It was the 2020 Census, of all things, that brought Teresa Taylor to Santa Barbara. The self-described “gypsy from Southern California,” 50 years old at the time, was living in Australia but ready to return stateside and be closer to family in San Pedro. “I wanted to land somewhere nearby where I could put down roots and stay a while,” she said.
Taylor got a job as a door-to-door knocker for the Census in Santa Barbara and soon formed a bond with the city and its inhabitants. “I learned the area by foot,” she explained. “I connected with people, and it grounded me.” As chance (or karma) would have it, Paradise Found had also just come up for sale.
The metaphysical bookstore, founded in 1986 by a pair of nurses from the Pacific Northwest, appealed to Taylor, the daughter of a librarian. In addition to its titles on astrology and divination, the store promoted healing through music with listening booths and CDs for sale. “I love variety,” Taylor said. “So the shop suited my personality.” She jumped on it…