Take the path less traveled to The Sojourner, and it will make all the difference. Original Design contributed by Mandy Clements
Hello Sojourners,
Heron Michelle here…. On Monday we entered the sign of Cancer, and the sun reached his heights on the longest day of the year, opening the front door to the season of summer. Add to that the amazing convergence in the force that is a FULL BLUE MOON! Big mama moon was at her greatest, too! These are potent times that we need to tap to survive these slow months at the shop.
This makes the 8th summer we’ve been open here on Evans Street. Since 2009, our customer base of loyal Sojourners has grown exponentially, and we now have a thriving, knowledgeable and “well-equipped” community of like-minded kindred. We now can offer well more than just merchandise, but also trust-worthy guidance and education, energy healing, divination of many kinds, and safe haven to all the folks in need of compassion and acceptance. Our Sojourners represent every make, model, and colorful stripe of the rainbow!
According to our accountant, we even turned a tiny little profit for the second year in a row! That money was used to expand our crystal and candle selection, and replace all our technology, equipment and software so that we can expand into the world of On-Line commerce in 2016. The future looks bright; however, the present moment is a challenge.
Hoodie in Forest Green or Black
Summers in Uptown have never been easy to survive. Once the schools let out and everyone leaves town on vacation, our business drops dramatically. The difference in sales between a great month in the fall and the scary month of June was as much as 56% less in 2015. In short, during the summer, our income cannot hope to cover our basic monthly bills. We tighten our belts, hold our breath, stop repairing or restocking anything, and the rest is made up for with favors, magick and personal sacrifice.
This June has the dubious distinction of being the most desperately over-leveraged, maxed out in debt, and underfunded we’ve ever been. Smarter business people than I am advise me to close and just operate a website out of my house, but that is not how I want to spend this life. To be honest, the last thing this witch wants to figure out is the mundane intricacies of an Ecommerce platform and social media integration. <shrug>
Neither is being a retailer my sacred mission; selling things is only the means to the end. My END GOAL is to maintain a temple in a safe, brightly-shining, easily-found, proudly-out-of-all-closets, public location that is open to seekers every day…oh, and to eat. Us Sojo staff and our families like eating regular meals and sleeping indoors. (I kid…not really…) My sacred mission is to serve as a priestess, offering to everyone the safe space to teach, learn, heal, and commune with each other and the Divine, and yeah…equip us with the “stuff” we all need to continue that spiritual work throughout the region, while we all thrive. This mission comes with a high price tag.
So here is the skinny:
Standard T in Black or Forest Green
I’ve trimmed all possible fat, cashed in every favor, and made
every personal investment I can manage; yet, we couldn’t be any further out on this limb. As of Monday, we were still in a deficit by over $7000 and started the week with -$86 in the checking account. I swallowed my pride, and applied for an extension to the credit line so that we can meet our needs for 2 more weeks.
To that end, we have a few fundraising efforts underway and I hope that you will be inspired to invest in this dream along with us. If all goes according to my (brilliant and daring) plans, this is the last skinny summer we’ll have to survive–and The Sojo will begin to THRIVE!
“Now is the time for all good Sojourners to come to the aid of their Metaphysical Shop!”
Sojourner T-shirt Summer Survival Fundraiser
One of our fine customers is graphic designer Mandy Clements, and she’s created this fantastic original T-shirt design for us! Follow the Sojo Sign down the “path less traveled” and it will make all the difference! Click the link to see all the options and order yours through our TeeSpring campaign that runs for 2 weeks, then they will print and ship them directly to you! I predict that all the most fabulous people will be wearing these this season.
https://teespring.com/sojourner-summer-fundraiser
There are regular T’s in short and long sleeves, women’s T’s and Tanks, and a hoodie to choose from in forest green,
Women’s tank in “Midnight” or Black
black (and “midnight” in the Tanks.) Sizes run from S-5X.
The Sojo Club Membership
Many of you have expressed over the years that while you don’t often need much “stuff” and you may live too far away to attend many events, that it is still important to you that this safe haven remains open and available. Thus, The Sojo Club Membership was born! (Kinda like the B&N, or Sam’s Club membership.)
With membership, comes these benefits! With a yearly contribution of $35 we will extend to you 10% off of your purchases all year, as well as special offers and promotions September-April. The trick here is that we need you to contribute to that membership NOW, so that we can pay the bills May-August.
Call us or stop in the shop to join The Sojo Club! (Soon we will have it available to purchase on-line, thanks to the generous contributions of time and expertise offered by web developer Eric MacAfee, who is helping us build our webshop!)
Events this Weekend:
This weekend we have on the calendar a guided meditation and elemental balancing with me, Heron, on Friday night 6:00-7:00, $10. Followed by private sessions for Tarot Card readings. $30.
Saturday at 12:00 for $20, I’m offering a beginners Candle Magick Class. Check out the calendar for details, then make sure to call to register in advance. Right now we don’t have anyone signed up and I need 3 people confirmed to hold the class.
Thank you to everyone for reading this far, your on-going patronage, and for all that you do to brighten Greenville and our lives, simply by being your beautiful selves. You really do make a difference. 🙂
Litha Blessings,
~Heron Michelle
The Sojourner Whole Earth Provisions 