Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandi Beckwith.
Brandi, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Small business has been an interest and passion for my entire adult life. I’ve been many different things (bridal gown model, jazz lounge cocktail waitress, yoga teacher, nanny… it goes on and on) but always knew I ultimately wanted to work for myself and support local and small business.
At some point in my mid-20s, I found myself registering for a community college to pursue a small business entrepreneurship degree. Business classes? My privileged suburban punk rock tween self would scoff if they had any idea this was where I was headed. Ultimately, I loved the classes. I unexpectedly had a knack for it but that mostly came from following my intuition. Intuition is as magical as it gets.
Fast forward a few years and there was a bad relationship. I stopped going to school. I stopped teaching yoga. I stopped being anything but a shell of a sad person who couldn’t escape their depression or circumstances. With some love and intention from my best friend in the form of what she calls an “energy ball” (think manifested goodwill or prayer focused into a sphere and directed towards a person) I woke up one morning and realized the wonderful community I had slowly been surrounding myself (Thank you DFW Witchy Shit) was filled will badass creators.
It sort all just happened. I got the idea to organize an event so the witchy community could hang out, make some money, and share our stories with the rest of the area. It was never about “how to be a witch” or to push any kind of ideology on anyone. It was people who had an intention and deserved to be seen and supported. I put my love for business to action finally. The Witchy Bazaar was born.
I had no idea what I was doing. At all. It was thrilling and put me so far out of my comfort zone but that’s where the real shifts take place, right? We started in 2018 and did three huge events. In 2019 we did two large ones and our first pop up. 2020 will have two pop-ups and the largest Witchy Bazaar to date if all goes well. The experience is humbling. I feel in the time the Witchy Bazaar has been created, I have evolved as well. Sure, time and age will bring changes but I owe the Witchy Bazaar so much when it comes to my confidence and trust in my intuition.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Smooth is boring. A smooth road is a road well-traveled. It’s been done. That’s not what I’m about. After the idea of the Witchy Bazaar came to me, I told the person I had been in that dark place with and was immediately shot down. Told it was dumb and that I was making a huge mistake. So I dumped him and left.
With trauma comes time to heal and that isn’t an easy feat. During some of the earlier Witchy Bazaar planning times, I would show up on friends’ doorsteps in tears and begging to know why I was doing this? What kind of idiot would try to do this? They, being the good friends I’ve been lucky to have, would let me throw my stress fit and pat me on the head with a solid response “Because you love it, you dummy.” They were always right.
In the three years of the Witchy Bazaar, I’ve moved several times. I’ve had motherboards go out without backing up data days before a big event. The one I threw on my birthday had me in a boot with a broken foot. I was single and living by myself for the first time ever with my dog, Kimba. I’ve quit jobs. I went back to teaching yoga for a bit – that was a wonderfully empowering time in my healing. Eventually, I wanted something more stable and found myself with a wonderful company.
I fell in love. Many different types of love but I did. And I fell hard. So no, not a smooth road but I would never want anything else. There’s no growth in a smooth road. And ultimately, growth is the most witchy thing you can do.
Please tell us about Witchy Bazaar.
Witchy Bazaar support micro and small businesses. These are side hustles and hopefuls that want to expand into a brick and mortar. We host an array of vendors that go through an application process. We book bands, usually 2 to 3 for the big events. We’ve done an art show. We had a silent auction to raise money for victims of sex trafficking. There have been raffles and we’ll even give a book swap a go for the February 23rd event at Arcadia Coffee in Fort Worth. (From 10 am to 2 pm!)
The 2020 season we want to focus on education as well. We will have workshops and classes and a public ritual. That’s part of the mission: To educate the masses. There’s no reason to fear the witchcraft. Don’t be fooled by the old crusty white men and old wives tales.
Our big Witchy Bazaars usually host one thousand to two thousand guests, depending on the weather. It always baffles me when I look around during an event and see all the people. We’re always free, which I think is so helpful in getting support to these vendors and artists. There could potentially be a huge profit on the Witchy Bazaar but that’s not the point. That’s, like, the opposite of the point.
I’m just proud of the growth everyone has had in the short amount of time we’ve been at this. The vendors at that very first Witchy Bazaar over at the now-defunct Tin Panther were. Amateurs for the most part. Now a lot of them have elaborate booths and breath-taking products. I’m not saying it’s because of the Witchy Bazaar by any means but I am proud of the work we’ve all put in during this time. The amount of evolution taking place is so inspiring.
We were the first witch event that wasn’t aimed at covens or holistic practices. We were the first openly witchy themed event that had no elaborate wording or fear. We held our heads high and said “Yeah. I’m a Witch. What of it?”
That first event was insane. There were people coming up to me at other events or shows and saying things like “I’ve always had to hide what I believe in. I’ve had to hide who I am,” and it broke my heart. They would thank me for the event and I would be baffled. “No! No, thank YOU!” It’s always about them.
For a long time, I tried not to be openly tied to it. I work with a wonderful man name Chris Ham who is a great friend and hard worker. People at the Boiled Owl on Magnolia would say something like “Hey have you been to Witchy Bazaar?” I would smile and ask what it is. “Oh, Chirs Ham plans it” which isn’t untrue but always made me laugh. He’ll say I do all the work but that’s totally false.
There’s been a lot of volunteers who also make it happen on the day of. That’s actually kind of how Ham started. He showed up early and I asked him to move some stuff and he’s been apart of planning every event after that. I couldn’t do it without him or any of the other generous souls who show up. I’m proud of them and him also.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
None. Luck is for those who don’t wanna explore or acknowledge they’re magical. And they are. Luck is just blind magic. I’ve worked very hard and have failed due to my own faults. I’ve also succeeded because of my own work and magic.
Contact Info:
- Email: witchybazaar@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/witchybazaar
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/witchybazaar
Image Credit:
Jake Hill at Charles Jacob Creative
Zach Burns Photography
Witchy Bazaar Logo
Chris Ham and Brandi Beckwith at 4/20/19 Shipping & Receiving Witchy Bazaar
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