Temple of the Moon Books - Market Research

Executive Summary

The metaphysical/occult retail market is a multi-billion dollar industry experiencing sustained growth, driven by Gen Z/Millennial interest, social media (WitchTok), and the mainstreaming of practices like tarot, astrology, and crystal healing. Kansas City represents an underserved market with low competition and room for brand dominance.


Market Size & Growth

U.S. Metaphysical/Occult Market

MetricValueSource
Psychic Services Industry$2.2B (2023)IBISWorld
CAGR (2020-2025)5.5%IBISWorld
Global Spiritual Products$193.7B (2026 projected)Business Research Insights
Global Spiritual Products$276.6B (2035 projected)Business Research Insights
Global CAGR4.04%Business Research Insights

Market Segments

SegmentEst. SizeGrowth RateNotes
Psychic Services$2.2B5.5%Palm reading, mediums, astrology
Crystals & Minerals$1.0B+8-10%Fastest growing segment
Tarot & Divination$500M+7-9%TikTok driving discovery
Candles & Ritual Supplies$400M+5-7%Overlap with home décor
Books & Education$300M+4-6%Stable, authority-building
Herbs & Incense$250M+5-7%Crossover with wellness

Key Growth Drivers

  1. Social Media: WitchTok has 40B+ views; Instagram witch aesthetic mainstream
  2. Wellness Crossover: Crystals, herbs positioned as self-care
  3. Economic Uncertainty: Historical correlation with occult interest
  4. Generational Shift: Gen Z more open to spirituality, less religious
  5. Pandemic Effect: Home rituals, self-directed spiritual practice surge

Target Demographics

Primary Audience: Women 18-40

DemographicProfile
Age18-40 (core: 25-35)
Gender70-80% women
Income$35K-75K (middle class)
EducationSome college to graduate degree
PoliticsProgressive/left-leaning
Religion”Spiritual but not religious,” ex-Christian, pagan

Psychographic Segments

SegmentDescriptionSpendingContent Needs
Baby WitchesNew to practice, 18-25, TikTok-driven$20-50/moGuidance, starter kits, education
Established Practitioners5+ years, 28-45, know what they want$50-150/moQuality tools, rare items, depth
Aesthetic WitchesVisual focus, Instagram-driven$30-75/moBeautiful products, photo-worthy
Traditional PractitionersSpecific traditions (Hoodoo, Wicca, etc.)$40-100/moAuthentic supplies, cultural respect
CollectorsRare books, antiques, high-end items$100-500/moCurated inventory, exclusivity
Gift BuyersBuying for practitioner friends/family$25-75/orderGift guides, bundles

Age Distribution (U.S. Witchcraft Interest)

Age Group% of MarketNotes
18-2425%TikTok native, discovery phase
25-3435%Core spending demographic
35-4422%Established, higher spend per order
45-5412%Long-term practitioners
55+6%Collectors, traditional

Geographic Analysis

U.S. Regional Hotspots

RegionStrengthNotes
Pacific NorthwestVery HighSeattle, Portland - progressive, nature-focused
CaliforniaVery HighLA, SF - large pagan communities
NortheastHighSalem MA, NYC, Boston - historical + urban
SouthwestMedium-HighNM, AZ - Native + New Age crossover
SoutheastMediumFlorida, New Orleans - Hoodoo, Santeria
MidwestLow-MediumUnderserved, opportunity
Mountain WestLow-MediumDenver growing

Kansas City Market Assessment

Population: 2.2M metro Median Age: 36.8 Median Income: $59K

FactorAssessmentImplication
Existing CompetitionVery LowRoom for brand dominance
Pagan CommunitySmall but activePartnership opportunities
College PresenceStrong (UMKC, KU, K-State)Student market access
Progressive PocketsMidtown, Westport, LawrenceTarget these ZIP codes
Conservative SurroundingsHighMay limit physical store visibility
Shipping HubExcellentCentral US = fast shipping anywhere

Target ZIP Codes (Local Delivery)

Primary (High Density):

  • 64108, 64109, 64110 (Midtown/Westport)
  • 64111, 64112, 64113 (Plaza/Brookside)
  • 66044, 66045 (Lawrence, KS)

Secondary:

  • 64114, 64131, 64132 (South KC)
  • 66061, 66062 (Olathe - surprising density)
  • 64106 (River Market/Downtown)

Competitor Analysis

Direct Competitors (Online Occult Retail)

CompetitorStrengthsWeaknessesOur Advantage
Etsy SellersVariety, handmade, reviewsFragmented, no curationUnified experience, correspondence system
AmazonConvenience, Prime shippingNo expertise, mass marketCuration, authenticity, community
LlewellynAuthority, booksLimited supplies, corporateLocal + agile, broader inventory
Azure GreenWholesale (our supplier)Wholesale only, no retail UXWe add retail layer + curation
The WitcheryAesthetic, curatedLimited inventoryCorrespondence system, local delivery
13 MoonsEstablished, broad catalogDated website, no communityModern UX, content focus

Local KC Competition

Note: Private businesses don’t report market cap or revenue publicly. Metrics below use Yelp reviews as a proxy for customer volume/reputation.

BusinessLocationCountyYelp ReviewsFocusOnline StoreThreat
The Energy Within KC7807 W 151st St, Overland ParkJohnson, KS13Crystals, sound healing, yogaYesMedium
KC Conjure & Botanica1620 Locust St, Kansas CityJackson, MO12Hoodoo/conjure, botanicaYesMedium
Crescent Springs7327 W 80th St, Overland ParkJohnson, KS19Full metaphysical, classes, readingsBasicMedium
Gemini Shop/Salt SpaMerriamJohnson, KS~10Crystals + salt spa hybridLimitedLow
White Light Crystal115 E Gregory Blvd, Kansas CityJackson, MO~15Crystals, reiki, booksLimitedLow
Elsewhere ApothecaryKansas CityJackson, MO~8Apothecary, bookstoreLimitedLow
Cats & Crystals KCKansas CityJackson, MO~5CrystalsYesLow
Enchanted GiftsKC area~5GiftsLimitedLow
SpectrumGladstoneClay, MO?MetaphysicalNoLow
Aquarius BooksBookstoreCLOSED

Competitive Analysis Summary:

  • No dominant player — highest review count is 19 (Crescent Springs)
  • Geographic spread — Johnson County (KS) has more shops than Jackson County (MO)
  • Specialty gaps — No one does correspondence-based discovery
  • Online weakness — Most have poor/no e-commerce presence

Key Insight: The closure of Aquarius Books (KC’s longest-running metaphysical bookstore) creates a significant vacuum. Owners retired in their 80s — not a market failure, just succession gap. Their location was also hard to access. TOTM is positioned to capture this displaced customer base with:

  • Online-first model (no physical location limitations)
  • Local delivery (better accessibility than a hard-to-reach storefront)
  • Modern UX + correspondence system
  • 1,288 products already live with Liber 777 auto-tagging

Competitive Positioning Matrix

                    HIGH CURATION
                         │
    Boutique/Expensive   │   TEMPLE OF THE MOON
         ○ Etsy          │         ★
         ○ Witchery      │
                         │
LOW PRICE ───────────────┼─────────────── HIGH PRICE
                         │
    Mass Market          │   Traditional Suppliers
         ○ Amazon        │         ○ Llewellyn
         ○ Walmart       │         ○ 13 Moons
                         │
                    LOW CURATION

Marketing Channels

Primary Channels (Ranked by ROI)

ChannelEffortCostReachPriority
SEO/BlogHighLowHigh🔴 Critical
InstagramMediumLowHigh🔴 Critical
PinterestLowLowMedium🟡 Important
Email/NewsletterMediumLowMedium🔴 Critical
TikTokHighLowVery High🟡 Important
RedditLowFreeMedium🟢 Opportunistic
YouTubeHighMediumMedium🟢 Phase 2
Podcast AdsLowMediumLow🟢 Phase 3

Social Media Demographics

PlatformAge SkewGenderBest For
TikTok18-2860% FDiscovery, trends, baby witches
Instagram25-4065% FAesthetic, product showcase
Pinterest30-5075% FSpell ideas, correspondence charts
Reddit20-3555% Mr/witchcraft, education, community
YouTube25-4555% FLong-form education
Facebook35-5560% FLocal groups, older practitioners

Content Strategy

Content TypeFrequencyPurposePlatform
Moon Phase Posts2x/monthRitual tie-ins, salesIG, Email
Correspondence GuidesWeeklySEO, educationBlog
Product Features3x/weekSales, awarenessIG, TikTok
Book Reviews2x/monthAuthority, SEOBlog
Sabbat Content8x/yearSeasonal, salesAll
How-To SpellsWeeklyValue, sharesTikTok, Pinterest

SEO Keywords (Target)

High Volume, Medium Competition:

  • “witchcraft supplies” (12K/mo)
  • “occult shop” (8K/mo)
  • “spell candles” (6K/mo)
  • “ritual supplies” (4K/mo)

Long-Tail, Low Competition:

  • “Mars correspondence herbs” (100/mo)
  • “black salt for protection” (500/mo)
  • “obsidian scrying mirror” (300/mo)
  • “hoodoo supplies online” (400/mo)

Pricing Strategy

Market Pricing Benchmarks

Product CategoryLow EndMid RangePremium
Candles (ritual)$3-5$8-15$20-40
Incense (stick)$2-4$6-10$15-25
Crystals (tumbled)$2-5$8-15$25-100+
Tarot Decks$15-20$25-35$50-150
Athames$15-25$35-60$100-300
Books$10-15$18-30$40-100+

Margin Targets

SourceTarget MarginNotes
In-house books50-70%Owned inventory, flexible pricing
Azure Green wholesale40-60%Keystone markup standard
Handmade/curated60-80%Premium positioning
Digital products85-95%Courses, PDFs, content

Pricing Philosophy

Position as “affordable premium” — not the cheapest, not luxury, but curated quality at fair prices. The correspondence system adds perceived value without cost.


Growing Niches

TrendOpportunityTimeline
Baby Witch KitsCurated starter bundlesNow
Hoodoo/ConjureUnderserved traditionNow
Eco-FriendlySustainable sourcing, packaging2026
Tech + MagicApps, digital grimoires2026-2027
Ancestral WorkDNA + genealogy + ancestor altarsGrowing
Chaos MagicYounger, meme-influenced practitionersGrowing
Kitchen WitcheryHerbs, cooking, cottage aestheticStable

Risks & Challenges

RiskLikelihoodImpactMitigation
Platform algorithm changesHighMediumOwn email list, SEO focus
Cultural appropriation backlashMediumHighCareful curation, education
Market saturation (Etsy)MediumLowDifferentiation, local focus
Economic downturnMediumMediumBudget-friendly options
Shipping cost increasesHighMediumLocal delivery advantage

Recommendations

Immediate Actions

  1. Launch correspondence-based browsing — unique differentiator
  2. Build email list aggressively — moon phase newsletter
  3. Focus SEO on long-tail keywords — “X correspondence” searches
  4. Establish Instagram aesthetic — consistent, refined, not kitschy
  5. Local delivery marketing — KC-specific ads/content

Phase 1 Focus (Months 1-6)

  • 100+ products with full correspondence tags
  • 500+ email subscribers
  • 20+ SEO-optimized blog posts
  • Instagram presence established
  • Local delivery operational

Year 1 Goals

  • $2,000+/month revenue by month 12
  • 1,000+ email subscribers
  • 50+ blog posts
  • First local event/partnership
  • Identify expansion city

Sources

  • IBISWorld Industry Report: Psychic Services in the US (2023)
  • Business Research Insights: Spiritual Products Market (2024)
  • The Conversation: “How witchcraft became a multi-billion dollar industry”
  • Marketplace.org: “Witchcraft goes mainstream”
  • Pew Research: Religious Landscape Study
  • Statista: US Psychic Services Market Size