LONDONDERRY, Vt. – Carole Moody-Reed grew up in East Longmeadow, Mass., where she would disappear into the quarries that her great-grandfather owned for hours, making her mother sick with worry that she had perhaps drowned.
Reed’s great-grandfather was one of the first settlers of East Longmeadow and owned acres of farmland and several quarries. As kids, Reed and her brother would explore the quarries; her brother would fish, and Reed would wander off to find interesting rocks and stones. Other times, she visited by herself, sometimes even in the dark.
“Ever since I was little, I’ve always loved rocks and minerals, just nature, period,” Reed recounted, adding, “I have always had a thing for the moon.”
Now living in Vermont with her husband, Matthew, Reed is the owner of a new shop at 2046 North Main Street in Londonderry: The Vermont Moon Crystal. Specializing in healing crystals, tarot cards, herbs, and metaphysical supplies, the store allows Reed to combine her interest and experience in metaphysical studies with her passion for helping people through their own journeys into that realm.
Reed previously owned stores in Connecticut and Massachusetts, and her goal has always been to guide customers to whatever it is they are searching for. Reed feels strongly that, no matter what anyone is going through, they are in a better place by the time they leave her shop.
Over the years, Reed said, she has met “a lot of customers who came in looking for something, who were upset and maybe going through [a difficult time]. I still think about those people,” she admitted.
Reed’s mission at The Vermont Moon Cystal is to create a space where everyone can feel calm and untroubled. “Regardless of whether you are spiritual or not, whatever your thoughts are,” Reed said, “I want people to come in here and feel welcome.”
Eventually, Reed plans to build out the upstairs space to hold tarot and palm readings, workshops, and community gatherings. A more distant future plan involves something even bigger. “My dream is to have a retreat [property],” Reed confessed. “I want a house, and [either] cabins, or a motel, with acreage. I want a garden area where people can sit around a fire pit. I want a place where people can go out, look out at the mountains, and do yoga. I just want a nice, calm, peaceful place for everybody.”
There, Reed would host groups for larger workshop events such as herb classes, meditation, sound baths, moon circles, and classes to make bracelets, necklaces, or to create intention bottles. Reed has many unique, fun, and creative ideas swirling around in her head beneath long, silver locks. She had to laugh at herself as she revealed her impatience at the pace at which these things come together.
Reed said customers and neighbors that have come into the shop since she opened in August have all been kind and welcoming. Many visitors passing through town stopped in impromptu after spotting the sign with its peaceful half-moon logo advertising “Crystals – Jewelry – Wellness – Gifts.”
“I love when people just come in and wander around,” Reed remarked. “Even if it’s not their cup of tea, maybe they will tell a friend.”
As an admitted empath, Reed said she can feel someone’s energy when they walk through the door, and that can be exhausting by day’s end. “I have people come in and they don’t know why,” said Reed. “Others come in and say, ‘I want to find love.’”
Reed instructs them to go to the stones, close their eyes, and think about what they want to attract into their lives. Once they find their intention, she asks that they open their eyes, go to the stone that the eye is drawn to, and “let it know what they are looking for.”
The Vermont Moon Crystal is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., and Sunday, from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. You can visit The Vermont Moon Crystal online at www.thevermontmooncrystal.com.