October at Faeluna

Autumn, old traditions and a season made for curious minds

There’s something about October that feels very Faeluna.

The days shorten, the leaves turn, evenings arrive a little earlier and suddenly it feels perfectly acceptable to light the candles, dig out the blankets and become slightly obsessed with all things autumnal.

But October has always been about more than pumpkins and Halloween.

For centuries, this time of year has marked a turning point. Harvests were gathered, communities prepared for winter and people paid a little more attention to the changing natural world around them. Folklore, superstition and old traditions became woven into the season, many of which still survive in one form or another today.

And perhaps that’s part of October’s appeal. It invites us to slow down and notice things.

A season for curious things

At Faeluna, curiosity has always mattered.

Our shelves are an ever-changing mixture of handmade pieces, crystals, vintage treasures, jewellery, miniatures and unusual finds, alongside things created right here at Faeluna.

Nothing is intended to feel mass-produced or identical. Some things disappear and never return. Others begin life as an idea on the workbench and gradually turn into something completely unexpected.

That is half the fun.

October gives us an excuse to lean a little further into the strange, the old, the beautiful and the unusual.

You might find a witch’s cottage taking shape, a new piece of jewellery on the bench, an old object with a story behind it, or something we rescued simply because it was far too interesting to leave behind.

Look up

Autumn is also a rather good reminder that there is a whole world beyond our screens.

Conkers underfoot. Enormous piles of leaves. Mushrooms appearing almost overnight. Cold mornings. Strange clouds. The first properly dark evenings.

Children notice these things naturally until the world gets very good at distracting them.

That idea sits behind something new we’ve been developing at Faeluna: our small children’s Sunday Club.

Designed for children aged 6–10, it will be a welcoming little group centred around creativity, mindfulness, journalling, kindness, confidence and connection.

There will only be five children in each group, giving everyone room to take part without getting lost in a crowd.

It isn’t school and it isn’t therapy. There are no right answers, nobody has to speak if they don’t want to, and being different is never something to be embarrassed about.

Sometimes children simply need somewhere they can create, notice, talk, listen and be themselves.

More details will be coming soon.

Something else is growing at the back of the shop…

If you’ve visited Faeluna recently, you may have noticed that the space behind the shop has been changing too.

What began as our workshop area is slowly developing into the Faeluna Wellness Hub.

The idea is simple: somewhere to pause, create, reconnect and occasionally shut the outside world out for an hour.

Over the coming months we’ll be developing small wellbeing experiences for adults alongside our creative workshops, including mindfulness, journalling, meditation and visualisation.

We’re taking our time with it rather than launching everything at once. The children’s Sunday Club comes first, Christmas will then undoubtedly descend upon the shop in a flurry of boxes, wrapping paper and mild chaos, and our adult wellbeing programme will begin to grow in the New Year.

Faeluna wellbeing activities are complementary experiences for relaxation, creativity and personal wellbeing. They are not counselling, psychotherapy or medical treatment, and are intended to sit alongside appropriate professional support, never replace it.

And then there’s Christmas…

Yes. We said it.

Christmas.

We know it’s only October, but handmade things don't magically appear on shelves overnight. Although frankly, that would make running Faeluna considerably easier.

So behind the scenes, Christmas is already beginning.

We’ll be creating and sourcing unusual gifts, handmade pieces, one-of-a-kind items and plenty of things for people who are notoriously impossible to buy for.

As always, shopping small means finding things with a little more character while supporting real people and independent businesses at the same time.

More Christmas news will follow soon.

For now, though, we’re quite happy to stay in October.

Come in, have a wander, see what’s changed and leave a wish on the Wishing Tree while you’re here.

Because some of the most interesting things happen when you remain curious enough to look for them.

Faeluna 5 College Street, Gloucester Handmade • Curious • Creative