Some of the things are similar to what you might see in horror movies or your nightmares.
But this place called Witches Brew Coffee is a dream come true for owner Mariah Tran.
In her Clifton store, which opens August 30, a collection of vintage dolls sits on a shelf, each with the lifeless eyes that you almost expect to blink when you look away.
Filled with eerie, spooky, antique, ironic, or just plain weird decorations, the purple walls include brooms, Ouija boards, stuffed creatures, cobweb-covered mirrors, and framed paintings of ghosts and witches.
Tran spent the last year browsing thrift stores and antiques, searching for items to decorate her witch-themed cafe and make it look “like something really different” for Louisville.
“I wanted it to look like a spooky old haunted house with a witchy vibe,” Tran, a 31-year-old Louisville native, told the Courier Journal. “I think that alone will draw people in. I wanted it to be a place that people remember.”
It is also a place where people are likely to notice something new every time they visit.
In a glass-enclosed cabinet of curiosities, you’ll see items such as a Jack Harlow-themed candle, a stuffed piranha with its sharp teeth intact, and two miniature frog figurines standing around a miniature Ouija board.
Head to the counter and you’ll find a menu of coffee classics as well as specialty drinks with names like “The Voodoo,” “Morning Ritual,” “Poison Apple” and “Dragon’s Blood.” Witches Brew, 1813 Frankfort Ave., also offers baked goods, likely from Bae’s Baekery across the street, and tarot tea trays with tea, snacks and a tarot card to keep.
In the same area, customers can browse spiritual and metaphysical products such as incense, stones, tarot card decks, candles and books on chakras, dreams, spells and astrology.
Some of the items for sale are handmade by Tran, such as incense sprays, Florida water, herbal bath salts and body oils.
She began making these concoctions after years of living a witchy lifestyle.
Tran herself does not tend to call herself a witch. There are other words: medium. Clairvoyant. Tarot card reader. Clairvoyant.
She says she discovered some spiritual gifts early on and started reading tarot cards at the age of 13.
At the time, Tran hid her cards and other belongings under her bed from her mother, who found Tran’s interests “evil” or “weird.” It seemed like quite an alternative, considering that one of Tran’s grandparents served as a deacon at a local church and another was a pastor.
But Tran followed her passion anyway. Soon her mother changed her mind when she saw how Tran helped people.
Which brings me to one of her favorite words to describe what she does: helper.
“I’m basically a person who was sent here to help people,” she said. “I feel like I was literally sent here to help and make things better.”
And Witches Brew Coffee is an extension of that.
The store is a joint project between Tran and her husband Lee. They married in mid-August after being together for six years.
Lee Tran is the owner of Annie’s Cafe, a family-owned Vietnamese restaurant located at 308 W. Woodlawn Ave. that has been in business for over 20 years.
“I used to be a K-Cup fan,” his wife Mariah said of coffee pods. “I didn’t know anything about coffee until I met him.”
Lee Tran suggested that they buy a high-quality espresso machine.
“It got me hooked,” she said. “Now I’m a coffee freak.”
The introduction of better quality coffee also helped Tran’s role as a stay-at-home mom in recent years, caring for her four-year-old daughter Marlee, running an Etsy shop for her handmade goods, and reading tarot cards for clients in her garage.
In addition to cozy seating for about 40 people, Witches Brew Coffee has an upstairs area for private tarot readings led by Tran.
On the way up the stairs you will pass the toilet, where many selfies are probably taken.
Inside, there is a neon sign that reads, “But are you dead?” Above the mirror is a sign that reads, “Please do not summon demons in the bathroom.”
Tran noticed that witch and horror stories like this have become trendy in recent years, which may be why Witches Brew Coffee had a sizable social media following even before its official opening.
“I heard that it feels very homey here and that’s what I wanted,” she said. “I want people to be able to relax here and feel a good energy.”
And take it from a clairvoyant: Tran thinks you’ll like it here.
“This was my childhood dream,” she said. “I never thought I could achieve something like this with my gifts.”
Witches Brew Coffee is open Tuesday through Thursday from 7am to 5pm, Friday from 7am to 7pm, Saturday from 9am to 7pm, and Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Closed Mondays.
Reach food reporter Amanda Hancock at [email protected].
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