Shop Spooky: 3 UK-Based Shops We Love To Haunt
October is my birthday month. As the weird, quiet, and horror-obsessed kid who's never quite belonged, this month, season, and holiday has always felt like home. It's also usually the period when work slows (a tad), and I'm able to pause and breathe for a while. Especially if my mental health hasn't been great, this time of year and its rituals always allow me to come back to and feel like myself again.
Usually. Enter 2025...
If you're also struggling to channel the Halloween spirit this year, in light of the sweeping US tariffs that have affected so many small shops and livelihoods, our transatlantic editorial team is sharing our favourite local shops to support during the spooky season. Taking the state of * everything * into account, I've created more of a mindful approach, suggesting small UK-based businesses to support by crafting spooky experiences that soothe body and mind.
Hebden Tea
If you've ever had a scare package from me (or purchased something from HoL), it's definitely got tea in it. Always on the lookout for strange and unusual blends, I was walking through the Shambles in York early one morning, just as the street was waking. Opening its windows to the world, a tea shop placed three tea blends in beautiful glass teapots for passers-by to taste. One sip of the rooibos, and I was hooked. Best blends I've ever tasted, hands down, and Hebden tea is now a staple in the house. Whether you're looking for seasonal sips (rec: pumpkin marshmallow), an afternoon pick-up that calms rather than caffeinates (rec: Hippy (aloe) Vera), or something to wind down before sleep (rec: Lullaby), they have an array of potions to suit every palette.
While you can purchase online, if you're able to visit York, their cosy shop on the Shambles is a magical experience, with several floors housing tea treasures organised by various categories (including a huge decaf section).
Image: Hebden Tea
Bookshop.org
You know I couldn't write a list without including a book... This one's simple: support your local bookshop. It's not as easy for me to get out around condensed work hours and caring responsibilities, which is why Bookshop.org is ideal: a convenient way to buy books online (receiving in-stock items within 2-3 days) while financially supporting local, independent bookshops. Around searching for titles, you can choose a specific bookshop to support (from a handy map) and they will receive 30% of the cover price (or almost all of the profit) on your orders—for a year. Otherwise, 10% of the cover price of your order will contribute to an earnings pool that will be evenly distributed among participating independent bookshops each month. Win-win: fuck Amazon. (I'm working on getting HoL e-books on the website—watch this space).
Image: Bookshop.org
The Candle Rooms
If you've ever had a scare package from me, it's likely also got a candle in it... While we partnered with Sara at The Candle Rooms to create our Filtered Reality candles, I was a frequent visitor well before. Designed around your favourite books, films, television shows, and even drawing on history and mythology, they truly 'bring literature to light.' From seasonal spooky staples (her pumpkin and ritual scents are perfection) to holiday fare (her Scary Movies candle is 'inspired by late-night horror marathons, stormy nights, and popcorn-fuelled suspense') to limited-edition sets (such as The Final Cut box, inspired by classic horror films), she's killed it again this year, and the range, as always, is incredible.
Image: The Candle Rooms
Working from home with a busy schedule, scents are integral to help me create boundaries between work and rest, and Sara's candles are the perfect ambience for writing and reading. Scents not only allow me to demarcate spaces, they also work as a tool in my Writual to both help me focus and allow me to enjoy and romanticise the writing process. What is a Writual, you ask? As unique as each writer, your Writual is your routine to consistently nurture your writing in order to get results. What's your Writual? Read here to outline yours (and see mine)!
I would of course be remiss if I didn't mention that everything on our website—including books and our second HoL-loween Writual set, designed to mindfully support your Writual process—is currently on sale until midnight on 31 October. Each item has been discounted by 10%—no code needed—and our Undead Community has been sent a code for an extra 20% off... Not yet a member? Join us!
I hope you're able to find some Halloween magic in the midst of chaos. Take care out there; as always, stay spooky. 🖤
Rebecca