Tamarra was initiated as a witch on her 16th birthday, way back when people did that.  But her big learning curve happened after she moved with her new husband Richard from Vancouver to Los Angeles.  That city in 1977 was a hotbed of competing approaches and personalities; and it was there that R&T formed their first coven.  Their wandering took them to New York, where competition among traditions was just as intense, and they learned all they could.  Finally in 1979 they moved back to Canada, to Toronto.

In 1979 they opened The Occult Shop on Queen St, with a temple space in the back, and on the night of their first ritual a brick smashed through the shop window. The resulting press attention helped the business succeed.  Since then, many other Pagan retailers have come and gone, but The Occult Shop lives on. 

People who came to the shop demanded a Church, where they could worship openly like people of other religions, so they formed the Wiccan Church of Canada with R&T as their first priest & priestess.  Since then, R&T have watched the pagan community grow, being involved in the first prison ministry, the first Pagan festival, the first Pagan conference, introducing Ontario Pagans to Americans and vice versa.

For almost 30 years, they have watched or been part of every aspect of the growth of the Ontario Pagan Community.  Tamarra’s women’s group Sistrum is 26 years old.  In the last few years, Richard has broadened the horizons to work for the Canadian National Pagan Conference.     

Topic:

Operating a Pagan Business