New witches' haven sure to be spellbinding

JOHN HAWKINS/136328

MAGIC: Wytch Haven shop owner Karen Underhay at her Don St shop, which opens on January 31.

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Double, double toil and trouble. Fire burn and cauldron bubble ...

It's a line taken from a scene in William Shakespeare's MacBeth, in which three witches prepare to conjure up some black magic.

But don't expect such dark sorcery to be emanating from Invercargill's Wytch Haven, a new shop opening in Don St at the end of the month.

Owner Karen Underhay describes herself as a wiccan or pagan: a white or good witch and the items in her Don St store don't deal with the dark arts they are "about only promoting harmony", she said.

"A lot of people, when you say the word `witch' think of the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz but they forget about Glenda, the good witch who was also in the movie," she said.

"Part of the wiccan creed is that whatever you give out comes back to you threefold, so if you give out something bad it comes back to you. It's just about believing in nature."

Her shop is already capturing a lot of attention from passers-by most of it positive.

"Lots of people are interested, people from all walks of life ... they've said it's about time (a witchcraft shop opened).

"We had one lady say she would not step foot in the shop and that's fine, that's her choice," she said.

Items on sale include sandlewood wands, crystals, rune stones, tarot and oracle cards, spell books, ritual incense, powders, herbs and potions for spells, and even old-fashioned brooms.

Other items include Adam and Eve roots for newlyweds, the Trouble Be Gone wash, used on floors and doors to vanquish any domestic problems from the home and the Fountain of Youth, although Ms Underhay said she couldn't vouch for the latter.

"I don't know if that works, I'm still trying it."

Ms Underhay moved to Invercargill from England four years ago with her partner and two children.

She had always had an interest in witchcraft and pagan rituals and, after seeing the crowds that attended Invercargill's spiritual fair, believed the city was ready for a dedicated shop.

"Invercargill isn't as conservative as it's made out to be," she said.

- © Fairfax NZ News