A Richland shop that opened a year ago already has expanded its footprint and offerings with a goal of providing “spirituality for all.”

Lotus of the Moon, a metaphysical and spiritual supply store, recently celebrated its one-year anniversary.

The shop opened in June 2017 using $5,000 in savings and donations inside a 350-square-foot space in the Uptown Shopping Center. Community support prompted a move six months later into a bigger 2,250-square-foot store, also at the Uptown.

“Lotus of the Moon is a spiritual store, but we are really so much more than that,” said Stephanie McCarl, who owns the store with her husband, Lenny McCarl. “Lotus of the Moon is committed to providing tools and opportunities for self-discovery and personal growth. We are building a community of people seeking connection and consciousness.”

She said Lotus of the Moon’s purpose is to help people connect with what spirituality means to them, explaining that the store is a place for everyone, offering an array of tools to help facilitate personal spiritual journeys.

“No matter where you come from, you’ll find something in there that will elevate that,” said customer Cindy McKay.

“They are a great resource to the community. I (found) my Jesus cards in the Lotus of the Moon, but I also found my reiki cards in there too. There’s always a book on lifting yourself up. Always something really inspirational. I’m always drawn to something special,” McKay said.

Lotus of the Moon sells books on meditation, Middle Eastern philosophy and other approaches to mental and emotional well-being, as well as incense sticks and burners, various stones used in gem therapy, essential oils, sage smudging kits, tarot, oracle and angel cards, and more.

It also carries apparel, handmade jewelry, home décor and local art. And the best part is the majority of the items are made by Tri-Citians.

Jen Jackson, owner of Candle Magick, is one of those entrepreneurs. She makes a line of all-natural soy therapeutic candles infused with essential oils, which she assembles in her kitchen. Each candle is formulated to encourage healing for a variety of ailments, such as chronic stress and insomnia.

Jackson began manufacturing her own candles when she learned store-bought candles, which often have dyes and artificial fragrance, had a negative effect on her health. She said she is thankful to have a local outlet to sell her products.

Jackson also sells handmade jewelry made of copper wire, which she said helps to alleviate pain, as well as wire-wrapped gem stone designs.

Those wanting to sell their products at Lotus of the Moon have two options: monthly space rental or consignment.

If sellers rent, they get a three-by-six foot space, complete with fixtures and shelving, for $100 a month.

With consignment, space also is provided. However, rather than a monthly fixed fee, Lotus retains 30 percent commission on all sales.

Lotus of the Moon also offers designated spaces at the back of the store for hourly and daily rental. Availability can be checked and reservations booked on the shop’s website.

Formerly occupied by Buckwheat Bottoms, a natural living and cloth diaper store that closed in November 2017, the large commercial building provided Lotus of the Moon ample room to host its wide array of meditation, art and healing classes and activities, put on by teachers and practitioners from the Tri-City area and beyond.

During the first year in business, Lotus of the Moon held 175 classes with more than 8,000 attendees and 55 collaborators teaching, selling and providing services, Stephanie said.

The shop’s 100-square-foot “healing room” is used by reiki and energy healing practitioners, massage therapists, acupuncturists, counselors and others conducting small group or one-on-one sessions. Another healing room is planned for one of the back rooms currently used for storage.

A 500-square-foot “classroom” is touted on the shop’s website as being “perfect for meetings, parties, events, photography sessions, art studio space, and other classes” and accommodates 12 to 30 people, depending on the type of event.

Stephanie said Lotus of the Moon recently began offering its own weekly lineup of 10 yoga classes in the classroom for a $60 monthly membership fee for adults and $25 for kids. There is no enrollment fee.

“We’re one of the only studios in the area offering regular classes for kids and teens,” Stephanie said.

The membership, which provides unlimited access to the yoga classes, also includes 15 percent off anything in the store and other services hosted at Lotus, as well as discounts at a growing number of other local businesses, and free access to the shop’s book club and New Moon Club, which celebrates each month’s new moon.

Part of the reason Lotus of the Moon’s yoga membership is so inclusive is Stephanie’s dedication to building community.

Stephanie was originally inspired to open Lotus of the Moon after visiting Chelan’s Spirals store, which she has since partnered with to split the cost of stocking a variety of products that would be prohibitively expensive for a small shop to source on its own.

With a background in accounting, Stephanie said she has read a lot of research on intergovernmental collaboration. “All research shows that the more resources you bring together, the more there is for everyone. At a spiritual level, the more we give, the more we also receive — the energy will multiply,” she said.

She said it’s why Lotus of the Moon also has teamed with The Lotus Pad yoga studio in Kennewick to launch a studio partnership offering a dual membership for unlimited access to both studios — $90 for adults, $40 for kids.

“I thought, ‘Let’s be collaborative so we’re not competing,’ ” explained Stephanie, who hopes to recruit more local studios to the joint-membership concept to help build the Tri-City yoga and spiritual communities.

“It’s a concept I’d like to see replicated elsewhere … across the country,” she said.

Tanner Collins, one of the shop’s four employees, echoed Stephanie’s community-driven sentiment. “I think the best part of working here is being exposed to the community. A lot of people out there struggle to find that kind of community.  I honestly just love the conversations with the people that come through,” Collins said.

“We have gotten so far from connecting with other people, but all the analytical experts are saying that we are an experience-driven economy … retail alone isn’t going to work,” Stephanie said.

“I’m trying to redefine what small business looks like. I really believe in collaboration,” she added. “I think small business needs to do the same.”

The store is open from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Lotus of the Moon: 1386 Jadwin Ave. in Richland’s Uptown Shopping Center; 509-940-7460; lotusofthemoon.com; Facebook; Instagram.