Magic Shop Near Me in Pasadena: Alexandria II's Readers and Books

Search for a magic shop near me in Pasadena and the result that has outlasted almost everything around it is Alexandria II, a metaphysical bookstore at 170 S Lake Ave, Suite 100. The store calls itself one of the oldest metaphysical bookstores in the Los Angeles area and says it has been here since 1985. It is less about stage tricks and more about the other kind of magic: tarot, astrology, crystals, incense, and readers you can sit down with.

The name is a nod to the ancient Library of Alexandria in Egypt, which the store describes as a learning center for more than 600 years, and the stated aim is a place for people of all beliefs to learn and exchange ideas. Its own account says it has added more books and more sidelines over the years, and that customers come looking for material on different religions and different teachings. Browsing is the point, and the shelves reward a slow lap.

Getting there is easy without a car. The Metro A Line stops at Lake station, which sits in the median of the 210 freeway directly below North Lake Avenue, so you come up the stairs and simply walk south along Lake, crossing Colorado Boulevard on the way. Metro Bus 662 and Pasadena Transit routes 20 and 40 also connect at the station. The walk passes banks, cafes and office towers, which makes the shopfront of books and geodes stand out.

What separates Alexandria II from a crystal boutique is the reading program. The store keeps a roster of psychics and astrologers who work in person, by phone and over Zoom, and it publishes a full rate card. A psychic or astrology reading is $40 for 15 minutes, $60 for 30 minutes, $80 for 45 minutes, $110 for an hour and $160 for 90 minutes. The prices are the same across readers, so you choose by style and specialty rather than cost.

First-timers get a useful courtesy: the store offers a free five-minute consultation with any of its psychics. That short chat is the best way to see whether a reader's approach suits you before you commit to a longer session. If you already know you want a full astrology chart reading, those run one hour, are available by appointment only, and require a 30 percent non-refundable deposit, so book that one ahead rather than trying your luck on a walk-in.

Reiki is the other service on the menu. The store lists Reiki healing at $80 for 30 minutes and $150 for 60 minutes, priced on the same page as the readings. That makes it possible to pair a short reading with an energy session in one visit. If you are new to Reiki, the half-hour session is the lower-commitment option; the hour-long session costs a little less per minute and suits people who already know they like the practice.

The retail side goes beyond books. The store sells incense, meditation tools and ritual items, and pendulums start at $16. The jewelry cases include Native American Zuni and Navajo artist rings, and recent posts on its Instagram account, @a2books, show a journal collection pitched at new moon intentions and a regular table of new releases. If you are unsure where to start, the website keeps short guides to crystal and stone meanings, oil and incense meanings, and how to burn resin.

Timing is simple because the hours are long. The store opens at 10 am every day and stays open until 8 pm Monday through Saturday and 7 pm on Sunday. Weekday mornings are the quietest time for browsing and the easiest time to get a walk-in reading. Weekend afternoons are busier, especially when a workshop is on, so if a specific reader matters to you, book ahead instead of waiting at the counter for a gap.

The events calendar is a big part of why locals return. Recent listings included a New Moon in Libra sound bath on October 10 and a Mary Magdalene workshop on November 15. On Eventbrite, the store is selling tickets for Radha, Krishna and You, a talk on unconditional love scheduled for 3 pm on October 25, 2026, with the lowest ticket listed at $39.19. The store has also hosted a spring Holi celebration, which says a lot about its range.

Those guides tell you something about the staff's attitude. Instead of selling a bundle of sage and leaving you to guess, the store publishes instructions on how to sage and smudge and how to burn incense and resin safely. That makes Alexandria II a good first stop for someone who has been reading about ritual practice online and wants a real person to ask, rather than a shop built around impulse buys.

Longevity is the real story here. Alexandria II has stayed on South Lake Avenue since 1985, and its about page frames that run as a service to the community: a place where people can connect with each other and, in the store's words, lift their consciousness through books, products, incense, meditation tools and ritual items. In a city where shops come and go quickly, four decades on one commercial strip is a strong signal that locals keep coming back.

Make an afternoon of it. A few blocks west, the Pasadena Playhouse at 39 S El Molino Ave is the state theater of California, and patrons can park for $6 in the Playhouse Plaza Parking Structure at 38 S El Molino Ave. Between the two, Lake Avenue and Colorado Boulevard are lined with places to eat, so you can book a reading, take a long lunch, and finish with an evening show without moving the car.

Practical notes. Alexandria II is at 170 S Lake Ave, Suite 100, Pasadena, CA 91101; email goes to info@alexandria2.com. Hours are 10 am to 8 pm Monday through Saturday and 10 am to 7 pm Sunday. Readers work in person, by phone and over Zoom, which is useful if you find a reader you like and later want a follow-up session from home. Remember the $5 cancellation fee on bookings.

Who should go? Anyone who has typed magic shop near me hoping for something with more depth than a costume aisle. Tarot learners will find decks and books in one place, people curious about astrology can book a reading with a clear price, and longtime practitioners will appreciate a store that has been doing this since 1985. If you want help building a full Pasadena day around a reading, ask Karpo in the Karpo APP for nearby lunch and evening plans.