Shop For Chicken-Foot Charms and Magical Remedies at This Witchy Holiday Market

Leave it to Catland, our favorite Bushwick-based esoteric and occult bookstore to host a local vendor’s holiday market with a witchy twist. Feast of Fools, a local organization that hosts events on magic and spirituality, teamed up with the bookstore for its second annual holiday market, Yeast of Yules, which runs today until 10 pm. So if you’re getting sick of all this Judeo-Christian hullabaloo but are still in the mood for festivities, we suggest you head straight to Catland ASAP.

Walking through the market, which is crammed into the event space adjacent to Catland’s sales floor, we found a couple of people giving tarot readings and a variety of goods for sale. Alex Patrick Dyck has her jewelry line, Krystal Mysteries, spread out. Artist Katelan Foisy has set up an overflowing suitcase of homemade magical remedies based on Native American practices. She’s selling a variety of items including cleansing solutions, chicken-foot charms, and wishing bottles. Foisy says she whispers into the bottles and instructs people to “breathe life into them.”

We spoke with Nick, who described his goods simply as “Viking designs” – wooden plaques that were either carved or burned with Norse inspired imagery. “My wife also got me into soap,” he laughed.

“All of the vendors are really passionate about what they’re doing and care about what they make,” said Albo Greene, a Feast of Fools member. She stood behind a large table piled high with pastries, cookies, and sandwiches. “Most of these are traditional winter baked goods,” she explained. She listed off several of the homemade treats available: Saffron Buns (typical of Saint Lucia celebrations in Sweden), sourdough bread, cranberry sauce, and Icelandic pepper cookies, among others.

We met a zine maker, L.C. Von Hessen, who’s down to just 10 editions of Mass Culture’s third issue. “It’s generally about sex and death,” she explained. Von Hessen, who has been running the zine since 2011, also works as a layout designer for a Christian newspaper based in Bed-Stuy.

For that special witch in your life, head to Catland before 10 pm. We’re positive you’ll find the perfect gift. The Feast of Fools market will be hosting rituals and performances throughout the night as well. Check the schedule for more details.