Editorial: Flying into The Owl Nest

Last weekend I had the opportunity to visit The Owl Nest at their new home in historic Frederick, MD. The following is an editorial of my personal experience:

Its hard to believe that Frederick is only an hour away from the heart of the District. Driving into the historic town is like taking a walk through time, where colonial America has remained frozen and unchanged for the past 200 years. The rainy day - despite causing us some difficulty in walking around - only added to the charm of the area. The streets are lined with shops built into historic townhouses, many with the original brick work that the area is known for.

Among the townhouse shops is the discretely nestled Owl Nest. The store originally opened in 2004 and moved to its new location last winter, as we reported in February. The shops seems to be fitting comfortably into their new space, with an impressive layout of goodies. Stones, tools, statues, and (my favorite part) shelves of herbs, made for a delightful shopping experience. In particular, I found the Hoodoo section unique with its collection of oils and candles from companies like Lucky Mojo and others. With retail space scarce and costly in these areas, I appreciated the effort to include tools from a wide variety of traditions.

I would have liked to see some more uncommon types of herbs rather than ones I can find easily at health food stores. Herbs usually sold as "curio-only" are hard to come by in our area and I was hoping to pick up some of those. However, I did find some great herb and portion vials, which are also (strangely) a rarity at occult shops these days.

The shop had a pleasant feel and the staffer I met was very friendly. She took time out of what she was doing to chat with my group.

The Owl Nest is open seven days a week and is located at 239 West Patrick Street in Frederick.