By Zoe Perzo
Spiral Circle, a metaphysical bookstore in Orlando, Florida, will celebrate its 50th year of operation in 2025. Founded in 1975, the shop has long been a little haven near downtown Orlando. I met with owner Julie Wilder, and Christina Ray, intuitive reader and book buyer, to learn more about Spiral Circles’ past and future, as well as the unique challenges of running a metaphysical bookstore.
“Spiral Circle is a really special place in our community,” Wilder told me. “It was founded in 1975 by Beverly Ford. She was a pioneering woman at the time.”
The bookstore that she built featured a collection focused on self development and spiritual books. She also incorporated intuitive and psychic readers, with several on staff to offer a wide variety of reading styles to customers. Ray is one of those readers. She’s been doing readings at Spiral Circle since 2011, and worked with Beverly Ford for a while before the owner passed in 2016.
“Beverly was the heart and soul of Spiral Circle,” Ray recalled. “When she crossed over, you could feel Spiral Circle mourning. The community was grieving. And I was actually bracing myself to have to say goodbye [to the store].”
But in 2019, Julie Wilder and her business partner, Summer Rodman, took over the store.
“I had owned a cafe across the street,” Wilder said, “and I would come to the store between lunch and dinner, when I just needed some quiet. This space has incredible energy. It’s been this quiet powerhouse for a really long time. When Beverly passed, Summer said, ‘I want to make sure this place stays here for the community.’ And she asked me to be the operating partner.”
“Julie and Summer came in, and the whole store just came back to life,” Ray said.
Wilder worked hard to preserve the core elements of the store, while also updating the key features. Where Ford had embraced analog systems — “Beverly was famous for operating on a literal calculator and with handwritten receipts.” — Wilder transitioned the store to a POS and upgraded the website. She also expanded the sidelines; Spiral Circle now houses a small apothecary and offers jewelry, crystals, and a huge tarot collection alongside the books.
The new owner (and the staff!) have also prioritized creating and maintaining a healthy work culture.
“Based on some of my experience as a small business owner, guarding against toxicity in the environment is so critically important,” Wilder explained. “We’ve created a very conscious culture here. We have a really amazing team, it’s also a very empowered team.”
“Everybody that works here has a department that they buy for. So we get a variety of people picking out product, and each department is crafted with love and care. It helps everyone here to feel empowered and be an active participant in creating and curating the store.”
Having such an invested and empowered staff also helps Spiral Circle create a haven for their customers. Ray explained that they’re very conscious of the environment in Florida right now, and they put in extra effort to make sure their store is a safe space.
“We’re huge advocates for the LGBTQ+ community.” Ray said. “They know when they come in here, they’re in a safe space where they’re going to be celebrated. Our staff knows that, and our whole community knows that.”
They’ve also stepped up on the banned book front. Spiral Circle staff maintain a banned book section, keep a close eye on their local and state elections, and have corresponded with their local representative.
“We try to do a lot of education around banned books,” Ray said. She says local feedback matches the larger national sentiment — that the majority of Americans do not support book bans.
Though Spiral Circle has persevered and become a safe haven and community advocate, Wilder admits there have been several challenges along the way.
“I came from a very popular restaurant. People were sharing pictures of food. Food is neutral, right? Everyone loves it. So it was interesting when I came to this store,” Wilder explained. “It took me a while to figure out, because we’re a spiritual store, it’s more private. People are not necessarily comfortable sharing that they’ve been here. Other people may not want to come in because they don’t know what we are.”
Another challenge is one many indie bookstores may be experiencing: the post-pandemic slump.
“When the pandemic happened, business tripled overnight. Shopping was the only indoor sport that people could do, and they weren't spending money anywhere else, right? I knew revenue would drop [after quarantine], but I did not know it would cut in half. So that’s one of the things we’re working on right now,” Wilder said.
After sending out community surveys and talking with other booksellers at conferences, Wilder is considering adding a cafe to Spiral Circle.
“Having a food and beverage element would help create a sense of community and bring more people in the door,” she explained. “And I think it would help people who are not sure they want to come into a spiritual store or who don't know what it is. And I'd be using my old skills from the restaurant!”
While Wilder's cafe plans are in the works, she's also planning Spiral Circle’s 50th anniversary celebration in May 2025.
“It’s our Golden Jubilee!” she said. “So we’re going to go all out. It’s remarkable for a business like this to be here for 50 years.”
While the cafe opening and anniversary celebration are still a little ways off, there are plenty of other events happening at Spiral Circle in the meantime.
“We host everything from sessions on how to make friends to monthly astrology talks,” said Wilder. “We offer different types of meditation throughout the week, and psychic development classes. And the monthly Pink Moon Party is where we bring in our authors!”
“We have a huge local author collection here at the store,” said Ray. “We love to support our local authors. We have their books here, we feature them, and we host their book signings!”
If you’re visiting the Orlando area, stop by Spiral Circle for an event, a reading, or just to shop! You can also find them on Facebook, Instagram, or their website.
