources that wanted to jump in on how sensational our spirituality and way of living is…and to be honest I can’t blame them, we live a pretty magical life! I am proud to be dubbed the Witch of Conshohocken! The issue is we have been threatened and harassed since those articles came out due to our religious identity and people’s prejudice. It is disturbing that members of the Conshy community, our very own neighbors, have taken it upon themselves to attack us before our store is even open. This is because of their own misunderstanding of religion and religious freedoms. While there are many modern branches of spirituality and witchcraft that people follow, I personally follow the path of seeing miracles in nature. The sky, ocean, trees, rocks, plants, weather, etc. show me how magical this earth is every day. Witches believe in the power of energy and words. We actually share many similarities to more common religions when you take a closer look, (trust me I know…I was born and raised catholic, baptized, and confirmed as an adult into the church). What you may call a prayer, we call an incantation. What you may call mass, we call a ritual.  Our shop is a safe space for all who seek to further their knowledge and understanding. If people are interested in our personal religion and spirituality or are seeking to find their own spiritual path, they are always welcome to come and ask us any questions or concerns they have.

But enough about religion and witchcraft! Let’s talk about our new shop! Thirteen Circles is a new age holistic gift shop. While many of our items and customers are spiritual or follow a path of witchcraft, we are a space where people from all walks of life are welcome to come in and experience! We sell many wonderful wares that can be enjoyed by quite literally everyone. Our offerings range from rare crystal specimens and carvings, plants, artwork,12 sculptures, amazing vintage and antique finds, homegoods, dried herbs, books, candles, and more! We have items at all price points from all around the world! Come on in to meet the town witch and let us make your world a little more magical!

So to be clear, this isn’t like Harry Potter or Hocus Pocus?

Ha! Of course real life is different from the movies, but we do love a good witchy show! Our products are not themed based on Hollywood blockbusters, we carry lifestyle products. The team here at Thirteen Circles is a melting pot of backgrounds and beliefs. We have an amazing base of fiercely loyal customers and friends from our online ventures and we are so excited to bring that magic and diverse community to the neighborhood! The only people who should be concerned about witches are the ones who want us to leave, because we are here to stay! 

What can you tell me about some of the stones and candles I see here?

We hand make every single candle right here in Conshohocken! We have a few types of candles that we offer, let me walk you through them! First, what I like to call “normal people candles” which are your classic natural scented soy candles with scent names like Lavender and White Birch. What our parent brand Witch’s Way Craft is BEST known for is our spelled and ritual candles! These ritual candles come with written instructions and guidelines on how to properly use them! They are packed with herbs, oils, and crystals that are a combination of consciously, locally, and ethically sourced. We custom design every single candle, every ingredient has energy and intention and when you burn it, it releases that energy. Such as our cleanse candle is made to cleanse a space, person, or object.  We also have many other intention based candles such as self love, divination, and brighter days, as well as a candle for every sabbat! The list is endless! The other types of candles we offer are color intention based figure candles, such as green for growth and healing, white for cleansing, and black for protection, etc. Our candles have so much presence and energy they fly off the shelves!

Now about the rocks, we are one of Pennsylvania’s largest crystal suppliers! We consciously source our crystals from all over the world! We have your classic pieces like tumbles, spheres, rose quartz, selenite, etc. to the more rare specimens like lemurian, cavansite, fibrous malachite, and extremely intricate carvings. These can be used for decor, meditation, metaphysical purposes, and more! Definitely come in when we are open and experience all the crystal energy and uses for yourself, it is truly extraordinary.

So Lily, is your husband Joe a co owner or just an amazing supportive partner?

Joe is BOTH! I am truly the luckiest lady ever to have a supportive partner in love and businesses. Joe is a co-founder of Thirteen Circles and our parent company Witch’s Way Craft. He is also a US Army Veteran and a direct descendant of Salem’s oldest witch trial victim Rebecca Nurse.  We have been working together since day one when I woke up and said *I think I want to make candles for a living* and he said go ahead and do it! Now, we have a successful online brand and a new beautiful storefront that is full of items from many makers and small businesses all around the world! And this is all taking place in the wonderful town we live in: Conshohocken.

Where can people find you online?

Thirteen Circles website is www.ThirteenCircles.com

Instagram @thirteencirclesshop

Facebook: Thirteen Circles

This is great! I really want to wish you the best of luck. Conshohocken to me is the greatest one square mile borough in the world. It sounds like it will be a more magical place with you and Thirteen Circles here. I’m not sure I asked this while we were officially doing the interview but while I was looking around and chatting you had mentioned maybe some book signings with authors, palm and tarot readings. Once you get those things figured out let me know and I’ll try to send people your way. It looks like you are going to be successful here, the shop is gorgeous. I want to wish you (Lily and Joe and the rest of your team) the best of luck. Welcome to Conshohocken as a business, I know you love it here as residents.