On a sunny Sunday afternoon, Mercury Cafe in Five Points became a little bit more magical. Just in time for Halloween, or the pagan festival Samhain, Denver’s Witch Collective threw the first official Witchcraft Mercantile to benefit the Victim Offender Reconciliation Program.
From 1:00-6:00 p.m. the cafe hosted 11 vendors who offered an array of local arts, crafts, snacks and services.
Attendees grabbed custom manicures from Don’t Be So Cuticle, snacked on Black Dog Chocolates, hunted for treasures at Little Stitches and explored homeopathy through folk medicine by Stellaria Spellcraft. Tarot card readings seemed to be the most popular service--Erica Adams always had a line at her booth.
Co-founder Zoe Williams said the collective, which is just over one year old, only works with like-minded vendors and donates 10 percent of proceeds to charity. They keep overhead low and charitable donations high by picking venues that will host them free-of-charge and by mandating artists donate, rather than pay booth fees.
Witch Collective was founded by Zoe Williams, Katy Zimmerman, Stephanie Tierney and Mark Addison as a means of cultivating a more socially conscious community through (witch)craft.
"We are witches and magical people," Williams said, explaining that the collective of artists identifies with social justice issues and spirituality.
Witch Collective rallies artists to contribute to their communities. Williams said they are especially interested in gentrification--and protecting Five Points from RiNo's fate.
"There is always more space for this kind of community," Zimmerman said. "As we grow it is important to focus on who is already here. And love each other."
Williams said Sunday's market had a large turnout. The collective will host their next market Nov. 12 at Chatfield Botanic Gardens' Washstand. Proceeds will benefit 4 Winds Foodbank and Standing Rock.
Check out the their Facebook page for updates.
Multimedia business & healthcare reporter Chloe Aiello can be reached via email at [email protected] or twitter.com/chlobo_ilo.
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