The Fool's Journey

Hesperia Mystic Shoppe, a small business adjoined to Noble Sparrow Tattoo in Sheffield, Alabama is what most would consider a normal highway side retail shop. Instead it is an unassuming entrance into the metaphysical world.
The small shop with painted black walls and pine raw edge shelves filled with crystals, herbs and candles evokes a

Hesperia Mystic Shoppe, a small business adjoined to Noble Sparrow Tattoo in Sheffield, Alabama is what most would consider a normal highway side retail shop. Instead it is an unassuming entrance into the metaphysical world.
The small shop with painted black walls and pine raw edge shelves filled with crystals, herbs and candles evokes a calming and welcoming energy.
Owner, Kendall Gilchrist, occupies a rarified space in The Shoals area. Gilchrist not only creates and crafts products she sells, she also networks the shops many consignors who offer crystals, pendulums and other divination tools for visitors to take home and try themselves. Gilchrist also offers a space for house Reiki Practitioner and Tarot Reader, Sarah Benedict-Tolleson, to serve the community.
Both women, who felt destined for service to others, hope to evoke a guiding, motherly affection to all who enter the sphere.
Benedict knew she was different from a young age. Growing up in Dallas, she swapped child-like play for building rock circles in her yard and holding clairvoyant conversations with God.
These tendencies might seem foreign to some but to Benedict, connections to the “other side” were second nature and an extension of her beliefs in a higher power.
“Around eight years old, I started getting teased,” said Benedict. “I put everything on the back burner and I tried to be a normal kid.”
Benedict decided to ignore her gifts throughout her teen years and went to college with ambitions of a Bachelor’s degree in psychology.
“That was a way for me to reconnect again with people and minds,” said Benedict.  “You know, the unexplained things of life.”
After graduating, life crept in and Benedict found herself married and starting a family – long removed from the thought of her gift.
“Then I had a crisis and needed help and who I sought out was not a counselor, or a pastor, it was an intuitive.” Benedict said. “My spirit woke up again and it was time for me to be authentic to my soul.”
Benedict’s experience with psychic energy helped her to overcome her struggles and moved her to get her Master’s in counseling.
“I always felt I wanted to help people,” Benedict said. “I would tell my professors my methods and they said ‘you’re not going to be a counselor. You’re going to be in a crystal shop.”
Maybe with a touch of clairvoyance themselves, their suggestion came true as Benedict bought a deck of tarot cards and began re-connecting with her gift.
Hesperia came into the picture after Benedict moved from Dallas to Alabama with her family. At a park in Sheffield, she spotted Gilchrist with purple-colored hair and felt she was a kindred spirit.
“I felt like we could be friends,” Benedict said. “I’m a little a different, she’s got purple hair.”
The two turned out to have more in common than a sense of style. Both were mothers of young children and transplants to the area.
Gilchrist moved to Alabama from the north west and began to grapple with her life’s purpose.
Benedict introduced Gilchrist to the healing powers of Reiki and the guiding powers of divination and set Gilchrist on a path of helping others.
“When we met, I had decided to get rid of a lot of toxic people in my life and felt pretty alone and vulnerable,” Gilchrist said. “I was looking for purpose and this whole thing just kinda flowed together.”
In early 2018, the women decided to join forces and dive head first into sharing booths at events with each other. –Gilchrist felt strongly on being more at home with her family though, so in 2020 an unutilized space at the tattoo parlor was the perfect spot that could now be used to sell products and offer services.
“It started off as an office for me but it ended up being this incredible space that’s not offered in this area,” Benedict said. “A place for people to come and explore this part of themselves.”
Both Benedict and Gilchrist credit one another for being the inspirational force behind Hesperia – both feeling encouraged by the other.
Gilchrist feels she is starting a new journey along with her customers.
“I am learning and we get a lot of people who are new to this too, their spiritual awakening” Gilchrist said. “I felt like I could do this together with them and that’s what has made it more special.”
Offering consignment is another way Gilchrist connects with the community.
“We love to support local artists and create a space for people to be able to create with confidence,” Gilchrist said.
Over the past year, Gilchrist has moved the operation out more into the streets and parks and started festivals to celebrate the different times of the year.
“When Sarah first helped me find my purpose, I felt like ‘helping others’ just didn’t seem like enough,” said Gilchrist. “We were joking how I had to venture out of these four walls to create the festival so the whole world could be here.”
In the Summer of 2021, Gilchrist organized Festival of Litha, marking the summer solstice.
“It was so successful,” Gilchrist said. “All of the booths said they did really well – most of them are consignors in the shop.”
“The energy was just really good,” said Gilchrist. “We wanted to make everyone feel included and enjoy themselves.”
In December of that same year, Gilchrist had a second festival of the year, to mark winter, the Festival of Yule.
“We want everyone to come out and enjoy local, homemade things.” Gilchrist said.
These festivals will continue to feature many of the shop’s consignors along with traditional origins that mark Litha and Yule time celebration.
“Anyone who wants to get to know us or our practices are more than welcome to join us,” said Benedict.
Benedict and Gilchrist took what could have just been an unused space and made it into a space for community connection and spiritual guidance.
“I really do feel now I have my purpose in life and I feel I can really encourage other people to find theirs,” Gilchrist said. “That’s why we’re here.”
Alex Hop