Ritual-aid charmacy
Walk in the front door of F & F, and you’ll be overwhelmed by the largest collection of Voodoo candles you’ve ever seen. There are candles to help you get a job, to help win your court case, to attract money or love; there are candles to keep the law away, to cause a breakup; and, perhaps best of all, there’s the all-encompassing Do What I Say candle. Like po’boys, candles can come “fully dressed.” Dressed candles have been anointed with appropriate oils and herbs. They are twice as pricey, but if you really want people to Do What You Say, it’s worth the extra expense.
F & F was originally named The Kingdom of the Yoruba Religion by the shop’s founder, Enrique Cortéz, author of Secretos del Oriaté de la religión yoruba. “New” owner (of the last 30-plus years) Felix Figueroa had already been selling spiritual candles and goods around New Orleans for some time when he bought the place in 1981. With more than 6000 items on display in the store today, F & F has become the Walmart of Voodoo supplies. In addition to candles, they have essential oils, roots and herbs, books, artisan jewelry, statues of saints and demons, prayer cards, and, for some reason, Mardi Gras beads.
Info
Address 801 N Broad Street, New Orleans, LA 70119, +1 504.482.9142, www.fandfbotanica.com | Hours Mon, Tue, Thu–Sat 8am–5:30pm| Tip For one of the best psychic readings in New Orleans, steer clear of the transients lining Jackson Square and make an appointment with Cari Roy (+1 877.774.6652). Her office doesn’t look any more woo-woo than a marriage counselor’s or tax accountant’s, but she’s been rated the number-one psychic in America.
You can watch as people come in to describe their wants or afflictions to Felix, after which he turns to his wall of botanicals to whip up a concoction to fulfill their needs.
There are also bath powders for jinx removal, a peaceful home, and for attracting success and love. You’ll even find aerosol sprays, such as the Gambling Spray (much needed before you go to the racetrack or Harrah’s Casino), and those hard-to-find items like a white hair plucked from the second-born fawn of a blessed doe from the North Shore. What the white hair is supposed to do is unclear, but it’s probably good to have one around “just in case.”
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