“So many people are realizing they’re into witchiness and healing,” says Lacey Prpić Hedtke. She’s the founder of The Future, at 35th Street & 23rd Avenue, a new business with a very specific clientele that opened in Corcoran earlier this year.
Don’t come looking for smoking cauldrons or eye-of-newt, though. In the front of the smart boutique, you’ll find a small collection of the everyday items of witchcraft and alternative healing, plus a few handsome baubles that your whole coven will covet. The tightly curated shelves hold artisan incense and tasteful ceramic works, local fruit preserves with and the proprietor’s own line of astrologically inspired sprays and oils. Zines and periodicals of occult persuasion, as well as other homegoods and handcrafts that celebrate differences among people are proudly featured.
“A lot of the things we sell are things that I wished I could buy locally but couldn’t,” she says, pointing to an underground-favorite magazine called Sabat.
Perhaps most eye-catching to a witch-curious window-shopper is the gleaming collection of crystals. The storefront glimmers with shards of jasper and labradorite and fluorite. Consider an amethyst if you’re looking for some ethereal help in your sobriety, or if you’re unsure try a plain-old quartz.
“It’s a good, all-purpose crystal for people who are just dipping their toes into witchy stuff,” says Prpić Hedtke.
Traveling through the The Future’s rooms, you’ll also find a collaborative space that serves as a studio, an esoteric library of spellcraft, a community gathering room, and a residence for traveling artists. In all aspects of the business, Hedtke hopes to support, encourage, and inspire artists and makers, especially those who identify as women, people of color, or trans.
The Future is the latest establishment to open in the newly founded “Witch District.” It’s a nebulous and unofficial business district that includes parts of Corcoran, Standish, Phillips, and Powderhorn. Participating businesses include Sea Wolf Tattoo Company, Women’s Woodshop, and Modern Times Cafe on 32nd & Chicago. (“It’s where witches go to lunch.”)
Arguably, there’s no better time for The Future to open than now. “Neptune is in Pisces,” notes Prpić Hedtke, referring to the astrological calendar. “It’s the first time that’s happened since the birth of Spiritualism.” For more information, visit www.thefuturempls.com.
