Much of what has been written about the purveyors of Covington’s Hierophany & Hedge – Beskpoke Arcana have centered around their unique appearance.
“The impeccably dressed shopkeepers who look to be plucked straight from Victorian aristocracy.” Coil, with her “intelligent eyes” and Augur, “whose gaze captivates like a charm of binding, fortified by his precisely tailored gentleman’s suit and bespoke accouterment.”
While it should be noted that their choice of wardrobe is unique, focusing on the bespoke accouterment almost overshadows the personalities underneath the corsets and woolen suits of the remarkable partners behind the store.
Having opened May 1, 2021, they have experienced a whirlwind of support and success in their disarmingly charming magic store at 19 Pike St. in Covington. There have been a myriad of glowing reviews online, multiple articles written describing the store and its 19th-century vibe, and most recently an award from the City of Covington for “Keepin’ It Real” in the form of the “Authentici-CITY Award” this May.
While all of these accolades are quite deserving, and the periodicals provide a glimpse into the store and its wares, little has been recorded of the people behind the macabre façade; and that’s been by design. Not to say they won’t let you peek into the magical world they’ve created at their home and storefront, but what they have to offer customers and the city goes far beyond bespoke wands and fruit bat skeletons.
This is a passion project
As students of Magic, Coil and Augur have a wide range of knowledge on a variety of topics, but they’re the first to admit when someone comes in with a question or item that stumps both.
“What we don’t have kicking around in our brains we will be more than happy to help research,” Coil said.
In addition to knowing the history of an item, they are also conscious of the future of our fragile ecosystem, only sourcing items that have been ethically procured. Aiming to fill your mind with knowledge but also fill your heart with the same passion they share for all aspects of magic, Augur spins around the shop gesturing to the walls adorned with artwork.
“It’s one of the wonderful things about this is that there is so much in the shop and there are so many different practices, that we’re learning things every day too,” Augur said. “We have our traditions, and so we can kind of tell you what Rosemary might have been used for in a northern European tradition, but someone else from a different background will come into the store saying, ‘My grandmother used this’ in her practice and they’re looking for it here.”
Procuring ethically sourced items and materials is of the utmost importance to both Coil and Augur, and when an item is no longer available from a source they’re comfortable obtaining it from, they encourage closely related alternatives or similar tools to the ones sourced while keeping in line with the customer’s traditions or needs.
“I think seeing how magical practice has changed and the number of people who come in, even if they don’t know exactly what it is, they’ll know something,” Augur said. “Like, ‘Wait, I’m not supposed to buy Palo Santo, right?’ or ‘White sage isn’t a thing that I’m supposed to get?’ This is a passion project. This is not about selling as much stuff as we can. It’s about getting to have those interactions with consumers.”
A sliver lining: More to life than Facebook and mortgages
Opening a store can prove difficult for a first-time shopkeeper. Doing so amid a pandemic, social upheaval, and political discord would test the mettle of any entrepreneur. This didn’t deter Coil and Augur from creating the ideal magic shop they’ve always wished to see in their travels procuring items across the world.
“I think if there is a silver lining to the things that have happened over the last couple of years — it is the number of people who sort of were sitting alone at home during quarantine and being like, ‘you know, there’s more to life than Facebook and mortgages,’ and one has to believe in that arch of progress,” Augur said.
While not native to the Northern Kentucky region, the duo made their home in Covington and enjoyed meeting and mingling with their new neighbors.
“The tenor of the community is just so different here,” Coil said. “People are nice and of all walks of life. And I think, if you’d asked us 10 years ago whether we would have a Kentucky driver’s license, we would have laughed at you, but it feels like home.
“The idea that the sort of the geography that you live in, everyone lives in the same physical space, but you move through that space so differently, so you make your own space, and you make your own community, wherever it is. One of the great, great joys of the shop has been establishing our regulars and feeling like we have become a home to so many people who maybe don’t have a whole lot of other places to go and feel comfortable.”
Serving knowledge and kindness alongside Kia
With so much bespoke packed into one store, Coil sighs at the prospect of opening a second location or expanding.
“We curate this space so extensively that the idea that we would put that elsewhere, it’s just not feasible,” Augur said.
Assembling this large collection of wares was made slightly easier by the fact their residence is above the storefront.
“But the upside of living above your place of work is that you live in your place of work and the commute can’t be beat,” Augur said. “The downside is that it is also your home. We’d like to do events, we’d like to have guest speakers, I mean, we’ve got a great network of people we’d love to get to come and talk. But are we ready to have a group of 20 people eating popcorn and listening to a speaker in what is our dining room?”
Coil and Augur certainly make those who enter their shop feel welcome and at home, and that was the intent from the very beginning.
As stewards of sorcery, they sought to make Hierophany & Hedge a haven for all those who enter. A place to learn, teach and provide a community for all walks of life.
“It’s wonderful to have become a bit of a haven for people who feel kind of outcast and I think that that’s also a big reason that we don’t carry Harry Potter branded merchandise,” Coil said.
Reflecting on a particular instance in which they received backlash for not carrying books or items by JK Rowling, Coil said, “A customer came in and they asked, “So where are your Harry Potter books?”
Coil said the person wasn’t familiar with their shop and had just walked in off of the street.
“We just apologized and said that we didn’t carry them, and they were quite upset like we tricked them,” Coil said. “The decor of the shop had the passerby under the impression that Harry Potter merchandise would be readily available inside, as the cover art of the books and videos has a time period-specific motif, not unlike the aesthetic of the shop.”
Coil giggled, saying that the person was convinced they were being tricked.
“We will trick you, but in other ways,” Coil said with a smile.
Coil went on to explain to the customer the reasoning behind the lack of Harry Potter merchandise: Due to Harry Potter author J.K. Rawling’s tweets that were insensitive to transgender people, they did not carry the books.
The customer left.
“But then someone else who was in the shop who came over and was just like, ‘Hey, I am trans, and I appreciate what you guys do — it really means a lot,’ and I got like, misty (eyed) and they were misty (eyed),” Coil said.
“It was a really affirming moment, confirmed for all of us to have this as a safe place for people to be able to come,” Coil said. “That means a lot to us. Aggressive empathy is something we strive for. Not to quote Jewel songs as your ethical model, but the idea is to serve only kindness. We see magic as a thing that should be accessible to everyone.”
A gallimaufry of goods
In this store, just about every type of customer can find something that speaks to them and their interests, even if when they walk through the ornate doorway they become lost or overwhelmed.
“We had a very small girl who could not have been more than 5,” Coil said. “Just teeny kind of going around with a little blankie, and she was looking around all the stuff with her dad and she was a little skittish. She wasn’t sure about the shop at all. She looked up and saw our fruit bat, our flying fox skeleton, and she just panicked.
“‘What? What? What is the?’ So, I ask her what her if she knew what his favorite food was, the bat, and she said ‘No,’ and I said, ‘Well, what’s your favorite fruit?’ and she says, ‘I like bananas.’ I tell her that his favorite food is also her favorite food,” Coil continued. “You both are fruit lovers.’ And the girl goes, ‘Wow!’ and she becomes a little more relaxed.”
Augur jumped in.
“And she went home with a stuffed bat, right,” Augur said.
Coil nodded.
“She did, she went home with a little stuffed bat,” Coil said.
Augur jumped in.
“Plush, it was plush,” Augur said. “Maybe shouldn’t say, ‘stuffed.'”
With a sly grin, Coil reflected on the last year and how the community welcomed them with open arms.
“I think my favorite thing and probably the highest compliment we’ve received, was one night two guys were walking by the store and one of them just kind of does (mimicking a passerby coming to a screeching halt and turning around to look inside the store), ‘Whoa, look, this,'” Coil recalled. “And his friend immediately goes, ‘No, no, no. You’re not going into a place like that. You’re going to get yourself a mogwai.'”
Clutching her sides laughing, Coil said, ”We did it, we’re here. We have nailed the aesthetic. Do not feed after midnight.”
Check out photos of the shop, by LINK nky contributor Alecia Ricker, below:
