Photo by: Jonathon Sadowski
Peculiar
with a purpose
Not all things dark are evil. For centuries, people have turned to the morbid, the strange and the eerie for solutions to life's problems, often to the horror of others. From finding spirituality through the occult to guiding the dying into the afterlife, the peculiar people showcased here embrace the subjects that scare us as a force for positive change. These are the stories of people who make Chicago weird for a cause.
The vast majority of people fear death. Haley Broadaway, a death doula, is trying to change that by helping dying people find peace in the afterlife. She connects with clients physically and spiritually to assist in accepting their fate.
The word occult has a negative connotation thanks to Hollywood and the misconception that it’s rooted in black magic and Satanic practices. However, for Occult Bookstore owner Louvel Delon, it’s another form of spirituality, one capable of bringing out the hidden meanings in one’s life or even the universe.
There's more to Sideshow Gallery than meets the eye. Co-owners Anne-Katrin Elliott and Cheri Basak built their business to showcase the strange and to create a soapbox for their community of artists and activists.
As a cemetery historian, Barry Fleig has spent his life remembering the dead buried in plots throughout Chicagoland. With his expertise, the history and culture behind the region's cemeteries are preserved and documented on his website.