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Junior Columnist: Ashley Weatherl
Enticing with Expertise: A Review of Hocus Pocus March 16, 2010
If there were two words that could be used to describe the magic shops in this town, they would be strange and enticing. The stranger shops about RhyDin have a nasty tendency of warding off potential customers, what with the shrunken heads dangling in the front window (who buys those things, anyway") and a thorny, almost elite concept of the occult. Magic has become a much more widespread way of life lately, though, and it is a little hard to believe that magic has gotten so popular in RhyDin thanks to miserable old cronies behind the counter scouting your every move as you attempt to select different colored candles.
No, it has become apparent that more likable shops are the ones that tend to draw us in. They pamper us with their attentive staff, enchant us with their incense, and encourage us to keep coming back for more.
Take Hocus Pocus, for instance. This shop is a little out of the way, but sits quite charmingly between a fudge shop and a bakery in one of the western alleyways off the main Marketplace. If the promising smell of chocolate doesn't attract you, then the creative banner hanging above the magic shop's entrance may do just that.
Make your way inside to find a magic-lover's paradise nestled into one tiny twelve-by-twenty-four foot space. Long counters lie ahead and behind, stacked to the nines with just about everything a magic user could possibly imagine, from incense and spices to charms mortars. Odd crystals set up throughout the premises do a little more than sit there and look pretty, but as long as they aren't glowing, no one seems to care.
Hidden away upstairs is a much more comfortable lounge, and likely where you'll find the well-read Bruges-born owner, Aurelia Antoinette Dupuis. And who wouldn't want their merchant to be well informed"
"I have studied extensively, beginning with my father, who taught me much of the Craft before he died," Dupuis said in an interview recently. "He left me several books which explain where I come from, and how magic came into our lives. From there, it was easy to obtain more advanced knowledge, through trial and error as much as teaching and book learning. Some things are never set down in writing, but the knowledge travels generations."
But though that knowledge may be almost omnipresent, there will always be a select few users that either can't practice the art, or shouldn't.
"For those items that contain power, or may be used for such, an enquiry must be made to myself, in person," explained Dupuis. "If I am satisfied with the customer's ability and motive, then I will procure the artifact for them. If not, I will find myself unable to."
But how can one know the extent of a user's power based on firsthand impressions"
"There are ways to know," assured Dupuis. "There is a look to those who practise, a confidence in the way they enquire after what it is they are seeking. For those who do not have such, they are generally more taken with the prettier items - the altars and charms, which look to hold much power but do not, in fact, hold more than any plant or rock. If I have my doubts, I will not allow the more dangerous items to be sold. It is to my discretion, as the owner, and the discretion of my staff."
Apparently tuning into facial expressions and body language isn't just for psychics anymore.
Uncertainties aside, Hocus Pocus manages in a tiny space to do what most other establishments these days can't - encourage repeat business.
"Those that know of us keep coming back," Dupuis said. "We opened on the 30th of January. Business was slow, understandably, for the first week, but news travels fast in RhyDin, I have learnt. We do a brisk business now, possibly because it is possible to come only here to buy all you may need."
What makes Hocus Pocus so unique is not just the extensive inventory, but also the helpfulness of the staff. Dupuis and her other employees remain exceedingly patient, even to the worst skeptics, and stand at the ready to answer all your burning questions. If there is a certain book you are looking for, they will help you find it. If you are having trouble locating the exact items for a charm bag you are putting together, they will hunt down the ingredients. And most agreeable of all, they do so impartially. Practicers of virtually any religion are welcomed, with a few exceptions.
"My doors are open to any who wish to make use of my store, but I will reserve the right not to serve any who arouse my suspicions," added Dupuis.
As long as your intentions are wholesome and your experience with the Craft is reasonable, Hocus Pocus will likely suit your every whim. So whether you are a heathen, hippie, harpy, or heretic, it wouldn't hurt to hop on your broom and hover over to Hocus Pocus!
"Just a Little Hocus Pocus" with player's permission. Thank you!]]
Enticing with Expertise: A Review of Hocus Pocus March 16, 2010
If there were two words that could be used to describe the magic shops in this town, they would be strange and enticing. The stranger shops about RhyDin have a nasty tendency of warding off potential customers, what with the shrunken heads dangling in the front window (who buys those things, anyway") and a thorny, almost elite concept of the occult. Magic has become a much more widespread way of life lately, though, and it is a little hard to believe that magic has gotten so popular in RhyDin thanks to miserable old cronies behind the counter scouting your every move as you attempt to select different colored candles.
No, it has become apparent that more likable shops are the ones that tend to draw us in. They pamper us with their attentive staff, enchant us with their incense, and encourage us to keep coming back for more.
Take Hocus Pocus, for instance. This shop is a little out of the way, but sits quite charmingly between a fudge shop and a bakery in one of the western alleyways off the main Marketplace. If the promising smell of chocolate doesn't attract you, then the creative banner hanging above the magic shop's entrance may do just that.
Make your way inside to find a magic-lover's paradise nestled into one tiny twelve-by-twenty-four foot space. Long counters lie ahead and behind, stacked to the nines with just about everything a magic user could possibly imagine, from incense and spices to charms mortars. Odd crystals set up throughout the premises do a little more than sit there and look pretty, but as long as they aren't glowing, no one seems to care.
Hidden away upstairs is a much more comfortable lounge, and likely where you'll find the well-read Bruges-born owner, Aurelia Antoinette Dupuis. And who wouldn't want their merchant to be well informed"
"I have studied extensively, beginning with my father, who taught me much of the Craft before he died," Dupuis said in an interview recently. "He left me several books which explain where I come from, and how magic came into our lives. From there, it was easy to obtain more advanced knowledge, through trial and error as much as teaching and book learning. Some things are never set down in writing, but the knowledge travels generations."
But though that knowledge may be almost omnipresent, there will always be a select few users that either can't practice the art, or shouldn't.
"For those items that contain power, or may be used for such, an enquiry must be made to myself, in person," explained Dupuis. "If I am satisfied with the customer's ability and motive, then I will procure the artifact for them. If not, I will find myself unable to."
But how can one know the extent of a user's power based on firsthand impressions"
"There are ways to know," assured Dupuis. "There is a look to those who practise, a confidence in the way they enquire after what it is they are seeking. For those who do not have such, they are generally more taken with the prettier items - the altars and charms, which look to hold much power but do not, in fact, hold more than any plant or rock. If I have my doubts, I will not allow the more dangerous items to be sold. It is to my discretion, as the owner, and the discretion of my staff."
Apparently tuning into facial expressions and body language isn't just for psychics anymore.
Uncertainties aside, Hocus Pocus manages in a tiny space to do what most other establishments these days can't - encourage repeat business.
"Those that know of us keep coming back," Dupuis said. "We opened on the 30th of January. Business was slow, understandably, for the first week, but news travels fast in RhyDin, I have learnt. We do a brisk business now, possibly because it is possible to come only here to buy all you may need."
What makes Hocus Pocus so unique is not just the extensive inventory, but also the helpfulness of the staff. Dupuis and her other employees remain exceedingly patient, even to the worst skeptics, and stand at the ready to answer all your burning questions. If there is a certain book you are looking for, they will help you find it. If you are having trouble locating the exact items for a charm bag you are putting together, they will hunt down the ingredients. And most agreeable of all, they do so impartially. Practicers of virtually any religion are welcomed, with a few exceptions.
"My doors are open to any who wish to make use of my store, but I will reserve the right not to serve any who arouse my suspicions," added Dupuis.
As long as your intentions are wholesome and your experience with the Craft is reasonable, Hocus Pocus will likely suit your every whim. So whether you are a heathen, hippie, harpy, or heretic, it wouldn't hurt to hop on your broom and hover over to Hocus Pocus!
"Just a Little Hocus Pocus" with player's permission. Thank you!]]