close up of crystals inside a massive geod.

This week Crystal Spirit Emporium celebrated their 1st Anniversary.

We chatted to owner Sarah-Jane Nichols to find out how her first year in the market and first year  running a retail business has been.

Sarah-Jane looks to camera looking excited and has four crystals on her hands three witch hats, one couldron, one ghost

Q: From your initial dreams of running a shop in the Market how has this first year panned out for you?

A: This first year has been a dream come true, I have enjoyed every minute.
The shop looks amazing now and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve had some amazing feedback and wonderful 5 star reviews on Google and Facebook. Very overwhelmed by all the love and well wishes.

Q: Have you had any stand-out experiences that you didn’t expect?

A: I had a massive surprise when an extremely wonderful celebrity came into my shop last month. I however will not name names, but she was absolutely lovely and I felt privileged that she came in – I was pretty star struck!

What I like most about being in the market however, is how everyone comes together and supports each other. It’s literally like an extended family. I’ve also gained so many new friends, and one in particular is now one of my best friends. It really is a pleasure to work here.

Four images, one is the shop sign being painted, one is SarahJane outside shop with Lord Mayor and sister Emily holding their best dressed window certificate, 3rd is SarahJane and her trader friends dressed up at 250th Anniversary party, last picture is a green crystal ball with a black cat and a candle behind it.

A piece of Fulgurite in a box with a label saying Fulgurite Sand fused by lightning

Q: We love your social media videos. It feels like every crystal in your shop is like one of the family. Your knowledge is incredible. What intriguing fact have you discovered about running a crystal shop that you didn’t know before?

A: We’ve just recently got in something to add to our rarities collection and it’s brand new to me too. It’s called Fulgurite. Fulgurites are formed when lightning strikes sand or rock, fusing the material together to create a glass-like tube or crust: Amazing!

I also loved finding out this year all the darker blue in King Tutankhamun’s funerary mask is in fact Lapis Lazuli. It’s so inspiring to be able to show that people really have been using crystals for 1000’s of years.

Q: What do you love most about having a shop that means you meet your customers first hand?

A: There really is nothing like being able to chat to people first hand about what kind of thing they’re looking for. I also love seeing the expressions on peoples faces when they open the lucky dips we sell. It’s become really popular, and the videos I’ve been filming have been going viral from our tiktok account.

four images one big blue crystal in the shape of a stone, one fairy garden, one graphic of crystal spirit logo and one of Sarahjane holding a big green crystal at the entrance of the Covered Market

For opening times and more about the Crystal Spirit Emporium click on the following link to their trader page.