LEE, Mass. — The Enchanted Altar, a new shop offering natural medicines, candles, and other handcrafted items, has marked its six-month milestone in business.

 

Nicole Webster Clark, the owner, stated that she has dreamed of opening a store since childhood.

 

"It didn't have that name, necessarily, but it had the vision and the desire there, and then I've always loved such as fantasy adventure, romance, all that kind of epic world situations," Clark said about the 6 Park Place store.

 

Clark said her grandparents influenced her with their love of plants and natural remedies.

 

"My grandparents, on my mother's side had a very large garden in town, and they were Italian, and we pick dandelions, make dandelion salad, and go in the garden, and just found things in the yard. And I just love the plant aspect of that," she said.

 

Clark also said that it was important that the store was located in Lee. She opened the store in honor of her late aunt who grew up in Lee.

 

"It was very important to me that it was in Lee. It's in Lee, or I'm not doing it," she said, "My aunt also grew up in Lee went to Lee High School, so it was her all along pushing me."

 

Clark decided to go to school in California to study herbal medicine and received two herbal medicine certifications at the Dandelion Herbal Center and Sage Mountain Botanical Sanctuary.

 

Clark moved back from California and worked at Crystal Essence in Great Barrington. There, the shop owners taught her a lot, she said. She said they inspired her to bring The Enchanted Altar to life.

 

"Adrienne and Mark Cohen were number one role models for me. teaching me; filling in the gaps. It was all that stuff: teaching me about more in-depth knowledge about crystals, about running the store," she said. "I helped a lot in the retail store and in the Wellness Center. Adrienne has unfortunately passed away since then. So I wanted to create a space that I knew Adrienne would be excited for me and proud of, and to recreate."

 

When not at the Enchanted Altar, Clark teaches art at Lee Middle and High School. She also teaches some classes at the Berkshire Botanical Garden.

 

Clark plans to add more to her shop. She would like to host more workshops, bringing in the community. She hopes to add reiki, astrology, and massage from local practitioners.

 

Meanwhile, she opened an apothecary in her shop.

 

"So there's the addition of that, which includes the essential oils, the flower essences, and then I will be seeing clients to make bespoke or tailor-made products for them," she said. "Then I'll be making my own products that go in the shop."

 

Since opening in October she says the community has really shown up for her — as well as Mother Nature.

 

"The running joke has been on the weekends when I'm open Mother Nature loves to show up," she said. "So every weekend I would literally get a warning weather. The Weather Channel potential freezing rain, hail, high winds, freezing rain or ice. I would just start laughing, this is ridiculous."

 

Clark said although she was busy during Christmas, inclement weather didn't help bring customers in. But now that the weather is looking up, she hopes to meet new customers and eventually hire staff, allowing her to expand her hours.

 

Clark emphasized that she strives to only work with fair trade, female-owned, BIPOC-owned vendors and businesses that respectfully and responsibly grow, harvest, and work with plants.

 

Clark also said she was excited to be involved in more community events. She plans to be involved in All Hallows Lee, for the second year in a row, with Kerry McGinn of Yoga Lee on Oct. 18.

 

The Enchanted Altar's hours are Wednesday noon to 6 p.m., Fridays 3:30 to 7 p.m., Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Clark plans to expand hours this summer.