Open to diversity

by Matthew Weaver<br>Herald Staff Writer
| December 22, 2006 8:00 PM

Moses Lake pet store owners expand with metaphysical offerings

MOSES LAKE — The Helvies like to defy superstition.

In 2004, Eric and Tiffany Helvie opened their Moses Lake pet store, The Smoking Dragon, on Feb. 13 — a Friday.

When the time came to expand their business, the Helvies decided to do so Oct. 13 — also a Friday.

"Yes, we're crazy," Eric Helvie said with a wide grin. "Why mess with success? It worked the first time, why not the second time?"

The pet store remains open, and the Helvies have extended the space to include a gift shop and back room where fresh coffee's brewing, a chess set's waiting to be used and customers can browse a wide range of books, from Wicca to Christianity. Eric Helvie plans to include sections for home schoolers and fans of fantasy role playing games.

Tiffany Helvie said metaphysical offerings include healing stones, books on healing visualization and herbal healing, and a large children's section simply because she loves babies and mothers, she noted with a laugh.

"I've wanted to put a gift section here for quite a while," she said. "I've found when I've needed incense, essential oils or tarot cards, I had to go to Spokane. There doesn't seem to be anything here for that."

While it's an extended section of the Smoking Dragon, Tiffany Helvie said they've named the new spot the Healing Hearth.

"I felt that there were a lot of people here who like that kind of thing," Tiffany Helvie said. "But it is a very conservative community, so I didn't want it to be in your face. We have a Christian section and a metaphysical section, and I wanted a place where people with all different kinds of beliefs can come in and be comfortable."

There's zero tolerance for intolerance in the back room, Eric Helvie echoed.

"This is a place that's welcome for anyone," he said. "It's a complete open forum for any discussion you want to have. However, if you get forceful on it and try to say, 'I'm right and you're wrong,' that's not what this is about. This is about getting along with everybody."

The response to the new aspects has been more than the Helvies expected, and primarily on word of mouth.

"This store is not strong enough to go on its own, but it could easily make that leap," Eric Helvie said. "People see the pagan books and go, 'Oh my god, it's an evil store,' but then they see the Christian books and go, 'Hey, wow, they're actually really open.' The very first book we sold out of here was a Christian book, the very second book was a pagan book. The third book was a self-help and healing."

Ultimately, Tiffany Helvie would like to separate the two businesses, and the Helvies hope to ultimately offer Reiki healing, massage therapy and hypnotherapy.

"We met a pet psychic in Spokane; we're hoping to bring her down here sometime this summer for some sessions," Tiffany Helvie said.

She would also like to use the bare wall space in the back room as a place to display work by local artists.

The extension adds another aspect to the pet store business.

"It diversifies us," Eric Helvie said.

During certain seasons, the pet business reaches a stalling point, he explained, so the Helvies were always looking to set up an additional aspect in their store.

"If we have two or three different aspects in one building, now we're having a rotating situation where we can always keep something going."