
Spiritual wellness focus of new downtown business

John F. Russell/Steamboat Pilot & Today
Inside the new Breckenwitch store in Steamboat Springs customers will find a variety of products that focus on spiritual wellness and skin care, as well as some magic and mystery. All items are a reflection of owner Gretchen Opichka.
“Everything I sell is small batch, and I don’t sell any mass-market products,” said Opichka, who opened her store three weeks ago at 57 10th St., unit A, in downtown. “It is an upscale, witchy boutique with a little bit of everything from organic, small-batch skincare, to body care, to magic and mystery stuff.”
Opichka said customers will find a lot of different, cool stuff including products from companies like Hydra Bloom Beauty, Bet and Rose, and Honua Skincare which use organic, non-toxic ingredients in their products. Breckenwitch also offers a long list of products from Colorado companies including Katari Beauty, Native Nectar Botanicals, Lunam Love and Intelligent Elixirs.
“I’m currently just adding some more stuff now and I’m constantly getting new products in, which is really cool,” Opichka said. “So, it kind of keeps a nice flow.”
Opichka started selling the soaps she made in 2018 at a spa in Breckenridge where she worked as an esthetician. That’s where she came up with the name Breckenwitch. She moved to Steamboat a couple of years ago and felt the timing was right to open her own store.
A store, which is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, offers ritual crafts like tarot cards, spell kits and sage bundles, along with handcrafted witch and wizard hats from Spain and other art.

Gretchen Opichka/ Courtesy photo
There is also a selection of stones, gems and crystals from the Manitou Springs area, a wide selection of candles made from nontoxic soy oil and coconut oil along with air plants, earrings, and magic fairy dust.
“This is a hobby for me, and something I’ve always wanted to do,” Opichka said. “Idle hands are dangerous for me, and it’s just the right time. I want to be able to give back my knowledge and the stuff that I love back to the people and they seem to love that. It’s just it’s just a cool shop.”
To reach John F. Russell, call 970-871-4209, email jrussell@SteamboatPilot.com or follow him on Twitter @Framp1966.