Crystals hold different meanings for Sandra Romero and Saul Flores.
When they created Rosemary and Flowers Crystal Shop over summer 2020, they hoped their customers could also find their own meaning within the crystals they purchase.
In the midst of the pandemic, Romero began connecting online with people who would buy and sell crystals, which she said she wanted to get into from a young age.
“It kind of died down ever since going down the academic path, going to college, and then I kind of revisited that love when I was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and depression, and then they just took on a whole new meaning,” she said.
Over the summer, the couple brainstormed what it would be like to have their own live crystal sales. They decided to make an Instagram account to do just that.
“From there, we kind of took it as a shot in the dark,” Romero said. “And now we're here, actually doing it, and it's been amazing so far.”
Romero said not only does she like the aesthetics of the crystals’ appearances, but she especially likes them for the metaphysical properties that they’ve provided her throughout her life.
Flores, her fiancé, said he likes the scientific components behind the crystals, such as the environmental factors of the Earth each different crystal encompasses.
“I kind of go a different route,” he said. “I like crystals for their scientific aspects, how they're made, what makes them and how they’re created.”
Romero said the crystals they make available to their customers are “ethically curated crystals” from around the world.
“We have Madagascar rose quartz, we have ocean jasper as well, from different parts of Madagascar,” she said. “We have the ruby zoisite, we have the tourmalines, we have a lot of different crystals that can be found in South America, Europe, Asia and even in North America.”
She added that each crystal each offers its own unique properties.
“We have lepidolite which is good for depression, and anxiety,” she said. “We have pyrite from Peru, which is my hometown, which helps because Peruvian crystals are quite high quality and sought after. So that also helps me bring in touch with my roots. We also have citrine which is an abundant stone, which is an amazing stone that we recommend.”
Although the couple each has their own personal meanings, they said they do not dictate how customers can use their crystals.
Maggie Vreeland, 27, is from Sneads Ferry, North Carolina, and is a customer of Rosemary and Flowers Crystal Shop.
Vreeland purchased a smoky citrine sphere, a labradorite freeform, a fire quartz and a ruby-zoisite tower from the shop. She said her familiarity with crystals derived from her childhood.
“I loved tumbled stones as a kid, and I was always bringing home rocks I found outside,” she wrote in a message. “Eventually it grew into the collection I have today.”
Vreeland added that a shop like Rosemary and Flowers Crystal Shop can bring a sense of community in itself, because to her, crystals are a way of connecting to both other humans and the Earth.
Bernae Dorsett, 26, has also been a patron of the shop. She bought labradorite, druzy carnelian and a lavender rose quartz palm. She said she was introduced to the spiritual aspects of crystal by a friend.
Dorsett said she loves the thought of being able to connect with the owners and know where they are getting their crystals.
“With bigger businesses, it's difficult to gauge whether or not the crystals are authentic, as well as whether their prices are genuinely affordable,” she said.
Romero said because there aren’t that many crystal shops in Gainesville, the duo hopes each of their customers can take something special away from purchasing one of their crystals.
“We want to just provide an all-experience that just makes you feel good from the beginning of an excitement of picking out these crystals, feeling the energies of them, whether you like them for how they look, how they're formed, or what they do,” Romero said. “So we hope that they can appreciate crystals in a whole new way through a new medium, and still realize that we can connect even through this tumultuous time of COVID and to have fun and make friends in the family.”
She said they hope to continue expanding with creating their own website and then eventually having their own brick and mortar shop wherever the couple ends up settling down.
Their live sales take place on Fridays and Saturdays at 3 p.m. on Instagram and 5 p.m.on Facebook. The crystals can also be purchased by contacting them through their Facebook or Instagram account, and the shop offers COVID-19 safe deliveries.
Contact Kristin Bausch at kbausch@alligtor.org. Follow her on Twitter @BauschKristin.
Kristin Bausch is a third-year journalism major at the University of Florida and a staff writer with the Avenue. Giving people an opportunity to share their story is one of her favorite things about writing. When not writing, she’s probably dancing.
