The store, at 936 S. Halcyon Road, has been a South County spiritual and business hub since it opened in 1908.
The historic Halcyon Store and Post Office—a South County spiritual and business hub — is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
And as it does, 25-year owner Susie Clark will hand over the reins to her daughter, Jennie Foremaster.
The shop, at 936 S. Halcyon Road, is based near the town of Halcyon, where many of the 100 residents share a philosophical, religious and ethical belief system as members of The Temple of the People.
The town was founded in 1903. The store and post office opened five years later. The business serves most Halcyon residents, but others come from throughout the Central Coast.
“People like the old-fashioned country feel,” Clark said. “It’s a place to go so people can feel like somebody cares about them.”
Clark and Foremaster — both church members—say their post office operates like any other. And nearly all of the regulars are well-known to them.
The Halcyon Store and Post Office began by selling health food, which continued for decades. But when Clark took it over, she decided to change the store to a gift shop.
“I just remember thinking that I didn’t want to sell rice cakes anymore,” she said. “I eat junk food, and that’s what keeps me healthy.”
Now the store features crystals, massage oils, Buddha figurines, Christian crosses, marbles and incense. Self-help and local history books line the shelves.
Foremaster, 37, said the goal is for customers to leave feeling good about themselves. A shop sign reads “Just Another Day in Paradise.”
“We even keep doggy treats in the back” for customers’ dogs, Foremaster said.
Foremaster, who has worked in the store for 15 years, said she’ll take over officially after the 100th anniversary mark in August.
Clark, 65, still will be on hand to help, but she’ll spend some time traveling.
“I’ll have big shoes to fill,” Foremaster said. “My mom has been a staple here for a long time.”
The family history in Halcyon dates to 1929, when Clark’s grandmother, Ebba Whitney, moved there with her children and also served as a Temple priest.
Clark’s mother, Louise Lentz, operated the former library inside the store from 1955 until 1975.
Today, Joanie Kenyon, a psychic and spiritual teacher, enjoys coming to the store because it offers a unique selection.
“It’s a place to buy things I’m into,” Kenyon said. “There aren’t too many places like this on the Central Coast.”
And customers often are delighted in the story of the “magic money,” which is cash donated by people and later used to buy items for others deemed deserving by the clerks.
Recently a woman with a terminal illness was awarded a dress. The transactions are recorded with notes left in the magic money box.
“Woman admiring dress, six months to live,” the note reads. “… Doesn’t want to spend money on clothes.”
The magic money restores people’s faith in humanity, Foremaster said.
But Clark also laughs in remembering the woman who conned the shop out of $90.
“No more helping this lady … $90 is no longer magical,” the note states.
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