5 Year Shop Anniversary

Wow. I truly can't believe we're here for the momentous occasion. Statistics have said that less than 50% of small businesses make it to 5 years. This milestone has been on my mind since day one and I'm so thrilled to have made it here. It has been an honor to be a part of such an incredible community these last five years. This journey started in the middle of the Pandemic Chaos and has continued learning and growing ever since. Times have not been easy and a lot of mistakes have been made, but through it all, we've gotten to this point, and am forever grateful for that.

Here's a look back at the adventures we've taken the last 5 years:

At the end of 2019, my aunt passed away suddenly. She raised me with my mother and was pretty much like a second mom to me. Already on a seeking spiritual path, I dove in deeper, discovering the magic of crystal grids. I started a blog on Instagram @forthytree, where I started to meet like-minded individuals. An online shop reached out to me around Christmas time asking if I'd like to purchase crystals from them. I'd never purchased crystals online before, but was intrigued. Then, the pandemic struck. Around March 2020, I saw this same shop go live one Saturday and I was instantly hooked. That day, I started working on shop names and planning. Years later, that same shop owner would become one of my best friends and we'd accomplish amazing things together.

Not knowing where to source crystals, I started researching and discovered gem shows. I'd gone to one before in 2019 as a retail buyer, but soon discovered the realm of wholesale crystals. The Spruce Pine, NC Gem Show was our first show as a shop in July 2020. Unbeknownst to me, it was not technically wholesale, but a lot of vendors still gave wholesale prices if asked. Arkansas Quartz was one of the first purchases for our shop.

Highlights from the Spruce Pine Gem Show:

We started with feed sales on Instagram and did our first live sale in October 2020:

With a lot of faith and a dream, I quit my corporate job and went all in.

The following year, 2021, my mom and I decided to drive across country to the Tucson Gem Show:

I became Reiki certified and started doing pop-ups.

Things did get a little bumpy the second half of 2021 and I went back to my corporate job in December for a year. 2022 tested me like no other year before. Not only did I work full time by day, but I still kept up with the shop full time after hours. Hard work paid off and I was able to quit again the following November 2022. The dream continued...

Revamped our logo and launched our website in 2022.

Then in 2023, I went back to Tucson alone:

2023 was an interesting year. I started doing a lot more pop-ups, but learned how ruthless the Summer can be, especially in Florida. There were a series of bad events + crazy Florida weather that tested my faith again. By July, I was questioning whether we should stay open or close shop once more. Then in August, the shop owner I mentioned above, Genie with Celestial Temple, asked if I wanted to go to the Denver Gem Show with her. I said yes and from the first night of the trip, we became inseparable.

Denver 2023 Gem Show:

2024 saw a lot of growth online. The vision of an in-person shop started to fade a little because the chase of gem shows is much more appealing. Genie and I went to 3 major shows this year:

Tucson 2024:

Franklin 2024:

Denver 2024:

This year, 2025, is so far one of our best-to-date. Online seems to be where our home is and we will continue to grow there, but we haven't totally given up on in-person events. There are still a few pop-ups we attend and have even started consigning pieces at a shop in Gainesville.

Tuson 2025:

Franklin 2025:

There are many exciting things on the horizon, including more classes, hand-made products, and of course adventures. Be sure to continue following along this wild journey! Thank you so much for being here. Much love, Kyree (aka "Kyria").