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COME VISIT US!
The Lucky Mojo Curio Co. occult shop is located in the relatively small town of Forestville, California. We operate a mail-order business on the world wide web as well as a regular walk-in store for local customers to browse. We have a couple of acres here, and we grow many of our own herbs in our garden. We make all of our oils, incenses, sachet powders, and bath crystals on the premises in the old-fashioned drugstore laboratory shown here. The 12 foot tall dark chestnut wood cupboard along the back wall, holding all the jars of herbs, was built in the 1880s. It came out of a demolished pharmacy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the foreground you can see coloured, unscented bottles of almond oil, and on top of them, a row of bottles of the various concentrated essential oil compounds that are blended with herbs and minerals when we make up our spiritual oils. |
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LUCKY MOJO CURIO CO. CATALOGUE
• COMPLETE INVENTORY
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 Lefty in his coffin with Florida Water and his dashing bow tie. |
At the left is Lefty, our 1880s-era skeleton, in
his beautiful redwood coffin. We don't know what his name was in life, but we
do know that he was a Caucasian man, about 5 feet 4 inches tall, who was between
20 and 35 when he died. He probably succumbed to an infectious
disease, since his skeleton is unmarked by injury in any way.
He was mounted as a medical skeleton for the use of student-doctors sometime
during the late 19th century; all the bronze wing-nuts that hold him together were
hand-made and his cartilage is really his, not the nylon or plastic cartilage
that is used on contemporary medical skeletons. Lefty's coffin is a
typical Victorian era "toe-pincher,"
made from first-growth California redwood that has been hand hewn. He was, for many
years, kept as a ritual skeleton in a Northern California Odd-Fellows Lodge, where he was
used to exemplify Death during initiations. At some point during the 1970s, he,
and several other Oddfellows Lodge skeletons, were sold to an antiques dealer, who
kept them for decades in his storage area.
We purchased Lefty in 2002 We had his wooden coffin cleaned and refinished with tung oil, then relined it with shimmery royal blue cloth spangled with metallic red stars. If you look closely at the photo, you will see a small bottle of Florida Water at his feet. This is a traditional offering to the spirits of the dead. As you can also see, Lefty is wearing a black bow tie. I put this on him as a festive touch in August, 2002, when we were hosting a party at the shop -- but the next day, when we went to take it off, he let us know that he liked it very much, and indeed, it suits him very well. |
 The Lucky Mojo Curio Co. shop in Spring 2006. The Walnut tree behind the shop is just beginning to leaf out and the early roses are starting to bloom. |
 Dusty at the Front Door. |
Don't
forget to say hello to Dusty, the six-foot tall, extremely life-like wizard sculpture
who stands just inside the doorway
at the entrance to the shop. In his upraised right hand he
holds a softly glowing crystal ball. This has earned him the title of "largest
night-light in Forestville." Fans of Garrison Keillor's show "A Prairie Home Companion"
will recognize the names of Lefty and Dusty from "The Lives of the Cowboys," a favourite
radio drama of mine.
We do not operate a conventional downtown-style business in a big city, as you can tell by this photo of the walkway up to the front door of the shop. Instead, our store is up a long driveway at the back of our home property, under a redwood tree. However, just because the shop is off the beaten track, that doesn't mean we are anti-social. Quite the contrary! We love having visitors and shoppers drop in. Also, if you happen to see us driving around Northern California in our lucky and religious themed artcar, the MOJO CAR, be sure to come over and say hello. Folks are always welcome to drop by the store to browse, shop, or simply talk to us from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Sunday. If you have a large order you want filled, it's good idea to phone it in a day or two ahead of your visit if you are driving up from the Bay Area -- we make everything by hand jn very small batches, and we don't want to disappoint anyone by not having everything ready for you if you show up unannounced. |
 We have achieved Church! Look what sprang up along the path to the shop in 2007! it's MISSIONARY INDEPENDENT SPIRITUAL CHURCH. |
 Rows of jars line the shelves of the Lucky Mojo Curio Co. shop. |
We have about 3500 different herbs, roots, candles, dressing oils and ritual oils, essential oils, incense blends, amulets, books, tarot and cartomancy cards, mineral curios, posters, holy cards, religious statues, soaps, hair care products, zoological curios, and crystal salts in stock at any given time, but if you want particular items custom-made for you, please phone us ahead so that we can put them together in time for your arrival, or be prepared to watch (and even pitch in!) as we prepare your order to your specifications. At right is Sophie the Portuguese Water Dog wearing her Hot Foot Chili Pepper bandana and sitting by the small Chinese painted cupboards in the Candle Island. We sell retail to individuals and wholesale to shops all around the world, and we count among our customers some of the nations's best spiritual workers and root doctors. Many of the items we carry are unique to us, including our own special moulds for figural candles and amulet jewelry. We specialize in ritual tools for magickal work that are beautiful as well as useful, and we strive for authenticity and the continuation of traditional forms of spell-craft above all else. If you specifically want to meet catherine, please call ahead for the best times. Cat is usually available in the afternoon, but *not* always on Mondays or Wednesdays, due to her other tasks. At those times count on Susie, Heidi, Eileen, Angela, Robin, Karl, Yelena, Mary, Elvyra, or Nagasiva to help you.
If you can't come to Forestville in person,
and you have a moment to spare while about two dozen pictures load,
please:
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Sophie the Portuguese Water Dog may bark to signal your arrival, but she is extremely friendly. |
MAP OUR LOCATION:
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Map Images
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We are located west of Santa Rosa in Sonoma
County, California, a block and a half north of Highway 116 in the town of Forestville. Our address is 6632 Covey Road Forestville, California 95436 (707) 887-1521 |
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DRIVING DIRECTIONS:
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Take California State Highway 101 to Santa Rosa, California. From Santa Rosa, take Guerneville Road west to the end of the road at a 'T' intersection with Highway 116. Turn right (north) on Highway 116 and proceed to the town of Forestville. As you enter Forestville, the road makes a sweeping uphill left-hander, and at the crest of the hill you'll see Carr's Drive-in on the right. This is the junction of Covey Road and 116. Turn right (north) on Covey Road and pass between two churches (a large tan one on the left and a small white one on the right). Cross Center Street and continue for one-half block and on your left you'll see a post with the number 6632 in white lettering on green tiles, atop a larger black-and white sign that reads, "Drive Slowly. Watch for Animals." Enter the driveway, which is lined with rose bushes, apple trees, and fence posts on which there are nailed abalone shells. Drive to the top of the hill and park by the big old white barn, where an old yellow and black sign says "Customer Parking. Unauthorized Cars Will Be Towed Away." Walk across on the sidewalk past the red church to the one-storey, grey building (NOT the two-storey house). |
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
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Thanks to Mari for the photo of Lefty and to Marc for the photos of the shop. Hey! We got visited! The History Channel tv show "Weird U.S." made a pilgrimiage to our shop in 2005 to document its weirdness. Here are some pictures of the event, featuring "Weird U.S." hosts Mark Sceurman and Mark Moran, plus technical crew from KPI-TV. |
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copyright © 1995-2009 catherine yronwode. All rights reserved.
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