Tucked into a cozy corner unit upstairs of the Broadway Alley building is the first brick and mortar (or wood in this case) home of Sankofa Boutique, a new shop that feels a lot like the old Capitol Hill, stuffed with special stones and imported items of art and spirit. Pink walls reflect the sun from the skylights onto polished orbs of Hematite, obelisks of Trulite, and Obsidian organized by size. Aromatized by the faint smell of sage, the room is filled with gentle music while Cherika Wilson looks up to greet each customer as she refills incense or works on her computer.

Wilson was raised in Ballard, but chose Capitol Hill for its vibe. “I chose Capitol Hill because of the carefree environment. I like it here,” Wilson said. “It seems like the only place here that hasn’t changed. It’s comforting to come to a part of Seattle and it’s still the same as what you left it.”

Before you wonder what the heck Wilson might be talking about when it comes to the Capitol Hill and change given the waves of redevelopment that have reshaped many areas of Broadway and Pike/Pine, you should know Wilson is more focused on the energy than the buildings.

“I just like the community, the environment, everybody’s doing their own thing,” she says. “A no judgment zone. You can come here and be yourself. It’s very accepting.”

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Wilson has had a lot to learn while transitioning from online only to an actual storefront. “It seems like every day I learn something new from a customer. It’s like every day I’m learning something from someone or they’re learning something from me.” She’s starting to know her customers now, too. ”I’ve been seeing a lot of the same faces, getting to know people and seeing them evolve and if they buy crystals, seeing that they’re working for them and that’s been amazing. I feel like I’m getting to know new friends.”

Good energy, neighborhood familiarity, support at the right time, all played a part in getting Wilson’s Sankofa Boutique with real doors to open.

Wilson recalls walking down the street with her fiancé and saw the familiar building. She went in to see if stores she remembered were still there and saw the space. “I was like “yeah, would be nice to have a store here”, to which her fiancé said, “yeah, let’s make it happen.”

“So, I’m here.” she said, laughing with joy. January brings new beginnings as Sankofa Boutique will be adding a friend upstairs who is a “certified hypnotist” and tarot card reader.

There is more to her shop, Wilson says, than polished stones and spiritual crystals . “What’s most important, It would look like it’s the crystals, but it’s not, it’s the cultural items. I have a lot of imported items from Africa, Ghana specifically. Those are most important to me and why I started,” Wilson says.

Wilson has been selling items online for six years. Items like sugar bowls from Cameroon, baskets from Senegal, placemats from Rwanda, fertility dolls from Kenya, and masks from Ghana are part of the shop both online and in the Broadway Alley.

“Sankofa is a word in Ghana that means ‘reach back and fetch it’ – to go back and learn your history and use that knowledge to make the future better,” Wilson said. “The bird is reaching back and getting the knowledge of the past.”

The shiny rocks and pretty crystals that some see are more than that to others. “There’s more crystals out there, there’s more healing properties out there. They really do work.” Wilson wants you to come to the store (with sanitized hands) and pick them up. “Hold them. I encourage it. That’s the only way you’re going to know if that crystal’s for you. I would never buy a crystal without holding it. It might be pretty, it might be ugly, but if it feels good, it feels good.”

The same can be said of shopping in a store like Sankofa. If it feels good, it feels good.

Wilson gets excited to share her knowledge of the stones with new customers on Capitol Hill. “There are a couple of little girls that come every weekend and they’re so cute. They love crystals and I love showing them new things. I’m having fun,” she says, beaming.

Sankofa Boutique is located inside the Broadway Alley at 219 Broadway E. You can learn more and shop online at sankofaboutique.com.

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