A Hex on Change : Occultist Says West Hollywood’s Program for Renovating Building Fronts Threatens Character of Her Sorcerer’s Shop

Over the last 20 years, the Sorcerer’s Shop has become a West Hollywood landmark of sorts, the one sure place where followers of the occult could find Cleopatra Oil or mandrake root.

Fans attribute the shop’s success to its quirky character, starting with its facade--a wooden front with a design right out of the Middle Ages and the word “Witchcraft” etched in black.

Now store owner Babetta Lanzilli, a self-described occultist and witch, may need to work a little magic to keep the facade, which she says is essential to preserve the shop’s novelty. The city, as part of an effort to improve the appearance of a rather seedy stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard, plans to replace the facade with a combination of glass and stucco. Already, scaffolding has been set across the entrance.

“This is a travesty,” Lanzilli said. “This shop has an air of mystery. The facade is part of that ambience. Put glass windows in, and it will be as sterile as every other store on this street. I just won’t let them put a crow bar to the front of my shop.”

Lanzilli contends that tearing down the facade will not only ruin the shop’s character, but also drive her out of business. For years, she has counted on money from studios that film the storefront as a backdrop. Without the extra revenue, the store will have a hard time making ends meet, she said.

Lanzilli appealed her case Monday night before the West Hollywood City Council, which said it would study the matter further. On Tuesday, however, work crews arrived to set up scaffolding, a move that Lanzilli said came as a complete surprise.

The city is acting at the behest of the shop’s landlord, Sylvia Daniels, who sought financial help last year to have the storefront and two others on either side renovated.

The city granted Daniels about $20,000 last March as part of its Facade Renovation Program to revamp the three storefronts. Both she and Lanzilli signed the renovation plans about one month later, city officials say. But Lanzilli says she does not recall signing them.

“The agreements have been made with everyone’s approval,” said Bee Wilkening, the renovation program’s manager. “Now that it’s coming down to it, Babetta is balking at having anything done to her storefront.”

Daniels could not be reached for comment, but Lanzilli said she is trying to get a letter from the landlord exempting the facade from the work.

Wilkening said the city will halt work until Daniels makes a decision about the facade. Wilkening also said the city will renovate only the two empty storefronts on either side of the shop, if Daniels chooses that option.

“We are trying to upgrade the area, to make it more appealing to customers,” Wilkening said. “We want to give the area a more uniform appearance, a place where businesses will want to open.”