By Crysta Coburn
I have been a happy habitant of Southeast Michigan for more than 15 years now, and we are blessed to have many metaphysical stores in our corner of the state. Each is filled with warm, welcoming people who are eager to help anyone on their personal spiritual journey. Join me as I visit five of them.
Earth Lore, Plymouth
Plymouth has the kind of thriving downtown that you read about in books. Built around a modest public park that is bordered by small businesses, restaurants, a farmers’ market, and even a discount single-screen theater, downtown Plymouth is a place you could spend hours exploring. An added bonus in Plymouth—the parking is free! My husband and I usually park behind Westchester Square, a series of connected shops with indoor as well as outdoor access. This also places us close to Earth Lore which is one of our favorite stops,
The name of the shop, which opened in May of 1997, was chosen with intention. Per their website, “We collect goods from across the globe [and] our mission is to provide items with meaning, or ‘lore’, behind their creation.” This is clearly reflected in both the abundance and diversity of Earth Lore’s offerings.
When you enter, you are instantly embraced by the distinctive, inviting aroma that is both familiar to those of us who frequent such shops but also totally unique to Earth Lore. A blend of incense, candles, and essential oils that moved one fellow customer to sigh and say, “I wish I could bottle this smell and take it home with me.” It’s that kind of comforting.
Immediately to your right is something that might surprise some patrons: a display of Catholic and angel statues, iconography, and rosary bracelets. Angel coins sit beside a basket of pentagrams. Continuing on, one encounters a wall of incense, scented candles, and burners of all shapes and sizes. You will find dragon statues (a soft spot for me), singing bowls, a wide variety of essential oils, comfy sweatshirts, T-shirts, pants, bags with fun designs, crystals of all sizes, calligraphy and sealing materials, tarot and oracle decks, pithy bumper stickers, books, and so much beautiful jewelry. This list is far from exhaustive, but I think it offers good insight into what might be found. The staff is always friendly and open to answering questions or helping you find what you need.
If you, like me, need a break after your global tour, located a few doors down from Earth Lore is the cozy and petite Espresso Elevado. It is the perfect place to stop in for a caffeinated treat to revitalize you. My husband and I have often driven to Plymouth just to hang out and window shop or attend the yearly Ice Festival. And no trip is complete without a visit to Earth Lore.
Earth Lore is located at 895 Wing Street in downtown Plymouth. For more information, head to earthlore.com or call (734) 354-1877. Or check them out on Facebook @earthloreplymouth and Instagram and TikTok @earthlore.
Boston Tea Room, Ferndale
Ferndale is another city in Michigan where I could easily spend a whole day. Nine Mile Road is filled with all kinds of fun and unique shops, restaurants, and is where I first visited Boston Tea Room a number of years ago. They have since relocated to Woodward Heights, and boy, have they expanded! Woman owned, Boston Tea Room has been in business for over 40 years and received several local awards, and yet I run into people all the time who have never heard of it.
There is so much to explore that it’s difficult to know where to begin. It feels like every spiritual need or curiosity is met. As usual, I was drawn to the shiny object, like the seemingly endless jewelry counters, displays, and shelves upon shelves of stones and crystals. There is also a nice selection of meditation supplies such as blankets and pillows, both scented and fragrance-free candles for any purpose (my favorites were in beautiful teacups sitting atop matching saucers), incense, herbs and essential oils, coins and charms, tarot and oracle decks, posters, stickers, blank journals; and multiple walls of books. Figures from Buddhist, Hindu, Chinese, and various pagan traditions are well represented.
Along one wall can be found private rooms for practitioners that are named after stones like amethyst and onyx. A wide variety of readings (which should be booked in advance) are offered including quick questions, couples readings, chakra clearing and balancing, and mediumship—just to name a few. (For those who can’t make it into the shop, phone readings may also be booked.) There is also a lineup of events and workshops to check out if you want to maximize your visit.
The tea lounge is delightfully decorated with colorful teapots, cups, and saucers from different time periods and locations across the globe. In addition to tea, one can sit down to enjoy muffins that are in fact upside-down baby bundt cakes, Northwest brand biscotti (not your grandma’s hard biscotti!), colorfully wrapped bonbons, and more. Every drink is made to order, and it may take time to make, so slow down, sit back, relax, and soak up the atmosphere. There are also bags of teas and tea accoutrements for sale you can peruse while you wait.
If you’re lucky, you may also be treated to a visit from a plaid-jacketed Pomeranian who cheerfully checked in on the shop’s patrons on my most recent visit. The human staff was also happy to answer any questions or retrieve an item that was out of reach.
Boston Tea Room is located at 1220 Woodward Heights in Ferndale. For more information, head to bostontearoom.com or call (248) 548-1415. Or check them out on Facebook and TikTok @bostontearoom and Instagram @bostonteatarot.
Illuminate Your Spirit, Livonia
Not every shop needs to be big in order to serve its community. Sometimes it’s the more intimate locations that are the most endearing to us and serve the most need. Conveniently located on Farmington Road just north of Five Mile sits Illuminate Your Spirit, which has been faithfully supporting patrons since April of 2011, first in Plymouth and then, as of June of 2017, at the present Livonia location.
The modest retail space has some truly delightful finds. Not only are there tumbled stones and crystals, but you can pick up the perfect bag to store them in. I was delighted by bags with clever phrases on them, such as, “I’ve got a crystal for that,” “rock my world,” and “time to recharge.” What a great way to have fun with your practice and show off your playful side! For those larger items, there was also a selection of bags for divination decks as well as book bags.
Speaking of books, you can also find used books on spiritual topics at Illuminate Your Spirit. My favorite parts of the store were the unique jewelry (I bought a bracelet that looks a little like shiny chainmail) and large candle selection. You can browse through shelves of everything from chime candles (mini tapers that come in a variety of colors) to votive spell candles and reiki votive candles for focus and healing. There is a candle for just about any need you might have. Between chronic illness and ADHD, I don’t often have the energy or brain power to craft my own spells anymore, so the “premade” votive candles really help me in my practice.
The cozy rooms behind the retail space are set aside for meeting privately with intuitive practitioners and energy healing sessions. These include tarot readings, mediumship, palm readings, soul retrieval, and reiki healing. One thing I found on offer here that I didn’t notice elsewhere was candle work.
Per their website, “Each candle will be lovingly prepared and worked upon our sacred altar, infused with blessed oils, enchanted herbs, and a heartfelt written petition to the Divine—all chosen with intention to align with your specific desire, need, or manifestation.” The candle is then tended to for one to two weeks after which a reading is done on the jar and the results sent to the patron who commissioned the candle.
After exploring what the shop has to offer, be sure to take a peek at the cute fish in the aquarium next to register. Tell them I say hello!
Illuminate Your Spirit is located at 15373 Farmington Road in Livonia. For more information, head to illuminateyourspirit.com or call (734) 469-2091. Or check them out on Facebook @illuminateyourspiritlivonia and Instagram and TikTok @illuminateyourspirit.
Motown Witch, Detroit
For a little over two years, Ypsilanti was home to Conjure Goddess Botanica and Metaphysical Shop, owned and operated by Tanet Jordan, a store that specialized in “Conjure, Hoodoo, Voodoo, African Traditional Religions (ATRs), Santeria, Wicca, and Witchcraft” traditions. Of course everyone was welcome, and I enjoyed stopping by now and again to browse the shelves and have a friendly chat. But Conjure Goddess closed in 2024, leaving behind a distinct void in the local metaphysical and spiritual community.
So, some readers may be excited to learn that located roughly 30 minutes from downtown Ypsilanti, near the intersection of I-96 and M-39 in Detroit, is Motown Witch. (There is also a well-stocked online shop if you can’t make the drive.) Per the website, the owner is “a Witch and Conjure Worker” and “a lifetime Detroiter” (hence the name The Motown Witch).
Motown Witch is admittedly on the small side, but that absolutely does not matter. When I spy an altar by the door, I always feel that I am in the right place, and the wide selection of incense was a delightful and welcoming smell. (The strawberry incense I purchased is sitting on my desk as I write, providing a heavenly, summery aroma while there are still several inches of snow on the ground outside my window.)
Visitors will also find stones (I bought a little selenite tower), handmade soaps, Florida Water, a variety of herbs, packets of ingredients for herbal and spiritual baths, kits with all the components needed for a spell or ritual included, offering candles for orishas and saints, spell candles, as well as statues of orishas and some Christian figures. This includes the personification of death Nuestra Señora de la Santa Muerte (Our Lady of Holy Death), perhaps better known as simply Santa Muerte, whose devotees have been increasing in number in the U.S. over the past 20 years.
Motown Witch also offers classes. In February, a Protection Class was offered that instructed learners “how to protect your spirit, your home, and your peace.” This included “traditional spiritual protection, cleansing and uncrossing basics, everyday protection methods you can really use.” December had the two-part class Herbs, Magic and New Year Readiness. Part one focused on “The Magic in Your Cabinet,” exploring “the hidden powers of herbs, roots and curios.” Part two, “Preparing Your Home for the New Year,” helped to put this knowledge into immediate practice. Other past classes have included Spirituality 101 and Hoodoo 101.
Motown Witch is located at 16544 Plymouth Road in Detroit. For more information, head to motownwitch.com or call (313) 739-6802 or email contact@motownwitch.com. Or check them out on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok @Motownwitch.
Downtown Tarot Company, Rochester
Downtown Rochester is another place I could easily spend a day wandering in and out of interesting little stores, coffee shops, and restaurants. And for me, the main attraction would be Downtown Tarot Company. What appears to be a small, narrow space from the sidewalk in fact has a large footprint. It’s the kind of shop that draws you deeper and deeper as your eyes are drawn to all the amazing—and colorful—items offered.
I was already excited by the impressively sized amethyst geodes in the front window, a few of which were set up to resemble pairs of human-sized fairy wings. After stepping inside, I was amazed by all the crystals and geodes that were the size of bowling balls. The store has stones and crystals of all shapes and sizes (including palm-sized Pokemon), but there are some true stunners scattered throughout that had my jaw dropping. The forest “fairy” epidote was a completely new one to me, and I had to take a picture of its incredible mossy texture so I would remember it later.
On one of the front displays was a selection of crystal pendulums with a mat in front to give them a try on. Another table had a sample deck of the Light Seer’s Tarot, where I drew the two of pentacles. Being a Libra, I took this card of balance as an auspicious sign. There is a wall of divination and oracle decks as well as books.
Downtown Tarot Company makes its own oils, available as sprays and rollers, and candles, which come in many different shapes, sizes, colors, and intentions. Find candles for manifestation, cleansing, protection, focus, love, and more. The line of Pride candles are layered to resemble the various Pride flags, such as pink, yellow, blue for pansexual and yellow, white, purple, and black for nonbinary. I enjoyed the candles with fun phrases (and intentions) on their jars like “hex the patriarchy,” “crazy plant lady,” “queer joy is resistance,” and “manifesting good sex, more crystals, and zero drama.”
There also candles with herbs mixed in and crystals set into the wax. Per the online store, “Fire is an agent of transformation; lighting a candle will enhance and diffuse a crystal’s energy, making these candles perfect for manifestation, spells, rituals, or crystal grids.” Some have a zodiac theme. Candles featuring the Major Arcana are inspired by the now traditional Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck and have a harmonious crystal tucked inside. For example, The Lovers contains rose quartz. There are Mystery Crystal Candles as well, because who doesn’t love a mystery grab bag?
Other things that caught my attention were Mose the mosasaur fossil and the countless stickers found in baskets throughout the store, including stickers of Paul, the resident ghost. In the back are rooms for private psychic, astrology, and other readings and aura photography. Downtown Tarot Company also offers a great number of classes and, during certain times of the year, haunted tours.
Downtown Tarot Company is located at 331 South Main Street in Rochester. For more information, head to downtowntarot.com or call (248) 977-7227 or email info@downtowntarot.com. Or check them out on Facebook @fowntowntarot and Instagram and TikTok @downtowntarotcompany.
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I have been a happy habitant of Southeast Michigan for more than 15 years now, and we are blessed to have many metaphysical stores in our corner of the state. Each is filled with warm, welcoming people who are eager to help anyone on their personal spiritual journey. Join me as I visit five of them.