Apothecary — History, lineage and magic all in one. (Conjure South)

Hello and welcome back to another Small Business Monday, where we pick amazing local businesses all over Alabama to highlight and share their passions with y’all. Up this week for the city of Mobile is Conjure South, a metaphysical store full of history, lineage and actual magic. Keep reading to learn all about this shop and the amazing people who make it all happen.

Meet shop owner, Her Imperial Grace Queen Cotaliya M. de la Pound

“I am a psychic medium, so I mostly enjoy people coming in and me being able to give them closure or healing or understanding about death and the dead.”
Her Imperial Grace Queen Cotaliya M. de la Pound, Owner, Conjure South

Her Imperial Grace Cotaliya M. de la Pound comes from a lineage of actual magical royalty. Her ancestors trace back to the West Indies, Africa and Toulouse, France, a cultural blend in which her family’s spiritual work originates. Her family settled in central Alabama in the 1800s, where they owned a significant portion of Benson, Alabama for a while. No matter where they settled, the de la Pound family acted as healers of their community, using herbs and magic works to protect and heal those around them.

About Conjure South

“Why is there a shop?…The elders of my lineage said ‘the truth of who we are, what we do and how it’s done has been exploited to the point that we don’t even recognize us.'”
Her Imperial Grace Queen Cotaliya M. de la Pound, Owner, Conjure South

Over many years of spiritual workings and community outreach, the de la Pound family noticed a significant gap in the knowledge of actual magical practices and commodified practices published on the internet. Looking to address that gap and provide actual knowledge on such workings, the family started Conjure South, originally as a website and magazine.

“We had to create a space in lies, a space in exploitation and a space in appropriation to provide truth so that people are able to connect to Hoodoo, Gris-Gris, Obeah, but also create an educational space where others outside of our ancestral DNA can also understand the process of connecting to your ancestors, your magic, your purpose, no matter where you’re from.”
Her Imperial Grace Queen Cotaliya M. de la Pound, Owner, Conjure South

Over the years, Conjure South blossomed into a full brick-and-mortar shop, selling all sort of spiritual tools and education. The entire building is 18th century French Victorian inspired, with luxurious velvet draping just about every square foot of the space. You can visit the apothecary, where over 100 herbs are sold for both their medicinal and spiritual properties.

“An apothecary, traditionally, is a space where herbal medicine is made…it’s really about herbal medicine and natural healing. It’s about an alternative. It was big pharma before there was a big pharma.”
Her Imperial Grace Queen Cotaliya M. de la Pound, Owner, Conjure South

Make sure you check out the tea parlor as well, where you can enjoy a cup of tea and have your tea leaves read (for a small fee). There’s even a team of readers to read your tarot, interpret your personal astrology and so much more.

Conjure South Events

Conjure South hosts community events as well! The second and fourth Friday of the month (yes, this lines up with ArtWalk!) are The Dark Market, or la marche des tenebres, a market event hosted by Conjure South where all sorts of oddities, apothecary items and more are sold. On nights The Dark Market is occurring, the shop remains open until 10PM for the festivities. This event is free to the public.

Coming up soon are two events: Spirits and Sunday where Her Imperial Grace Queen Cotaliya M. de la Pound contacts spirits in the form of a group reading. There is also Tea and Tarot, where everyone puts on their frilliest tea-dresses and enjoys an individual tarot reading. Both of these events will have published schedules starting in March.

Last, but certainly not least, is Conjure Fete, a yearly metaphysical workshop hosted by Conjure South at the downtown temple. This three-day event brings magical folks from all over the world to the same place where they all learn new workings, spells and more together. Tickets are available for sale now, and you can register here.

Ready to check out this shop for yourself? Here’s all the info you may need:

Address: 10 S Conception St, Mobile, AL 36602
Hours: Wed & Fri: 9AM-12PM; 3:30-7:30PM | Sat: 10AM-12PM; 2PM-4PM (NOTE: Conjure South is open later on Friday nights with events, closing down at 10PM instead)
Contact: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | (251) 459-0925

Want more like this? Make sure you subscribe to our newsletter & keep up with us on social media.