Business Spotlight: : Arts & Crafts: Botanica & Occult Shop

Dr. Amber Epps has spent over two decades in higher education, serving as an adjunct professor at La Roche University and Point Park University. She’s an educator, writer, transdisciplinary artist, and the Executive Director of Write Pittsburgh. But her path took a transformative turn—one that led her to ancestral healing and community restoration.

“I have five degrees, but I sit in my business and sell incense all day,” she said with a laugh. Behind the incense, however, lies a deeper story.

Amber’s business was born from a personal journey toward spiritual wellness and a desire to reconnect with ancestral traditions. From the age of three, she felt different. “I had experiences that other people weren’t having, even though they felt common and natural to me,” she shared. “I felt connected to the woods, the trees, the plants.”

Her search for spiritual tools and services often meant traveling across the city, spending hours trying to find what she needed. “I had to go to many different places and spend much of my day doing that,” she explained. “I wanted to create a place where people could come and have a one-stop shop.”

That vision came to life in 2016 when Amber opened Arts & Crafts: Botanica & Occult Shop in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood alongside her sister and best friend. From the very beginning, the shop was more than a retail space—it became a sanctuary for spiritual connection, cultural restoration, and community care.

After seven years, the shop closed in late 2023 so Amber and her team could reclaim personal time and focus on self-care. But their story was far from over.

“I started to miss my baby… I wanted my physical shop back,” Amber said.

During the shop’s online phase, a sign appeared. Amber saw a Facebook post from Denise Graham-Shealey, a loan officer at Neighborhood Community Development Fund (NCDF) and someone she had known since their teenage years.

“It felt like the universe was telling me it was time,” she said.

With support from Denise and Neighborhood Community Development Fund, Amber reopened her shop in Wilkinsburg in 2024.

“The Fund helped with my security deposit, inventory, shelving—everything I needed to get set up in my in-person shop.”

To Amber, The Fund provided more than financing—it offered belief, structure, and a foundation for growth. With its help, Amber transformed her vision into a thriving business that now serves as a hub for spiritual wellness and cultural connection.

Today, Arts & Crafts: Botanica & Occult Shop is a place where people come not just to buy incense but to find community, healing, and a sense of home. And through her work, Amber is helping others rediscover their roots, embrace their journey, and walk forward with purpose.