hey i was wondering if any of yall could help me out with some places to go in Altoona, Pa where i could get ingredients for spells/potions, spell books, and a book of shadows. if so please let me know.
You might be surprised what you can find in local healthfood stores, regular grocers, herbal shops, and even head shops. So many ingredients people need are basic herbs and candles. Some herbs have different names, and can be found as supplements, in capsules, when they are difficult to find otherwise.
Don't forget dollar stores, craft stores, and the like for ingredients. A lot of interesting items are also donated to thrift stores that people use for altars and other ritual supplies. Craft stores have frequent sales, and can have some very interesting altar items.
The same can be said for discount stores like Marshall's, Ross, and Homegoods. When I used to go to a nearby Marshall's with my girlfriend a while back, I used to find excellent candidates for making black mirrors (round with a silver frame, other unusual configurations that would just look cool), how many types of candles, statues of deities from around the world, abstract figures which could represent gods or humanity, and more.
Local bookstores are often a better source of journals than a lot of people realize, and these days often have a section on 'alternative beliefs,' stocking a variety of witchy books.
One more place not to forget is religious bookstores. Depending on your personal beliefs and path, useful items may be found especially in Catholic-centric stores, and religious aisles in many regular grocery and department stores.
True about stores you wouldn't think have useful items, I always find very cool things at the GoodWill thrift shop. Its always ridiculously cheap too! I've found various jars and tins for 10 cents, I recently found a little wooden chest that had a written purchase/gifting date on the bottom that said Valentine's day 1935, I got it for 3 dollars. They have cloths that could be used as an alter cloth, candlestick holders, as well as they have small figurines that could be used as representations of gods if you work with them. The book section cam be quite extensive where I'm from, things about herbs or astrology could be found there but I don't really see them going too much further than that on the book front.
