LYNN — This month, Ravenstone, a gift shop located at 58 Exchange St., filled its stock with stones from the annual Denver Gem and Mineral Show. Co-Owner Eric Gendron noted that the “drop day” really showed the growth the store has made for the past five years.
The store was decked out with everything that was brought back from Colorado, from smaller stones to statement pieces. Staff worked countless hours to prepare for the door to open on Oct. 4, rearranging their stock to fit all of the new items they had procured.
“It’s stressful,” Gendron said in regard to preparing for the day. “Drops are kind of like our Super Bowls. We go to gem shows, pick out a lot of stuff, work with a lot of different people, pack everything ourselves, ship it all back, and sort things downstairs.”
He said that everybody on staff gets involved, whether it’s opening boxes, laying things out, or measuring pieces. The store also names all of their pieces, so if you’re looking for a smoky quartz skull named Susan, this is the place to be.
“It’s something we started doing when we first opened. It’s a little harder now that we have around 5,000 plus stones in here,” he said.
Gendron said they all stick to their roles and do a bit of everything.
“We input the names into the system (and) track everything. We don’t just put a sticker on with a price. There’s photos and videos of every product put online,” he said.
Gendron noted that the special thing about the drops they have is that the products can be bought in the store and online at the same time. He also said that the store is more than just stones. They have handmade jewelry, teas, books, candles, apparel, and more.
“When somebody comes in at 11 a.m., they’re going online at the exact same time,” he said. “We have a lot of online customers who get excited… If you’re getting a piece, I have to ask you what the name is so I can get it offline… And it’s so funny to hear people come up to me an go, ‘I’m getting Michaela!'”
Gendron highlighted one of the rarer pieces they managed to get from Colorado: lapis-carved animals.
“The lapis carved animals are really special because we’ve never seen them. I was really excited for these… Every once in a while, we get something we call ‘old stock.’ Whether material itself is old or it’s something that was made years ago and put away, we never know,” he said.
Gendron also highlighted how the stones come from all over the world, listing out the Himalayas, Morocco, Armenia, Madagascar, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Peru, Brazil, and Russia, to name a few.
“It’s from all over the world, and when we go to these shows, it’s people who are from those countries who are doing the work and the miners that actually bring the material over,” he said.
Gendron also wanted to highlight how the shop has created a real community, with people from Lynn and the surrounding areas always stopping by for drops, and some lingering outside, waiting for the door to open. He said that there are people who have traveled hours to be there because they’ve grown a connection with the store.
“We get a lot of familiar faces… We’re lucky this place has a lot of local people who support it… We built a place that people feel like it’s worth a drive… And it’s nice to get people to come to Lynn and see what the city really has,” he said.
