It’s a crazy world out there and those seeking inner peace may find it at one of Central New York’s many metaphysical shops, crystal stores, and herbal apothecaries.
These mystical havens offer everything from crystals and tarot readings to spiritual healing tools. Appealing to more than just witches, their doors welcome a curious mix of believers and skeptics alike.
Shops like Earthbound Metaphysical in North Syracuse, The Cozmic Cauldron in downtown Syracuse and Sandalwood Stone in Marietta provide a glimpse into a world where the spiritual and the everyday come together.
Whether you’re curious about the spiritual realm and want to learn more or just enjoy browsing the shimmering rows of stones, these shops are a great place to begin.
Earthbound Metaphysical Shoppe
For owner Robert Gervais, his Earthbound Metaphysical Shoppe in North Syracuse represents the fulfillment of his diverse dreams. The shop, located at 434 S Main St., is one of the largest metaphysical supply stores in Central New York and has been steadily growing for nearly 12 years.
“I wanted to own multiple shops when I was younger,” he said. “I wanted a spiritual shop. I wanted a coffee shop. I wanted a whole bunch of different things, but in order for me to fulfill all those dreams, I had to do it all together, which turned into this.”
Earthbound offers a wide array of spiritual items from books about Pagan deities to Voodoo dolls and even Catholic prayer beads, Gervais' store is a one-stop shop for all of your sacred needs.
It may seem like these practices are on opposite ends of the spiritual spectrum, but Gervais said they are more interconnected than people realize.
For example, Christian churches use altars, but so do pagans, Buddhists, Judaism and even Islam. Prayers are the same thing as spells, Gervais said.
“It’s putting that intent out in there for the world to see, or for the world to work with the energy,” he said. “But a lot of people don’t realize that it’s pretty much one in the same. It’s just done under different terms, different terminology. That’s all it is.”
Earthbound not only offers books and supplies for your inner journey, but classes, in store events and is home to multiple spiritual services including massage, reiki, mediumship and more.
However, the shop’s most popular offering may come as a surprise: their coffee.
A full coffee bar and bakery are on site and Gervais adds in his own metaphysical twist to their brews, adding in herbs from the apothecary or seasonal flavors. The coffee is so beloved that one customer from Iceland flies in twice a year to purchase multiple pounds of their Valhalla blend.
“So, yeah, it’s not that we’re putting spells on people, but the coffee is so good that it’s magical,” he said.
Earthbound will soon be undergoing yet another expansion, to increase the medicinal apothecary section.
The shop has also gained recent attention through its appearance on the WeTV series “Life After LockUp.” Episodes can be seen on the Earthbound Facebook page.
Cozmic Cauldron
Once located in the basement of Wildflowers Armory marketplace, Cozmic Cauldron has come above ground to a sunny spot at 357 South Warren Street in downtown Syracuse.
The small, but cozy shop is the marriage of ideas between husband and wife team, Jeremy and Jessica Mosley.
“It was the name that made it kind of come together, I guess,” Jessica said. “His space, nerdy side and my witchy, metaphysical side of The Cozmic Cauldron.”
The majority of items in the shop are handmade, whether by the Mosleys or other local artisans. At Cozmic you’ll find tarot cards, crystals, candies, bath products, journals and Jessica’s special tea blends. You can even brew up your own cup right there in the shop.
Supporting local vendors was a crucial aspect for the couple when creating their mini marketplace. During the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, they witnessed the struggle of small businesses, including the closure of their own bath and beauty shop in Liverpool.
“We’re all for the small guys, and very much so during COVID the small guys are the ones that very much suffered a lot. And we were some of them, honestly,” Jeremy said. “And that was our biggest driving force to put something together, not just for ourselves, to pay our own bills, but for everybody to get a piece of the pie.”
To compliment the sales at the store, Cozmic Cauldron also hosts artisan festivals throughout the year to help bolster the local crafting community.
Moving to a storefront with lots of foot traffic has brought in a myriad of customers, from downtown employees on their lunch break to out-of-town visitors staying in a nearby hotel and according to the Mosleys, lots of pilots and flight attendants.
Jessica said what people misconstrue the most about the metaphysical world is that they mean to harm people with hexes and curses. She says it’s quite the opposite.
“It‘s more of healing the body and the mind rather than just focusing on the symptoms of the body, whereas people think it’s the devil,” she said.
She admits the Cozmic Cauldron vibe sometimes strikes people as being “very Halloween,” but that’s just their personalities coming out through the store.
“Halloween is every day for us,” Jessica said.
Sandalwood Stone
Tucked in the rolling hills of Marietta sits Sandalwood Stone, located at 2926 Slate Hill Road. The picturesque journey alone will put you in the mindset that you are headed somewhere magical.
The shop is owned by Tamara Grant, an herbalist who started her journey in the 1990s, who offers a unique healing experience for those seeking solace.
The building where Sandalwood stands now was intended to be where she taught classes in herbalism and house a small herbal business. From there, she took a civil service job and worked on Sandalwood part-time, but her home business quickly took on a life of its own.
However, when her own mental health and anxiety reached a crisis point, she quit her day job and focused on healing herself and growing Sandalwood full-time.
“I really do feel like it saved my life,” Grant said. “I’m hoping that I can just offer something to someone else, too. That’s a lot of the work that I do, is I can recognize someone will come in and they’ll be in that state I was in. And so I try to give them a little something so that they can do a little better, too.”
This focus on healing is seen throughout Grant’s shop, which is filled with ethically-sourced crystals, herbs, and locally made tinctures among other popular items like incense and tarot cards. Her husband, a professional jeweler for decades, also has a section of the shop for fine jewelry which includes bridal gold and diamonds that crystal shops normally don’t carry.
There is a sense of calm inside Sandalwood, which is a carefully curated experience by Grant. From the crystals to the plants, she said they all carry a healing vibration.
“All schools of alternative healing are vibration,” Grant explained. “Whether it’s acupuncture, crystal healing, essential oil, aromatherapy, it’s all that vibration. Your body calibrates to it, and it’s how you make changes in your body.”
She meticulously cleanses and places each item in the shop, but sometimes adjustments are necessary when the energy feels off.
“I sound clear. I sage. I do a lot of things to put protective measures in, and so I’ll have to ground something or I’ll have to clear it. Every piece that comes in, I cleanse it before it makes the shelf. We take a lot of effort, and sometimes when something’s a little off, I’ll have to go fix it,” she said.
For those seeking sustainable and ethical crystals, Grant advises trusting both yourself and your seller. She suggests that being in tune with your body will help you choose crystals that resonate with you. Building a good relationship with a knowledgeable vendor who provides reliable information is also key to finding high-quality crystals—something that’s harder to achieve with online sellers.
When asked to describe her business, Grant emphasizes that her focus is on inclusion, safety, and healing rather than labeling Sandalwood as a witchy, pagan, or spiritual shop.
“I feel like more than the commerce and making money, the ability that I have to talk to a person face to face, especially if that person is really struggling,” she said. “I have a lot of people that come in and they’re really in grief or they’re really having a health crisis, and they need someone to talk to and to offer that service really makes me feel like I’m doing bigger work, and it makes me feel whole as a person.”