Achieving your highest good or finding peace of mind; these are the goals of Nancy Scott, the owner of Z Fabrique, a shop that specializes in spiritual items.
For 31 years, the store has been an established sanctuary for Scott and those starting their spiritual journey. Scott did not always have her store in mind when she thought of her future. She was raised Catholic and later found that Catholicism wasn’t right for her.
“A lot of it probably goes back to being a child. And asking the question, would my dog go to heaven and being told no at that time,” said Scott. “And I was like, oh, yeah, no, because that’s not heaven. Right? My heaven will always have my pets.”
During her work travels, Scott accumulated items from Mexico and Guatemala.
People started asking if they could buy the things she’d collected, so she opened a store. Scott’s shop evolved from her garage to swap meets to a store on Fourth Street.
The store was established in 1990, and during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, the shop’s windows were broken in. Two weeks later, the store moved to its current location, 191 Argonne Ave.
Regardless of where the shop is located, Scott’s goal has remained the same: to give people a hand when they need it.
“For me, spirituality is being alive. It’s being part of the whole and realizing that if I was to die tomorrow, I’m totally good with it,” said Scott. “This is just a spiritual being having a physical experience here. If that physical goes away, it does not matter. The spiritual is still there.”
People of all cultural backgrounds and religions come to visit Z Fabrique. Some wonder if they must denounce their own religion to participate in spiritual practices, and Scott assures them they don’t. She believes that spirituality and religion can coexist.
Spirituality, to her, is supplemental, people only need to do or take what will help them. She doesn’t care about making sales and will only refer people to items that she genuinely thinks will help them.
Crystals are a popular spiritual item, their colors, growth and molecular structure result in different properties. Depending on what her customers are looking for assistance with, Scott gives out personal assistance, such as recommending a clear quartz crystal, an amplifier of a person’s feelings.
If they’re looking for stress relief in households or businesses, she may recommend black agate. For students struggling to study for exams or are stressed, Scott would recommend peppermint oil.
Scott switches between being a student and a teacher. Something the internet has brought her is access to further knowledge of spiritual remedies and the ability to connect to others who practice spirituality.
At times when she acts as the teacher, she teaches others to let go of hate. People approach Scott telling her they’ve been cursed, and they deserve hate; she asks why they think they are deserving of hate.
She advises people who feel that way to let the hate go, to not try to reverse it. Instead, people should send joy and healing energy to the person they think is harming them.
Healing is a core principle of hers, which is why she encourages those who are starting their spiritual journey to do what will help them.
“If somebody tells them something and it doesn’t sound right. Then it’s not for them, and let it go,” said Scott. “It should be about your truth, not someone else’s.”