West End’s Ecclectica is an otherworldly cross between a history museum and a tangible Borgin and Burkes, straight out of Harry Potter‘s Diagon Alley. Wandering through the abundant Boundary Street boutique, dabblers forget the busy outside chatter and the distractions of everyday life. The store is a time machine, taking all who roam back through the ages with its soft jazz, burning incense and the bouquet of aged books. The crimson walls are lined with textbooks, framed taxidermy insects and other curios too bizarre to explain.
Once a small market stall down by the Brisbane River, the central West End store was opened almost seven years ago by owner Andrea Wilkes and her husband Lachlan Errey. When the pair met they both felt a strong purpose to share their passions for ancient spiritualism and learning with others — Ecclectica is their way of fulfilling their purpose. During Andrea’s own spiritual journey, she had struggled to find knowledge that answered her innermost questions. “Not many places catered for the Pagan community, so we wanted to create that. To find and to give, and use it as a spiritual drop-in centre,” she mused. Their aim? To ensure people who entered their store did not feel like they were isolated, but were part of a larger social network. “We do tarot school, palmistry, tea readings; we also have readers here, and it’s kind of building a community.”
Teetering at every corner are piles of peculiar items for sale. Everything from crystal balls, to spell books and death masks made of wax. Andrea has travelled from Bundaberg to Tasmania searching for curiosities in antique shows and auctions to find the right products for her store. Understandably, not all products make their way into her second home. “The hard thing is — will this go home with me? My favourite thing would probably be a mourning broach, it’s got real human hair in it, and that’s from the mid-1800s!”
Andrea was spiritually awakened at the age of eight. After moving to an old house in Spring Hill, she sensed a presence in the house and knew instantly that the house was filled with spirits. “I saw full body apparitions. Even as an eight-year old you kind of go ‘that stuff’s not real!’ But then I saw it and I had to change my eight-year old view of the world. Because I had seen and experienced this thing. From there, I tried to find everything that I could.” After all these years, Andrea’s interest has not wavered. “We’re really proud of what we have achieved. There’s always so many interesting people and customers that come through. And they blow my mind, some of the things that people will tell you and show you. I’m really grateful to all my amazingly strange customers.”
Strange, peculiar and curious, Ecclectica is another realm; a mental challenge to both believers and sceptics. But above all, the bewitching helter-skelter is a clairvoyant feast for the senses.
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