Material reality no boundary at New Beginnings Metaphysical Shop in Harrison
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Hanna Rogers and Justin Moser hadn’t really considered turning their passion for tarot cards, crystals, ghost hunting and other explorations of the metaphysical realm into a business. But then, almost by chance, they met Ty Unruh, who would complete the triangle for their venture: the New Beginnings Metaphysical Shop in Harrison.
Launched on Black Friday, the store at 2858 Freeport Road sells crystals, divination tools and books to help people delve beyond their material reality or just have a little magical fun.
Weekly classes cover topics such as reading tarot and the zodiac signs, candle making, spiritual magic and intuitive painting. Private spiritual readings are offered by appointment, and plans are in the works to do individual and group in-house psychic and tarot readings.
The shop also features homemade artwork, candles and unique home decor items and gifts. There even is a section devoted to “cryptids,” or animals that are believed to exist in the wild such as Bigfoot and chupacabras.
Hours are from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays.
Unruh met Rogers in 2019 when he interviewed for a job at an Olive Garden restaurant where she was a manager and Moser worked as a server.
Looking back, he said, their meeting was foretold.
“Hanna wasn’t even the person I was supposed to talk to for the job,” said Unruh, 31, of Tarentum. “I was late for the interview, but she was there and went ahead and did the it. I ended up getting the job.”
Rogers, 25, of Lower Burrell said she lobbied for Unruh to be hired because “the vibe I got from him felt good. I felt that he was a genuinely good person and told them you need to hire him.”
Unruh said he began exhibiting psychic abilities at a young age.
“I was communicating with a man named George who had passed away and was no longer with us,” Unruh said. “It was just an outline of a figure, which scared me. But it was just as real as talking to my dad.”
He said he mostly concealed his abilities because he was raised in a religious family “and didn’t want to be judged for it.”
But that changed with the help of a spiritual guide who helped him understand and control his gift, he said.
Unruh said his guide predicted his spiritual path would lead him to Rogers and Moser.
“I was confused about how I should use my abilities,” Unruh said. “I didn’t want to walk around being some sort of Pennsylvania medium. I was having a conversation with my guru when he told me that I would meet a witch and a businessman.
“In the past, all of his readings were so specific, so I really didn’t know what he was telling me meant. I just thought to myself: ‘We’ll see how that turns out.’ ”
Moser, 23, said he met Rogers at a time in his life when he was questioning the validity of faith and religion after the death of his grandparents.
“I lost them in a somewhat tragic way, and it took a big toll on our family,” Moser said. “I was questioning Christianity and religion as a whole about why this happened to me and my family, why bad things happen to good people.”
Moser attended church regularly his entire life but felt he “didn’t know much about anything” when it came to spirituality.
Rogers believes her partner was beyond just questioning.
“He was a full-blown skeptic when we met,” she said.
But the universe of Moser’s understanding began to expand during a ghost hunting expedition at Conneaut Lake with Rogers during which audio was captured on a “ghost box” that made him begin to rethink his skepticism.
“We had something come through (on the ghost box) that talked about God and faith,” Moser said. “I thought, ‘This is really cool. There must be something more to everything.’ ”
His belief in the metaphysical realm began to grow after meeting Unruh, he said.
Without prompting or providing any information, Moser said, Unruh told him details about his close relationship with his deceased grandparents and the affect their loss had on the family.
Caitlin Slater, 20, of Brackenridge said she and her mother, Amy, visited the shop during the grand opening and have been returning about every other week since.
“We’ve gone to some of the classes and had energy readings done by Ty and tarot readings from Hanna,” she said. “They are really amazing.”
Slater said she provided no information about herself to Unruh before the readings, but he knew about the struggle she was having with depression and other issues that she had not even shared with family members.
“When I went into the shop, I was in a good mood,” she said. “I was happy and excited, so he couldn’t have known about what I was dealing with by my outward appearance. But he did.”
Slater said she is dealing with those issues with guidance and the tools Unruh used to address similar problems he experienced in his life.
Slater said Rogers also has an uncanny ability for reading tarot.
“My brother’s fiancée came in with us for a tarot reading, and afterward, she asked my mother and I if we told Hanna anything about her beforehand,” Slater said. “She was amazed when we said that we didn’t, because Hanna was so spot-on with her readings.”
The three owners of New Beginnings said whenever readings reveal a client is experiencing a medical or psychological issue, they are urged to seek professional help.
“We’re not doctors or psychologists,” Rogers said. “We aren’t replacements for professional care when that’s needed.”
Rogers, who was raised in the Southern Baptist church, said she always had a curiosity and sensitivity for the spiritual and metaphysical world that flourished when she began reading tarot cards in high school.
She said Moser came up with New Beginnings as the name for the shop because it reflects its purpose.
“We opened this shop because we all have such a great desire to help others,” Rogers said. “We want to help people get to their higher sense and find that bridge between science and religion.”
The store’s name is a nod to their strong belief that “it’s OK for people to start over.”
“Beginnings can be frightening, but they shouldn’t have to be,” Rogers said. “Faith is so important, and we want to help people start on whatever journey they find themselves on.”
Moser said pursuing the metaphysical doesn’t have to replace other forms of spirituality. Rather, they can be used as enhancements.
“The idea isn’t to convert anybody from what they believe,” he said. “It’s just to introduce people to a new idea and see what resonates with them.”