Storefront temporarily closed, but you can shop online at sassafrasmercantile.com
Lovers of healing and awareness have a new home in Kingston’s lively Rondout district, a place to shop for beeswax candles, amethyst pyramids, potions, and unusual tarot decks. It’s a clean, bright, colorful space where you can find, as co-founder Lydia Willoughby explains, “a little bit from a lot of different subcultural scenes. We’ve got zines, like the infoshop of your dreams; herbs and teas, like an apothecary; tarot and oracle decks, like a metaphysical shop; and wellness wares and homegoods, like your favorite gay bookstore or feminist pleasure store.”
“We’ve got zines, like the infoshop of your dreams; herbs and teas, like an apothecary; tarot and oracle decks, like a metaphysical shop; and wellness wares and homegoods, like your favorite gay bookstore or feminist pleasure store.”
–Lydia Willoughby, co-founder
Welcome to Sassafras Mercantile, where you’ll find everything from crystals to raccoon bandanas, and a level of empathy and hospitality as soothing as the freshly brewed herbal tea.
Sassafras opened its doors in June 2019, but its parent company, Salix Alba (White Willow) LLC, was founded in November 2018. “My wife and I like to joke that we’ve owned a lot of imaginary businesses before, because it’s something we would often dream about; but, this is our first venture together,” says Lydia.
“We’re kind of developing as we go. I’ve worked in libraries before—one time as a solo librarian, other times with programming and communications management—so a lot of the community organizing aspect of Sassafras feels very similar to me, but in ways where we can go deeper.”
Lydia, a South Carolina native and Bard graduate, and her wife and business partner Amber Billey, then a graduate student originally from rural Pennsylvania, met in New York City in the process of “organizing a queer librarian dance party.” Besides libraries, they shared an affinity for permaculture and too much more to list, and married in 2011.
“We offer discounts on tea sets with kettles and glassware, and we generally take $5 off tester decks of tarot and oracle cards.”
The couple settled in the Hudson Valley in the mid-teens after finding Vermont to be a little too far north. “I love being in the country and being close to the city, and being near trees and plants while also being able to be a part of a vibrant arts and cultural scene in the Hudson Valley,” says Lydia. “There are so many talented, chill, curious people here, and it’s an honor to be in community with these folks.”
Offering supplies, information, and a place to play is a joyful mission. “Lydia and I have always given back to our communities,” says Billey. “We were party promoters and benefit organizers in our pasts, and wanted to do something more permanent and lasting. Opening a business that represents all our favorite things and supports our community seemed like the perfect next step.”
“I want people to feel like their whole selves in the store, and, so far, it’s led to some amazing connections.”
–Lydia Willoughby, co-founder
Both womxn earned certification in permaculture design through Sowing Solutions Ecological Design & Permaculture Education in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. Lydia has studied with Accord master herbalist Dina Falconi and Tarot For the Wild Soul educator Lindsay Mack. Those influences inform not just the product but the practice of Sassafras, which is as much refuge and resource as it is a place to purchase farm-to-cup herbal teas, bulk botanicals, tarot and metaphysical supplies, books and zines, jewelry, gifts, homegoods and wellness wares, all “focused on liberating mind and body,” Lydia says.
“We’re both inspired by the philosophy of permaculture economics and local economies of scale,” says Billey. “Permaculture focuses on earth care, people care, and fair share to support regenerative ecosystems. We source our herbs from local farms—all our products are selected according to our purchasing ethics—and we believe in supporting our communities. Communities are ecosystems, and if we approach business from a permaculture-perspective, we can help create strong, creative, and thriving communities.”
Sassafras is about “connecting community knowledge to personal liberation, and convening a beautiful inclusive queer/feminist/anti-racist space that asks questions with curiosity and answers with a full heart and a little bit of magic.”
Part of putting that philosophy into action is looking out for both customers and makers. “We offer discounts on tea sets with kettles and glassware, and we generally take $5 off tester decks of tarot and oracle cards,” says Lydia.
“But most of all, we price things so that you’re paying for the artist or maker to be compensated well. We also have herbs and crystals and zines that are on the cheaper end, so it’s totally possible to spend $5 in the shop and leave with a ton of goodies.”
In the course of being the change they’d like to see and creating a metaphysical mercantile, the Sassafras team has become a beloved addition to the lively Rondout district.
“Ooo! Kingston needed a classy yet esoteric shop, here it is.…” writes a reviewer. “Love the energy of everyone and everything there,” writes another. Billey was lead carpenter on the renovations the two did as a team, with white pegboard and live-edge oak counters and shelves from New York Heartwood; a 24-inch vintage disco ball adds to the festive feel.
“Permaculture focuses on earth care, people care, and fair share to support regenerative ecosystems. We source our herbs from local farms—all our products are selected according to our purchasing ethics—and we believe in supporting our communities.”
– Amber Billey, co-founder
“We host monthly art openings, workshops, and events, and different modalities in the counseling arts—tarot, palm readings, aura and past life, reiki.”
– Lydia Willoughby, co-founder
on-site the majority of the time, keeping shop, Lydia loves the experience when someone discovers Sassafras: “We get really sweet, sincere folks who come to the store as a destination and a place to find themselves in a public space, or folks who walk in and are delighted to experience so many aspects of themselves. I want people to feel like their whole selves in the store, and, so far, it’s led to some amazing connections.”
Events are frequent and exuberant, enhanced by the crowd, the ethos, and the setting. “We have events that are fun, because our relationship with vendors is to amplify and celebrate the rad work that they’re already doing,” says Lydia. “We host monthly art openings, workshops, and events, and different modalities in the counseling arts—tarot, palm readings, aura and past life, reiki. We even have a therapy dog booked for later this year. And after our opening, we built a bar. People wanted more parties, so we started doing First Saturdays.”
“We host monthly art openings, workshops, and events, and different modalities in the counseling arts—tarot, palm readings, aura and past life, reiki.”
– Lydia Willoughby, co-founder
Sassafras is about “connecting community knowledge to personal liberation, and convening a beautiful inclusive queer/feminist/anti-racist space that asks questions with curiosity and answers with a full heart and a little bit of magic.” So stop in, scan some zines, touch an amethyst, and get some tea, maybe a CBD joint or some cool stickers, and meet the folks.
The future will be fun-filled and fulfilling. “Workshops, clubs, art openings, and our coven!” says Lydia when we ask her what to expect in the coming months. “The Witchcraft for Skeptics series, a ton of exciting artists to host, more bitters workshops, and possibly an amaro club...we might even go look at stars on a boat on the Hudson River!”
sassafras mercantile
37 Broadway, Kingston 845-481-5387
ssafrasmercantile.com
