New Orleans native opens African spiritual bookstore and botanica in Philadelphia

A Black woman from New Orleans not only calls Philadelphia home, but also has a shop that honors religious traditions from across the African diaspora.  

"It makes me feel fulfilled. It's just such a full feeling," said Shantrell Lewis, who loved helping customers find their own spiritual path at her store, Beaucoup Hoodoo.

"So, Beaucoup Hoodoo is an ATRs – which means African Traditional Religions – focused bookstore and botanica," she explained. "A botanica is a spiritual shop."

On one side of the store in the Germantown section of Philadelphia are tarot cards and books on various African religions.

"On this side of the shop," Lewis pointed out. "You have many of our spiritual products, mostly featuring our dressed candles."

Visitors could also find tools for building an altar, like the one Lewis — herself a New Orleans native — built to honor her own ancestors.

"This is also my paternal great-grandmother, and I love this portrait of her — her name was Cecilia Atkinson–– because of the way she's styled. She self-styled and dressed."

Mars Santi, from Germantown, said there was always something new to learn at the shop.

"So, it's really cool to be able to tap into different cultures, to have spaces that will hold and retain that material culture and that history. It's just really, like, invaluable."

Lewis continued to build community not just in Philadelphia, but across the nation. In March 2027, she planned the Beaucoup Hoodoo Fest in New Orleans, where members could learn about African spiritual practices in her hometown.