Ellen Perkins, proprietress; Laurel Kappler, assistant; and Bacchus, Ellen’s 14-year-old Pomeranian, chief of security, at Gaia’s Gifts are our People and Pooch of the Week.

For thousands of years, crystals have been cherished for their decorative, healing and protective properties, while their potency has been chronicled at length. “They are likely pre-oxygen, pre-plants, and pre-animals,” according to Ellen. Take, for example, the banded iron/genesis stone. Its beautiful swirls were etched by wind erosion and its lustrous sheen was smoothed by nature. Almost monthly, new crystals are discovered, yet this one is millions of years old. In fact, this remarkable stone can be found at Gaia’s Gifts, 16 Broad Street, Washington Borough.

Gaia’s Gifts was introduced to Washington when they opened their door on Washington Avenue in June, 2015. Gaia is Mother Earth, our planet Earth. The shop’s name says it all – everything in the store is from Gaia, from nature, or made from nature.

Ellen Perkins raised her children with a garden and chickens, all natural, even living in the woods for a while. Years later, after her daughter Samantha earned her massage license, a friend suggested Sam take a class in the healing touch of energy work. Sam was unavailable, so Ellen signed on to attend the class. It was then that Ellen understood how energy works. “You can feel the vibration. You have to let go of knowing why, and just know that it is.” She also began to hook rugs, each one a different element of nature, using recycled materials. She’d never attempted this before, but found it so satisfying that “it woke her up,” all of which led her to rethink her 9-5 job. She started slowly down the path that would lead her to Washington by vending at festivals, eventually offering Himalayan salt lamps, pendulums, and tapestries, too. People wanted to know if she had a store. With the closing of similar businesses in Easton and Dover, the time felt right. Ellen looked into retail space in Washington Borough and quickly found the original Gaia’s Gifts site.

Laurel Kappler is a tremendous resource when it comes to crystals, having studied them for the past 30 years. She began picking up rocks and bringing them home as a youngster. When she discovered metaphysical shops, she purchased a few crystals and eagerly researched each one. Laurel was seeking answers at that time in her life. She studied religions and churches and did a great deal of soul-searching. She said the crystals found her, and she was able to foster both the angelic part of crystals and her religious beliefs. She was the first phone call and the first customer through the door at the original Gaia’s Gifts. She even recalls what she purchased – unakite. Laurel visited the little shop once a month, sharing her books about crystals with Ellen, until she was hired at Gaia’s Gifts in February, 2016.

Those that recall Ellen’s first location will be amazed at the new and expanded Gaia’s Gifts. After a four year stint on Washington Avenue, Gaia’s Gifts relocated to Broad Street in February, 2019, with its bright, airy spaces and options to expand. The new shop is much roomier, well organized, and super comfortable. Ellen explained, “The old spot was womb-like. It was a great place to start. It was small, but very nurturing. Now we’re growing.”

With the recent “blooming” of The Zen Garden (a quiet, somewhat separate space from the retail area), Ellen is now able to offer much more in the way of healing, meditation, conversation and education. In the front, The Zen Garden accomodates diverse presentations, workshops and gatherings. In back is a private area that Samantha uses for massage every other week. When she’s not there, other healers are able to share the space. Ellen said, “The new space doesn’t exclude anyone.” It’s intent is to “teach a spiritual path for the betterment of each other.”

With the increased retail space, Ellen’s goal is to continue to support her friends/artists by selling their beautifully crafted wares, many of which utilize natural and recycled, repurposed, renovated materials. Ellen explained, “The artists are doing this because they love to do it!” Shoppers will find yoga mats, woodwork, jewelry, soy candles, much of it crafted by local artisans. Everywhere the eye wanders, there’s still more to investigate!

And then there’s the crystals! Ellen maintains that from the very beginning, “Gaia’s Gifts was not supposed to be a rock shop!” She ultimately acquiesced as everyone around her proclaimed, “You GOTTA have some crystals!”

Geologists can talk about the scientific aspect of crystals, but a conversation with Ellen and Laurel will open one’s mind and heart to the long-held, deeper meanings of these stones.

There are two long tables chock full of crystals and healing stones (over 100 different varieties) of all sizes, shapes, colors, properties and personalities, displayed in sparkling glass jars and natural wooden bowls. All the crystals are hand-picked by Ellen, Ellen’s husband Greg, and Laurel. Ellen is certain, “the crystals love it here” in her brand new space.

When explaining the nature of crystals, there are several certainties. They all have a vibration (or frequency), some slower and some higher, although some people don’t feel it. There are different ways that people choose a crystal. At times, it’s pure intuition. Some are drawn to it – a crystal will catch their eye, it may have a rainbow in it, or they may be attracted by the color. There are ways a crystal will choose you – if the light hits it just right, a crystal will “flash” a little glint of light, saying “pick me” to a particular person. At Gaia’s Gifts, people are also encouraged to dump out a jar of crystals and handle them all, feeling the difference in each, and making a selection in that way. “Crystals are funny,” Ellen stated with a laugh. She told a few tales, a couple from personal experience, where a crystal would inexplicably disappear from a designated spot on its own, and then return to its owner some time (even months, or a couple years) later. She explained that “when crystals travel, they’re doing work for someone else.”

Laurel told a story about a walk on the beach with a couple friends while celebrating a particular birthday. She’d hoped someday to find a hag stone, a stone with a naturally-made hole through it, like a “portal you can look through to see something.” On this special day, Laurel told her friends, “Maybe today is the day I find a hag stone.” Shortly after speaking the words, the tide rolled in, and brought a hag stone to Laurel’s feet. She quickly picked it up before it was returned to the ocean. “What you speak, you can manifest,” she said, smiling broadly.

Some people want to wear their crystals, sometimes in a pocket, sometimes in a leather mojo bag, sometimes as jewelry, sometimes in a bra (!). Some people choose to keep their crystals in full view in a bedroom or a workspace. Some folks prefer a “crystal cocktail,” which is a collection of stones for one specific person, all tied up in one small pouch. Ellen noted, “we help quite a bit with the crystal cocktail – the customer will tell us who they are buying for and we direct them to the color or pull jars and put them out on the counter.”

In Ellen’s experience, the “one size fits all” crystal would be either Amethyst or Rose Quartz. Most people recognize both of them and they are usually the first crystals anyone has been gifted, the amethyst because of the rich purple or the rose quartz because it is “love.”

A typical beginner crystal set is Black Tourmaline for protection, Citrine for abundance, Selenite for clearing, Rose Quartz for love, Hematite for grounding and Blue Crystals for peace and calm. It really depends where the person’s at in the moment (new mother, divorce, grief, changing jobs, etc.) to determine what they need.

Ellen said, “Crystals are all helpers. They are part of the earth. They’re tools put on the earth (by whomever you believe in) to help us.” Laurel added, “Crystals are not just ‘eye-candy.’ They are meant to be of assistance. They offer a lot of protection – even emotional protection, or from stress. They can create a ‘force field’ to protect the wearer from feeling bad if someone nearby is feeling bad.”

For those interested in learning more about crystals, Gaia’s Gifts presents “Conversation with Crystals.” One crystal is featured each month and its properties are explained. The next “Conversation” takes places on June 23, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm with the theme of leadership, courage, and self-worth. Pre-registration is required so Ellen knows how many crystals to have on hand. Everyone leaves with a “cocktail” of what was discussed during the class.

Ellen is thankful for the success of her business. She says,”The shop brings in all the best kinds of people. People who need something, they find their way here. People from out-of-town, just driving by, they feel compelled to stop.” All of which brings this very cursory discussion of crystals to a close with a bit of advice from Ellen, “Don’t seek an explanation, you’re drawn to crystals for a reason. The crystals all have a definite place they want to be.”

When it comes to the people and happenings of Warren County, you can count on award-winning photographer Cathy Miller to be there to record the moment.