Hidden Gems: Ancient Crystals Find A New Audience In Danbury

DANBURY, CT — The "Age of Aquarius" promised us "mystic crystal revelation and the mind’s true liberation," but for Paola Wolff, the owner and manager of Lunastry on Main Street, it's all just part of the daily grind.

Lunastry, which has been in business just under a year, sells "crystal-related medicines and spiritual-related gifts." It's also home for a swelling schedule of seminars and workshops in other New Age disciplines such as tarot card reading and astrology.

Not a typical storefront (Wolff describes her second floor digs at 255 Main Street as more of a "hidden tree house"), the entrance to Lunastry is nestled into a recess next to the CutZone II barber shop. From there visitors must ascend a dimly-lit staircase that's more CIA safehouse than Asgardian rainbow bridge.

Inside, it's a whole different vibe (and yes, that's exactly the right word). Crystal balls and geodes of all sizes fight for table space with tarot decks and incense sticks. The wall shelves — arranged like pyramids, naturally — are riddled with gems and jewelry, while pendants dangle from the horns of a glittery cattle skull that would do any Santa Fe boutique proud. In the rear of the store is a semi-partitioned space set apart for seminars and hands-on workshops where participants can create their own essential oils, crystal-based art, or learn about divination techniques.

"It’s a spiritual thing. A lot of the customers here are very spiritual," Wolff said.

As for the crystals, her primary stock-in-trade, 300-million-year-old paperweights definitely hold a unique gift appeal. But Wolff says their appeal runs far deeper than just home accents.

"It's basically a new way of healing," Wolff said. As Americans have become more spiritual and "mindful" we have also become less inclined to take conventional medicines or pop pills for our ills, she said. Instead, more of us are on quests to find natural remedies, and she counts crystals among the options people are pursuing.

"Being able to carry it in your pocket, or have it in your home, you can see and feel the energy," Wolff said. At a recent "Crystal Infused Workshop," participants were schooled by a "crystal healer" who broke down the "healing properties" of different crystals and herbs.

We're using quotes around "healing properties" because there is zero science to back up the claims of the crystal therapists, who are not accredited by any third-party bodies like the American Medical Association or the Food and Drug Administration. None of that discourages Wolff.

"There's definitely a lot of people who don't believe," Wolff told Patch, and suggests it's their own skepticism that prevents them from benefiting from her wares and services. "It's definitely a mind thing. A lot of people don't realize how powerful our minds can be. It comes down to believing in what you are doing and learning how to meditate."

There's definitely a lot of people who do believe, according to Fast Company magazine, which estimates that the new age crystal business is a billion dollar one, but frets the lack of any central trade body which might confirm that. Whether seekers are buying up gemstones for their medicinal energy, or just because they look sweet sitting on a windowsill, there's no question the rocks are moving off the shelves.

The tacit celebrity endorsements don't hurt, either. Once found solely hanging around the necks of Ren faire wizards and counter-culture taste makers such as Stevie Nicks, crystals are now the accessory of choice for mainstream celebrities such as Katy Perry, Lena Duham, Khloe Kardashian and Adele.

Still uncertain that crystals are wading into the mainstream? You can pick them up in Target, alongside scented candles and Magic: The Gathering cards.

Wolff sees the growing popularity of pseudoscience healing techniques found in Reiki and crystals as a societal auto-immune response to the "many more diseases coming into the world." She fancies their growth as paralleling our embrace of veganism and kicking-to-the-curb of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). "There is so much stuff going into our foods now, and people just want a more natural alternative," she said.

Lunastry's lack of any real storefront may be a speed bump to its walk-in trade, but she says her online market more than makes up for it. Accordingly, she advertises primarily through Facebook and Instagram.

If you are an astrologer, crystal healer or other fellow traveler who wants to partner with Lunastry for seminars or workshops, Wolff wants to hear from you, but it's by no means a slam dunk.

"We meet, get to know each other, make sure you're the right fit for us.” She said. "If it is in the stars, then we schedule a date." Astrologers will charge a per-student fee for their seminars, and the shop takes a small percentage of that fee for providing the space and promoting the event. It cost students $15 to learn "Astrology 101" at a recent seminar hosted by Lunastry.

Although the demand for her minerals is growing, Wolff has kept her supply chain lean. Complete vertical integration would necessitate her picking up her pickaxe and doing her own mining, and that's not in her cards. Instead, she has two wholesale suppliers, one in Connecticut, and one from Brazil with whom she meets three times a year. The Honduras-born Wolff also gets some of her stock from her father’s property there.

Lunastry has a presence at area gem shows, and Wolff also travels once a month to the Danbury Mineralogical Society, where she and other like-minded gem-lovers meet and shoot the shale.

Wolff may be all in when it comes to crystal energy and new age healing techniques, but she draws the line at prognostication. "There is no such thing as predicting the future." Although Lunastry has hosted events with tarot card readers, she stresses that their spreads are more for guiding seekers onto the right path. More importantly from the shopkeeper's perspective, there’s not a lot of crossover between the tarot and crystal crowds, Wolff said. Seekers come for their readings or workshop, and then pretty much bolt.

Lunastry is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is located at 255 Main Street, in the second floor "hidden treehouse."

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The Connecticut Hidden Gem series features out-of-the-way mom and pop restaurants, small specialty stores you may have never heard of, little-known historical markers or beautiful nature spots that may be a bit off the beaten path.