Colleen Etman
Google
A friend told me this was *the* voodoo shop in nola, and I'm so glad I checked it out! I ended up running in about 15 minutes before closing trying to rush and find a gift for a friend who'd just had a baby, trying to get in and out so I didn't push their hours. But this store is a wonderland, an Aladdin's treasure hoard, you could explore forever. I ended up asking the staff for recommendations and they didn't just pick the most popular thing, they asked about my friend to give a personalized recommendation. There was real consideration about the best way to give grace to not just the new baby but to the parents as well. I also bought my mom an African rattle, as she teaches African drumming, and had a lovely chat with one of the staff about the African roots of Creole culture, and got myself a memento mori statue in remembrance of my dog I recently lost, and got a blessing from the priest manning the store in commiseration about losing a pet but about how I needed to move on. At no point did I feel rushed or like they wanted me gone - they seemed happy to have a receptive audience. I ended up losing the gift for my friend and bought another online, as they do shipping, and ended up buying one for myself while I was at it. I put in a note thanking them for all their help and they sent me a sweet gift! I cannot recommend this place enough if you want to learn more about New Orleans' legacy of African and Creole culture, buy authentic voodoo gifts or materials, or just explore a really cool place!