The wellness industry is booming. According to The Global Wellness Institute, the global wellness economy is a $4.2 trillion industry in 2018 and growing. That’s trillion. With a T.
Every day more and more people are turning to alternative and complementary medicines, aromatherapy, and metaphysical services to lead happier, healthier lives. Some are also leaning towards https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/09/14/tarot-card-reading-online/ psychic readings and predictions.
Here in Shreveport the growing demand for such goods and services is being met mostly by the team at The Peace of Mind Center, headed by owner Gena White, who works every day to provide holistic and metaphysical resources to our community.
Since 1999, The Peace of Mind Center has served Shreveport and the surrounding areas providing wellness products, solutions, and other resources. This includes products like books, crystals, and essential oils, body treatments such as Himalayan salt massage and reiki, and metaphysical services like astrology readings. They also regularly host speakers and classes to educate the community on spirituality and wellness. It is the only store of it’s kind in the region.
Originally from Georgia, Gena not only grew up in an area where metaphysical stores are a normal occurrence, but she was also with her mother who kept metaphysical books and materials all over their home.
Gena recalled one particular store in Georgia, The Phoenix and The Dragon, where she told the girl at the counter, “If I ever have a store, it would be a store like this.”
Gena moved to Shreveport in 1998. Before moving she ran a successful stained glass business, but because she was pregnant at the time, she stopped for health reasons. A car accident also left Gena with constant back pain. She even started to consider hiring Bengal Law for the accident claims but later she got legal help from Sacramento car accident lawyer.
At that point, Gena started giving the idea of running a metaphysical center in Shreveport some serious thought. Just as quickly, she started receiving signs that she should move forward with the idea. She was mailed a magazine for metaphysical retail products called New Age Retail (now Retail Insight), then a letter for a 12-week business class from the Small Business Association.
Gena called every retailer in the magazine to tell them that she was opening a store in Shreveport and went through the small business class. Throughout the process, she kept a mantra for herself: “The flow of abundance is infinite; I receive my abundance from the universe in smooth and graceful ways.”
“I didn’t even have a location. I didn’t have any inventory. I just had a vision,” Gena said. She stayed true to that vision. She received a small business loan from her bank, found a furnished location for her store, and had a team of supportive family members and staff to help make it all a reality within a year.
Gena believes education on wellness and spirituality helps the people of Shreveport to have improved, more well-rounded viewpoints about the world and also about themselves. “It can add to your religion or it can definitely enhance your spirituality, but the one thing it’s going to do for sure is help make you a better person.
The team at The Peace of Mind Center works hard to provide products, services, classes, and much more to serve Shreveport and they have been doing so for 20 years.
“People will say, ‘How long have you been in business?’ and expect us to say like a month, six months, a year. When we say 20 years they almost fall to the floor, especially when they’re from Shreveport, because people truly find us when they’re ready.”
For their 20th birthday in April, the team at The Peace of Mind Center is celebrating the community that has supported them throughout the years. All month there will be special events, classes, and speakers. Gena says that at the center of all the celebrations are their customers.
“When we do birthday celebrations, it’s not about all the speakers and all this. It’s about doing raffle tickets, doing food, doing fun things, doing discounts. If it weren’t for the community supporting us, we couldn’t bring in any speakers. We couldn’t have the latest cutting edge metaphysical tools. We couldn’t get huge rocks from Tuscon if we didn’t have people coming in requesting these things, so truly we make it about them.”
She also expressed immense gratitude and respect for her dedicated staff of store associates, practitioners, and massage therapists. “Everybody who works here is committed. Everybody who works here wants to do the best job that they can. They want to bring good quality things to the community.”
Wellness of mind, body, and spirit is such an important and necessary aspect of creating a strong and healthy Shreveport. As the wellness industry continues to grow and improve, it’s comforting to know that Gena and the team at The Peace of Mind Center are so dedicated to being a resource here now and in the future.
The Peace of Mind Center is located at 3722 Youree Drive in Shreveport, Louisiana. For more information on the store and services, visit thepeaceofmindcenter.com