The Hamsa

The fascination with working with beads has been a life-long passion of mine and it is no wonder that this led me into thinking about and creating beads for worship.  My designs are for many cultures and ideologies.  In Woodstock Trading Company, you will see rosaries, mala, and glass hand blown mezuzahs, along with jewelry bearing the “evil eye” and the Hamsa.

The Hamsa, or the Hand of Fatima is an old icon for protection against the evil eye, and is recognized as a talisman for good luck and prosperity. It has been adopted by many cultures, basically in the original format, including Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Shamanism.

I designed a necklace using pewter castings on a silver plated chain so that a wonderfully historic and significant amulet can be purchased at a reasonable price of $10.00.

I do not mass produce any jewelry items. All varieties of our Hamsa necklaces are the same price ($10.00). If you cannot come to the store, we can email images of what is available. At that point, we can write up an order just for you. Give us a call at (856) 424-6166 or email us at wtc@woodstocktradeco.com. Keep in touch…

Fondly,
MOM

Ritual Candles

Woodstock Trading Company has been the Rock n’ Roll & Dead-center of South Jersey for over 25 years, supplying the community for all of their classic rock needs. But Woodstock offers more than rock n’ roll items. As many know, Dr. Seth has put together an immense collection of incense from around the world, catering to incense lovers. MOM and Seth have also assembled a wonderful bead selection for the local jewelry makers. However, many do not know that we have also been working hard to make available items for those in spiritual communities. 

Seth, for many years, has supplied spiritual individuals with incense for their prayers and ceremonies. We have Dragon’s Blood resin for those of the Wicca and Pagan faiths, sage for smudging, and Tibetan and Buddhist prayer incense. Local artists have also made rosaries and other prayer beads for the store. After taking suggestions from our community, and some consideration on the best ways to put things in motion, we are happy to announce that we now carry Ritual/Chime Candles. You might be wondering what a ritual/chime candle is.

Woodstock Trading Company Ritual Candle Selections

Standing around 4 inches tall, a ritual/chime candle resembles a standard taper candle. They generally burn for around 2 hours and work well for prayers and ceremonies for faiths like Wicca. Each candle is a different color, having a different use or meaning. 

These candles are $0.50 each. The list of colors and meanings (may vary) are as followed:

White: Enlightenment, Healing, Purification, Protection
Lavender: Selflessness, Compassion, Inspiration
Pink: Love, Friendship, Romance, Caring
Green: Prosperity, Fertility, Luck, Balance
Yellow: Communications, Trust, Happiness
Light Blue: Peace, Creativity, Patience
Orange: Self-confidence, Optimism, Success
Red: Vitality, Will Power, Desires
Brown: Material gain, Home, Problem Solving (Brown is out of stock)
Purple: Psychic Power, Divination, Healing
Indigo Blue: Knowledge, Focus, Truth
Black: Regeneration, Riddance, Transition

We also have Gold and Silver candles. They are $1.00 each. The meanings (may vary) for those colors are:

Gold: Financial Success, Strength, Optimism
Silver: Balance, Health, Victory

Our ritual candles are not available online at this very moment. If you are interested, come on in take a look. If they are something that you would like to order, give us a call at (856) 424-6166, send us an email, or leave us a message on the “Contact Us” page of the Woodstock Trading CompanyWebsite.

MOM, Seth, & Woodstock in JerseyMan

Around the beginning of February, MOM and Seth were interviewed by a gentleman named John Scalon for JerseyMan Magazine. As we were looking over the store's Facebook page today, we see and post by JerseyMan. It was a link to the article. Mr. Scanlon did a great job! His article captured the passion and love that MOM and Seth have for the business, the music, and their customers. There are interesting stories and tidbits in the article. If you have ever wondered why MOM and Seth got into the business, or why they love it, this article answers those questions. If you want to check out the article, just follow the link.
Take Care!
JerseyMan Magazine's Woodstock Trading Company Article by John Scanlon

Holiday Mode

It is Thanksgiving eve and Black Friday is rearing his ugly head around the corner. We all know that the real start of the holiday shopping season starts on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Life can get hectic and unbearable within the shopping world. There are so many individuals out there who worry about finding the right item, finding the item at a store or online, and hopping that the business still has the item when it is time to purchase. It can drive you crazy!

We, at Woodstock, understand this craziness and are here to help. Believe me; the holiday season is hard on us, too. But we know it is coming and are ready. The customer is our top priority. If you are not happy, we are not happy. Our customers are our family. We want our family to be happy. This is the truth. This is the way it has been since 1988. The Woodstock gang has seen the same customers since they were children. Now the children are bringing in their own children. We have grown with you. Therefore, when you come in to get a gift for your family, we want to help you find that perfect gift.

There is something for everyone at Woodstock Trading Company. We have beads and jewelry supplies for the crafter. If your gift is for the music fan, you know we have you covered. The rock n' roll t-shirt is the classic gift item. You want the Grateful Dead? You know we have it. You want the Allman Brothers? We have it. If you want something different from the usual shirt, we have knowledgeable staff that will find something for you. If you are getting a gift for a collector, we have things like holiday ornaments, many are very difficult to find now. There are band pins and buttons, one-of-a-kinds and hard-to-finds. Here is a little secret about our buttons. We got many of them from a gentleman by the name of Phil Ceccola. He was a photographer and friend to MOM and Seth. Look up his name and see who else he was friends with... One popular thing that people look for is bar items. We have pint sets, mugs, wine glasses, and classic signs to decorate the bar or man-cave. If you are looking for something special for your wife, girlfriend, sister, or mother, we have excellent jewelry and clothing. Take a look and take a sniff of the fragrant Auric Blends perfumes.

Come in and just ask for help. If you are ordering online, don't be afraid to give us a call or shoot us an email. The Woodstock gang understands the roughness of the holiday shopping season. We are here to help get your through. 

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays!

Take Care,

Mom, Seth, and The Woodstock Gang

We Are Everywhere... We Are Family

October 21, 2013

“We Are Everywhere”. This phrase is well known to the Dead Heads of the world, and it is very true. I bet that if you took a look in the closet of your next door neighbor, you would find a Grateful Dead shirt back there, along with a few skeletons (we DO NOT suggest going into the closet of your neighbor). You never know who is a Dead Head. It could be your doctor, teacher, lawyer, or bank president. It could be all of the above. We are everywhere! With that being said, the November issue of “Bon Appétit” magazine reminded us once again of this phrase.

Located on page 38 of the November issue, in “The Foodist-Thanksgiving Edition” column, we find a small section labeled, “Hippie Thanksgiving!”...

“Whenever I cook, I listen to the Grateful Dead. No music keeps me better company in the kitchen. The Dead is also the perfect music to eat by-and no, I haven’t been smoking anything.”- Page 38, The Foodist (Thanksgiving Edition), Bon Appétit Magazine, November 2013 edition.

That little quote says it all. One of, if not the biggest holidays in American culture is Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is all about family. Some may not think so, but the Grateful Dead is a family band. There is nothing vulgar or distasteful about their music. You could bring children and adults of all ages to the concerts. The Dead Heads always lend a helping hand. Grateful Dead is family. Try playing some Dead this Thanksgiving and see for yourself. Show the world that we are everywhere and we are family.

If you are looking for something Dead to add to this Thanksgiving, or any other holiday, Woodstock has something for you. Get yourself a Grateful Dead Dancing Bear Ice Cube Tray and make decorative ice cube, gelatin, or even chocolate. We also have many wine and champagne glass available in-store. If you want something a little more relaxed, we have wonderful incense from around the world and excellent decorative, yet functional incense burners. Woodstock wants to make your family feel right at home and comfortable. Why? Because you are our family. It is all about the family.

Peace,
MOM, Seth, Jim, Guy, and the Woodstock Gang
“We Are Everywhere”

Bead With The Doctor

September 27, 2013

Hey Now! Jim from Woodstock here. Today, we have something special. Everyone has been getting in on the blogs as of late. Now we have someone else who would like to say a hello and give his input. That someone is Dr. Harvey Glass, or Doc, as we call him. Doc is Mom’s husband and our shipping department/bead department. He has written a little something for all of you today. It is kind of an invite to everyone. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the wise words of Doc.

“The allure of beads is universal. In keeping with that, Woodstock Trading Company has collected many exotic and unusual beads from far and wide. Come look and see our bone, stone, glass, metal, and ceramic ‘eye candy’.
Doc”

Wedding Cake and Novelty Beads

Ladies and gentlemen, that was the words of the famous Doc. The man loves the beads and wants to share them with the world. We have some great stuff at Woodstock. Some of the beads are older than the store. The biggest issue is that the beads are difficult to sell online. We are working on a way for everyone to get them. In the mean time, you can only get them in store. We will let you know when these great beads will be available online.

Bone and Horn Beads

Take care everyone.
Jim

Stone Beads

The Afterthoughts of the 2013 Garlic Festival

September 25, 2013

Every year, I look forward to our Garlic Festival and this year was no exception. I would like to give a big THANK YOU to The Jugband for supplying the most wonderful live music and making a happy bed for the next year’s harvest. That is an important thing, singing and playing music for the planting bed and the garlic. Without that, we would get a lackluster crop. I would also like to thank all the local artists and craftsmen who came out to display their original works. It was so nice to meet all of you and to see your wonderful work. Finally, I would like to thank all of the great people who came out to Woodstock Trading Company. We had so many and are so thankful that you came out and had a wonderful.

Preparing the garlic bed for the 2014 crop. That black stuff is manure. We let Jim do that.

The Garlic Festival has been going on for so long now; the exact date has slipped my mind. It is a true Woodstock tradition, up there with the Maypole. As we have done for so many years, we distribute the garlic from last year’s crop, grown in front of the Woodstock building.

Mom giving away the first bag of 2013 garlic.

The next planting will be the week of Columbus Day weekend. The most exciting thing for me is seeing the garlic grow during the cold weeks and months of winter. Many of the recipients of the Woodstock bulbs contact me via Facebook and send me pictures of their fledgling garlic as soon as they break through the Earth. This is one of my greatest joys! To see new life in the cold of winter and sharing the wealth with all those who used our 2013 garlic bulbs, it is just marvelous.

The growing garlic

Fondly,
MOM

Woodstock Belly Dance Lessons

September 25, 2013

Many, many years ago, (I mean many), I enjoyed the art of Belly Dancing and am so happy to be able to invite you to classes right here in Woodstock. What inspired me to look at this dance form was the fact that the music was inspirational and I could not just listen to it without becoming involved physically with the melodies. In addition, I considered that it raised my fitness level and concentrated on the inner body core, which now many years later, I am happy that I used dance as my fitness training (certainly for me more fun than the gym). Besides body awareness, it has helped me through the years with coordination and balance. It is truly one of the oldest and most beautiful dance forms.

We gather on the first and third Tuesday of the month from 5:30-6:30 with our wonderful teacher, Krista Sassani... Join us!

Fondly,
MOM

Happy Mother's Day!

May 6, 2013
One of the best gifts my family has granted me on Mother's Day is to work at Woodstock on this day.  It gives me joy to see some of the "kids" that would come to the store as kids.  They return with their kids to see their families in South Jersey and they come to visit me as well....MOM of  Woodstock.

Everyone Needs A Little Pussy to Be Happy!

And, here at Woodstock...we've got lots of pussy to go around!

January 20, 2012

Two years ago when our beloved cat, May, died on Mother’s Day, (she was going on 20), this couple came into the store carrying a teeny tiny orange bundle of joy. They put this bright little orange kitten on the floor. 

Our Monstro touched noses with him, turned around and marched the kitten into the bathroom where he could find food and water. The two of them then promptly fell asleep in their beds next to one another. I turned around to thank the couple and they were gone. I have often thought of how happy I am to have had this little orange angel, Mugsy, come into our lives.

 He is our little electrical engineer. He likes to make the fax machine beep and loves to watch the shredder work. He also enjoys a ride on the sliding copy machine. He is family!

Last Sunday, the door opened and this couple came into the store. They peered around the store and asked, “Do you still have an orange kitty?” I brought them into the office to showcase Mugsy. Of course, he was fast asleep on top of the high printer, like the king of hill. He responded to them, came down.They were delighted at how happy he is here and said, “We are the ones who brought Mugsy to you.” I was tingling all over with joy.

They told me how they had found him in the woods that day. He was covered in leaves and debris. They had taken him home, cleaned him up and contacted a friend, who mentioned our recent loss and suggested we might love a new kitten at the store, a new pal for Monstro.

Their recent visit was a particularly poignant moment, as Maverick and IO (EEE-OH), our beloved cats at our home for almost 20 years, both recently passed within a month of each other. Our home is a very different place without them.

MUGSY'S "GODPARENTS"!

Hence, our love for Mugsy is even more appreciated and intensified these days.

DIANE AND JAY...THANK YOU, AGAIN!

It has been a wonderful journey having both Monstro and Mugsy to keep us company and greet all of you. Monstro will get his day in the sun here soon on the blog! His story will be told…

It is truly a wonderment to share your life with these little creatures. I cannot fully express to you the life-changing relationship you can develop with a cat.

I hope you realize the adoption of any animal is a long-term commitment that has its ups and downs, good and bad. But, in the end...it's all good!

 SO...YOU WANNA BE HAPPY? GET A LITTLE "PUSSY" IN YOUR LIFE!

Visit the WTC ADOPTION KENNEL FOR CATS at the Voorhees Animal Orphanage!
421 Cooper Road Voorhees Township, NJ 08043
(856) 627-9111

www.theanimalorphanage.org

All cats adopted from our kennel will become automatic brothers and sisters to Monstro and Mugsy.

We would appreciate your stories and photos! Email them to me at wtc@woodstocktradeco.com or post on our Facebook Page!

All the best to you and your pussy!   - "Mom"

For The Love of Music, Let It Be Live!

September 19, 2011

The music scene can be difficult for local bands to get their start in the Philadelphia area, especially with the closing of two iconic venues, The Trocadero in Philadelphia and The Pennant, right here in Southern NJ. That is why, for decades now, I have offered my personal support and love featuring the talents of local bands on our lawn to give them a presence here. It is an opportunity to hone their craft, build confidence and spread the word. Woodstock Trading Company has helped to launch the careers of now well-known jam bands like Bohemian Sunrise, Splintered Sunlight, Leftover Salmon and The Disco Biscuits, who performed here on our lawn in the early 90s.

Solar Circus at WTC, circa early 90s

Solar Circus also boosted their career here with the launch of their LP (yes, we are dating ourselves) They have since grown to become The Juggling Suns. And, Mr. Charlie also comes to mind. This psychedelic band has become a staple in Philadelphia and Southern NJ with new sounds and songs on the horizon for them.

The Jugband performs at WTC 22nd Anniversary, 8/1/2010

And, let’s not forget The Jugband! Fran is such a creative soul. He has recently gathered a new crop of talented musicians to reach well beyond the borders of the Dead, debuting this 7-piece electric reggae and rock cover band in bars throughout Southern NJ since launching their new sound at our May Pole Festival earlier this year. Their vocal harmonies and jugband twist on songs from Paul Simon, The Band, Allman Brothers and Marley will make you smile and shake your bones. Dana Smith, our esteemed pr guru here at Woodstock, joined the band as a vocalist after jumping up and singing a tune with them on a whim last summer right here on our lawn. Talk about getting your start at Woodstock Trading Company!

Merle Saunders plants a tree at WTC. Circa early 90s

We’ve also had the pleasure of spotlighting such great talents as Vince Welnick, formerly of the Grateful Dead and Merle Saunders, the acoustic yin to Jerry Garcia’s yang. Merle was a gracious man, who helped us to plant our dogwood tree. We rededicated this tree years later in memory of Merle. We put a little angel in the tree to commemorate his spirit. As Lori Constantine, a talented keyboardist played that day, a little bird came down to sing along beside her. The dogwood has now grown to provide a shady respite for those who come out to enjoy live music here.

Society has changed so much since we opened our doors over two decades ago. With the advent of technology, people don’t interact as much. Live music is a binding force of nature. It touches the heart in a way that a recording cannot. It brings us together.

I encourage local bands to make their mark upon the community. Call me at 856-424-6166 or email me your information at wtc@woodstocktradeco.com. Let me know when and where you are playing, so I can encourage others to seek you out to enjoy your creative talents. We are already planning for our spring lawn concerts next year, so send me some demos and let’s get you out there where you belong…bringing joy and happiness to others through live music.

And, I encourage all of you, the music lovers, to come on out and share in these momentous moments of new found talent, so you can look back someday and say, "Hey, I know that band. Wow, look at them now!"

Love...Mom