Ritualist: Modernizing the Witch Shop
NEW PALTZ, NY — Ritualist is a modern witch shop dedicated to making spirituality a space for everyone.
From the moment that you open the door, it is clear that Ritualist is not your average metaphysical store. Light pours in through the shop window, reflected by its bright white walls, soaked in by the lush green plant life that welcomes you inside. A stark contrast to the low-lighting and mystique that accompanies many spiritual stores.
The space is open, defying the typical layout of shelves spilling over with magical trinkets and crystals.
Dana Cooper opened Ritualist in 2020 as an online storefront at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although many businesses struggled during this time, Ritualist was growing.
“I was able to start building a community online before I had a shop for them to visit,” Cooper said. She was able to grow an Instagram presence and stay connected with her followers through a newsletter.
Ritualist was born from a passion for sharing the magic that Cooper found in the world. In her twenties, the New Paltz native found herself working in the hustle and bustle of the Brooklyn music industry. When her busy work life was overwhelming, she found a spiritual community in her neighborhood.
“That blew my world wide open,” Cooper exclaimed. “I felt like it was what had been missing in my life.” Spirituality provided her space to take a breath in her hectic schedule.
She soon began to share practices, books, and tarot card decks with her friends. She discovered that she wanted to share what she is learning with a wider audience.
“The fact that it was changing my life so much is what made me want to share it with other people,” Cooper explained. “It came from the heart, it came from a very personal place.”
Modern is a crucial element of the Ritualist ethos stretching beyond the look of the store. Cooper is dedicated to creating a safe space for anyone interested in exploring the magical.
“I want it to be clear that we are very forward-thinking, I am always open to learning, educating myself, and growing and shifting as I learn more,” Cooper said.
Ritualist is a values-driven business, Cooper’s top priority is to create an inclusive space. She is thorough in her research of products ensuring they are sustainably and ethically made. She stocks products created by and for marginalized communities.
The space is perfectly crafted to pique the interest of those who do not have spiritual practice in their lives. The plant-lined window invites you to find a new green friend for your home, and the rest of the store captivates you with its colorful spiritual tools. Tarot decks and prayer candles neatly line the shelves of the store, note cards accompany bowls of crystals providing a description of their respective properties.
“I think it opens the door up for people to come in out of curiosity,” Cooper says about the plant shop element of Ritualist. She hopes that her store can be a launching pad for anyone curious about spirituality. “This is for everyone, everyone is welcome as long as you’re showing up with respect.”
Cooper and her modern witch shop have become a fixture of New Paltz. Regulars and tourists alike flow in and out of the shop’s glass door, Cooper is excited by the opportunity to connect with so many people. She finds that she is able to have deeper conversations with strangers through her work.
“This isn’t just a store, a lot of people come in looking for things to help them,” She said. “Because of the nature of what we sell, there is a barrier that comes down.”
Opening a store that is so sacred in her hometown has been fulfilling. She reflected back on the day that she opened the physical storefront, unsure of what to expect on a rainy day. She was pleasantly surprised to see the community pouring inside despite the weather.
“From day one I just felt so overwhelmed with gratitude for the community,” she beamed. “Seeing the local community support the shop from day one was mind-blowing.”
Community is important to the soul of the shop. To give back to the community, five percent of profits are donated to organizations supporting marginalized communities. Last month, this money went to Millions of Butterflies, a New Paltz charitable organization that provides a free food fridge to the community.
Spirituality helped Cooper find power and purpose within herself. When she began exploring this world in her twenties, she felt that she was already behind. Mentors in the space often told her they had been on their spiritual journey since childhood, but she did not relate to this path. She understands the daunting feeling of starting to practice spirituality, but she believes people should persevere.
“Start where you are, try not to get overwhelmed,” she advises. “Don’t let the idea of being a beginner get in the way of your own journey.”
For many, spiritual practices and mindfulness have opened up their creative minds. Cooper feels that there is a strong connection between art and spirituality.
“A lot of creative people are already engaging in their own spiritual practices that they may not be thinking of that way,” she shared. “I am finishing up a book right now called Sonic Spells, I had different musicians and people who work in the music industry write about their connection to spirituality and how it informs their creative practice.”
Ritualist is open in New Paltz at 172 Main St.
