Life’s Magic

Life’s Magic

Marita Woywod Crandle took one step into the French Quarter while on a business trip in 2001 and was captivated by the mystical cultural feel that seems to enchant many upon their first visit to the city. Much like her character Jake, she quickly discovered all the magic the French Quarter has to offer. In fact, on the plane back to California, she realized she had somehow rented an apartment on Royal Street and was contemplating the details of her new future. To her, it seemed as though the mystical forces of the universe had maneuvered things around, and she was just along for the ride. In fact, to Marita, it seemed as though the city wanted her there.

Taking, what she thought would be, a quick visit to her apartment a few weeks later for Halloween weekend, she met the man, Steven Crandle, who would become her husband. Some mystical way, she sold her house in California over the phone and just like that, she and Steve were driving from California with her dogs and all her earthly belonging to New Orleans.

Not long after, on New Year’s Eve 2003, Marita opened her Boutique du Vampyre, a tiny vampire themed gift shop filled with art, candles, jewelry, and mystical items, much of which are made in the boutique. Over the years Marita also collected the work from artists both local as well as from those around the United States. 

Several years later, Marita decided that locals and visitors to the city were looking for somewhere secret to escape for a special cocktail and delve into the world of the supernatural. That’s when she opened her little vampire speakeasy, Potions. Magically, Potions also was opened on New Year’s Eve. It wasn’t planned, it just happened to be ready for its grand opening on the same special holiday.

Then, during the Pandemic, the restaurant attached to her boutique became available. Marita was driven to take over that spot and got the keys the last week of November. She hired Chef Chris Dunn on December 1st, and the two of them ripped the restaurant apart and somehow put it back together as the New Orleans Vampire Café in just one month’s time for a grand opening on New Year’s Eve. She and Chef still look back and ponder how it was possible that time seemed to stand still for them while building their restaurant. They threw everything out, Chef built the kitchen, while Marita built the bar and designed the front of the restaurant. They hired the staff, Chef created the menu, and presto – one month later they opened, just by “chance” on the same day as the rest of Marita’s businesses, New Year’s Eve.  

Two years later, Marita and Steve were driving through the Quarter and were discussing how grateful they were that all their businesses are in exceptional locations and all close to each other, making them perfect to send customers back and forth. On their way out of the Quarter, they headed up St. Peter Street, passing by what was then Reverend Zombie’s Voodoo shop. Marita made the comment to her husband “But, that’s the best location in the French Quarter,” and Steve quickly agreed. Magically, a week later she got a phone call that that exact location had become available, and would she be interested? They snapped it up, and once again, Marita and Chef Chris went to work, and opened The Vampire Apothecary on April Fool’s Day 2023.

While Marita secretly hoped for a New Year’s Eve opening, she was thrilled when it turned out it would open April 1st, her favorite holiday filled with trickery and fun. She no longer questions the magic of the French Quarter – she expects it.