Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shannon Wilde. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Shannon, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
My business partner and I have been a part of the magical community for many, many years. We have visited countless occult or magic shops all over North America, and while some of them have been wonderful, it was obvious to us that there was a void in the market of offering something a little different.
We wanted to create a safe and all inclusive place that anyone would feel comfortable walking into one of our shops. Sassy Magick and Sassy Magick Noir have an energy of kindness and whimsy that most people find inviting and not intimidating.
We encourage all questions and inquiry and view every day as an opportunity for people to learn about the occult. Whether that be from a seasoned practitioner, or a tourist walking in from the street. All are welcome, and all are embraced in our stores.
I would say that our purpose is to create a fun and safe space for magic.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
The co-owners of the shop are Shannon and Sean Wilde. We are a married couple who have a passion for the occult. We are originally from Canada, and moved to New Orleans a number of years ago with our teenaged twins.
We are very passionate about helping others, and try and find a way to embrace the community everyday.
We not only come from a business/entrepreneur background (we own and run a very successful business in Canada) we also come from a magical and artist background as well. All of which lends itself to opening a fun and whimsy occult shop!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think the 3 top qualities and skills that impacted us being successful in our journey would be:
1. Understanding that opening a business is not a 9-5 kind of job. It takes 100% of your time and passion to get it off of the ground. You have to work as hard as you wish to be successful.
2. Being creative and thinking outside of the box. I, Shannon am a professional photographer outside of being a business owner, and I think that gave me the ability to see the big picture of the vision we wished to create.
3. As mentioned earlier, we also own a business in Canada, so we understand that while we can have fun everyday, you have to make sure that you are informed on all of the “back of house” business relations and how to accomplish the boring business aspects of creating a fun and safe space for everyone.
The advice I would give to anyone wanting to open a small business is to have a solid business plan, do your market research and reach out to other successful business owners in the community for advice on what helped them become successful. While I can’t speak to other communities, the magical/occult community and the business owners within it are usually more than happy to lend an ear or offer advice.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
Both Sean and I come from very hard working families who installed that work ethic and resilience in us.
Because we had such motivated parents in their perspective carriers, it taught us to work our butts off and understand that nothing comes easily and we worked for each and every success we have achieved because of it.
Contact Info:
- Website: sassymagick.com
- Instagram: sassy_magick_neworleans or sassy_magick_noir
- Facebook: Sassy Magick or Sassy Magick Noir
Image Credits
Shannon Wilde
