Montreal’s new ‘witch shop’ blends magic, self-care and community

Crystals on display at the Moon Brew Magic Café (photo: Christine Long/CTV News)

There’s a new “witch shop” in Montreal — and it may be the only one of its kind in the city.

Moon Brew Magic Café sells spell kits, potions and tarot cards, offering what its owners describe as a space where spirituality meets self-care.

On Halloween, when “the veil between the physical and spiritual world is very thin,” says co-owner Shehla Bakshi, the café feels especially alive with energy.

“You could call me a witch. You can call me a spiritualist. You can call me a practitioner,” said Bakshi.

But Bakshi’s “magic potions” are less about casting evil spells and more about nurturing the self.

“Self-love, cause being nice to myself, just simple things like that,” she said.

The occult is enjoying a resurgence on social media, and Moon Brew Magic hopes to channel that into an antidote to daily stress.

“Nowadays in society, we just get lost with running or our money, work and all the stress that society has in store for us. And spirituality is a way where you can reconnect to yourself,” Bakshi explained.

Bakshi offers tarot card reading on-site, answering clients’ questions.

“We are very interested in the spiritual world,” said one client.

Even the drinks have a magical twist. Co-owner Val Dejours says they infuse beverages with herbs tied to witchcraft traditions.

“[We] use like sage or rosemary or like herbs that we use on the day-to-day [to infuse] witchcraft into our drinks,” said Dejours.

The café was created to be a welcoming place for anyone seeking to move beyond the internet and find connection in real life – where the real magic happens.

“We created this place so that we can bring in the community to reconnect. Not just the practitioners, all of the people who are spiritualists, and they do not know how to get back into, like connecting with themselves,” said Bakshi.

It’s Halloween every day at 271 Duluth St. East.