“It’s not just about shopping and selling things.” This alternative gift shop is for everyone
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Central Kentucky small businesses
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Owning a small business is about more than keeping the lights on.
At Sqecial Media, an alternative gift store in Lexington, owner Mary Morgan aims to give every shopper a memorable experience. Selling everything from books, mugs and tea towels to incense, ritual candles and spiritual statues, you’ll find something new on every visit.
“It’s not just about shopping and selling things,” she said.
“We want to provide a place that people can come and actually enjoy looking at things and feel comfortable and maybe expand themselves in seeing something they’ve never seen before, or something they’ve never read before, to kind of help them in their journey beyond just shopping.”
Name of business: Sqecial Media
Owner: Mary Morgan
Location: 371 S Limestone, Lexington
Holiday hours: (Starting Dec. 14) Sunday: noon-6 p.m.; Monday-Saturday: 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Christmas Eve: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Merchandise and mission: Morgan described Sqecial Media as “a mystical general store.” The shop carries books, statues, jewelry and more from a host of different religions and cultures.
What is unique about this business: Morgan said it’s been a mission of the store to be inclusive for everyone, since her late partner David Adams opened Sqecial Media in 1972.
It began as a used book store, but organically evolved over years to something much more than that.
“There’s not a set formula for (choosing what we carry), aside from whether we like it and it feels us. That somehow ends up converting to things our customers like too,” she said.
Keeping it old school, Sqecial doesn’t invest much in advertising, but rather relies on word of mouth and community investments.
Each year to celebrate its birthday, workers pick five different charities to donate to throughout the month of March.
2024 holiday season: Hoping to keep steady business, Morgan said she’s not expecting a huge increase in sales over this holiday season, but has seen more steady business since the day after the Nov. 5 election.
“I think it’s kids trying to feel good and better about the world, and we’re a place where they can,” she said. “I think our outlook on the world is probably obvious, and people can feel safe coming in here.”
Sqecial is still mask friendly post-pandemic, is decorated with pride flags and has carried LGBTQ+ pins since the 1970s.
“Everybody that comes in here feels like it’s theirs, like they’re the ones that found it, and they want to share it with their friends,” she said. “Everyone that comes in here seems to have a special first time. You don’t get that really when you go to Target.”
While the holidays make up a big part of the yearly revenue, Sqecial doesn’t have much holiday-specific merchandise. Morgan said most of her shoppers are looking for unique minute stocking stuffers, and Sqecial always delivers.
“They’ll find something that they haven’t ever seen in somebody’s stocking before, and people that empty out the stocking, be an adult or kid, will find something fun and kind of charming.”
This story was originally published November 21, 2024 at 8:00 AM.
