Air & Fire: The Mystical Bazaar on Highway 9

Air & Fire opened its first Boulder Creek storefront on September 13, 2003. Twenty years later, owner Emelia Gallant moved into its fourth downtown location, the first building she has owned.

She hadn't been looking for another address. "I really loved our last place and was very settled in there. I never would have moved if I hadn't had the opportunity to buy the building we are in now." Ownership changed the calculation: "I love the security that we will never have to move again unless we choose."

The move from 13136 to 13150 Highway 9 brought a separate reading room, a healing area and a large back room. It also gave Emelia more space for the work of more than 50 area artists, a public altar, and the soaps, oils, candles and mists she makes in-house. Her own making practice began in 1999; the storefront followed in 2003.

What is inside

The shop makes a good deal of its own stock. Natural soaps, oil blends, candles, incense, and mists and potions are handcrafted on site with pure essential oils. Alongside that are crystals and stones both loose and set into jewelry, sterling silver pieces with specialty stones, statuary, and what the shop counts as more than 200 tarot and oracle decks, plus books, runes, and ritual supplies.

The other half of the floor is local. Air & Fire says it carries work from over 50 area artists, running from incense and jewelry to ceramics, wood carvings, cards, prints, and original paintings. Ginia's Gems, the handmade jewelry maker down the street at 13133 Highway 9, says her designs are among them.

For a fair number of those makers, Air & Fire was the first shop to take their work. "I think we have been many local artists' first shop and it's great to see their excitement and feeling valued for their work," Emelia says. The count moves up and down as new artisans arrive and others move on, so the roster is never quite the same twice.

Mountain Medusa has described Emelia spending roughly two hours helping select chakra stones for one artwork. The shop also carries the statuary Emelia names as distinctive: "fairies, mermaids, nature spirits, gargoyles, skulls and statuary of Gods and Goddesses from many cultures."

There's a public altar in the shop for customers to use, and tarot readings, energy healing, body therapy, and hypnotherapy are offered by appointment. The shop also posts classes now and then.

Air & Fire posts its door policy on its homepage: "We welcome all humans regardless of race, gender, color, religion and sexual choices, all are safe here."

The altar

The altar is there for anyone to light a candle on, and the shop supplies what that takes: the holders, the tea lights, and paper. A visitor once made a peacock feather pen and gave it to the altar. "We still have it there for people to write their prayer on and slip under the candle if they choose," Emelia says.

The building

Buying the building brought room the old storefront did not have. Inside there is a healing area, Emelia's reading room, and a large back room that works for classes and, more often, for her kids to practice gymnastics. At the previous location the reading room doubled as the healing room, and the back room was small.

Behind the shop is a backyard with fruit trees and flowers, and a rose garden visible beyond the iron gates. That space is private, with occasional exceptions. "We occasionally hold open rituals out there for some of the sabbats such as Ostara, Beltane and Summer Solstice," Emelia says.

What she keeps making

The natural soaps are the line Emelia has come closest to dropping. They are labor intensive, olive oil is the main ingredient and its price keeps climbing, and there is not much profit in them. Then a customer talks her back into it. "One of my customers comes in to tell me how great it feels on their skin and how it's the only soap they use, and then I'm reinspired to keep going. It's definitely a labor of love."

The aromatherapy mists and potions are not in question. "They are just so useful, we sell so much of them and we have our process down so it's not hard to make." The one that sells most is the Spiritual Cleanser, made with frankincense and myrrh and a touch of cinnamon. Emelia describes it as having a very high vibration, and says she uses it to clear the air, people, or objects, crystals in particular.

Hours

Air & Fire runs two seasons, and it dates them by the wheel of the year rather than the calendar.

• Spring Equinox through Samhain, roughly March 20 to October 31: Tuesday through Sunday 11:00 to 6:30, Mondays 11:00 to 4:00.
• Samhain through Spring Equinox, roughly November through March 19: Tuesday through Sunday 11:00 to 5:30, Mondays 11:00 to 4:00.

Those are the hours posted on the shop's own site as of August 5, 2026. Call 831-338-7567 before a special trip.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Air & Fire?

13150 Highway 9, in downtown Boulder Creek. Phone 831-338-7567.

How long has it been open?

The first Boulder Creek storefront opened on September 13, 2003, so September 2026 marked its twenty-third anniversary. The shop at 13150 Highway 9 is the fourth downtown location.

What does it sell?

Handmade soaps, oils, candles, and incense; crystals and stones; sterling silver jewelry; statuary of mythical creatures and of gods and goddesses from many cultures; tarot and oracle decks, books, runes, and ritual supplies; and artwork from local makers.

Does it do readings?

Yes, by appointment. Tarot readings, energy healing, body therapy, and hypnotherapy are all listed on its site.

Are the hours the same all year?

No. The shop closes an hour earlier in the winter season. Both schedules are posted on its own site.

Hours and stock follow the shop's own site. Seasonal hours change twice a year, so check before a special trip.

The Boulder Creek Questions

Her perfect day in Boulder Creek: "Misty morning, then sunshine and smiles everywhere you look."

Her favorite hidden gem: Fall Creek.

Her message for a new neighbor: Not advice so much as a welcome. "Welcome to the redwood forest, we have a great community."

The downtown guide has the rest of the block. If the hours or stock described here have drifted, tell us.