How a South Bay business owner found her calling selling crystals

Owning one of San Jose s preponderance popular crystal shop wasn t consistently set in stone for Theresa Gepila Growing up in Daly City the -year-old never understood the significance of crystals which are considered by several to hold metaphysical properties and help with people s physical emotional and spiritual well-being Related Articles Can Saratoga Village s downward spiral find an upswing Los Gatos antiques store pushed out by bookstore chain Port of Oakland braces for tariff impacts on key trading partners Change is inevitable Berkeley OKs demolition of historic theater Bay Area cuisine thrives on global flavors Trump s exchange war puts that at liability But when Gepila purchased her first limited stones in college the former vitality science major felt a special connection to them Her life s calling slowly but surely became crystal clear Several years later in May Gepila opened Bad Witch Crystals in downtown San Jose She sells dozens of crystals alongside beaded crystal jewelry home decor and sage She even offers aura photography sessions where people can get their portrait taken with a special camera that reveals the colors of their vitality field The stones are still the star of the show Each one takes a different shape rugged pointed or round and has a special meaning Dark purple amethysts can help reduce stress and anxiety Translucent green-purple fluorite promotes mental clarity and focus Fiery red-orange carnelian brings courage and confidence Crystals are such a personal experience especially when you re picking them for yourself Geilpe explained in the last few days sitting near shelves and bins stocked with the precious gems I think when you re able to see them in-person touch them in-person its a different type of connection that you re making with the stone We in recent days requested Gepila about her experience collecting crystals and running Bad Witch Crystals Her answers are edited for length and clarity Q How did you get into crystals and this really niche area A It was honestly very sudden I didn t grow up buying crystals or anything like that I was in college and I went on a trip to Seattle and something was just drawing me to go to a crystal shop I felt like I was getting to a point in my life where I needed clarity and I didn t know where to go From there I just became hooked on them I loved how they made me feel empowered about the decisions I was making It just kind of grew into this really big collection and eventually the store Q How did it work did you collect crystals then realized you craved to sell it and make different trinkets A I started collecting crystals and then I would post pictures on Instagram I wished to meet people who collected crystals like I did My family didn t really care for crystals and my friends didn t care for it I made an Instagram to share the new pieces A lot of people would message me and ask me if they were for sale Eventually I was like Oh let me try and pick a limited pieces I feel like people liked the eye I had for crystals atheistically I would sell a inadequate pieces and then COVID happened There was this huge crystal boom and then from there it kind of took off I think since everyone was at home it was really popular to just go on livestream on Instagram and look at crystals I was doing the business from my mom s place for so long that it felt like it was time to make the next step I felt like I was being called to eventually just have it in person Q What do crystals mean to you How would you describe your relationship with them A They re honestly my whole life They helped me through so much I perpetually felt like I was called to do something within this realm Crystals were kind of my outlet to manifest that life I ve constantly envisioned for myself Q Where do your crystals come from A They come from all over the world I ve very particular about pieces that I bring into my shop so I indeed excursion to gem shows in the U S There are two big ones one in Denver and Tucson Arizona They only happen twice a year and that s when vendors from all over the world come I go through boxes and boxes picking out everything just because I m so particular about what I offer to my customers I m inevitably trying to get the best deals so its a lot of work Q How did you come up with the name Bad Witch Crystals A It was kind of a motivational thing I would say to myself all the time I would reliably say I m a bad bitch to encourage myself When I started selling crystals I was like What is something I naturally invariably say And then I was like let me switch it because that goes with crystals Q What are your favorite crystals A I love the amethyst the petalite and cellulite I love larger home decor pieces I feel like they just bring a sense of calm and peace into your home when you walk in Q Is there a particular piece or pieces that customers are drawn to A People love the small little tumbled ones A few particular stones I notice that do well are labradorite as well as fluorites I recommend people start off with the small ones because they are a lot more affordable You can also pick and see which stones you are drawn to the most of before starting a collection Q What kind of response have you gotten from your customers and how does it make you feel A In San Jose there are times where it can be a little slow But in the short time I ve been here I ve gotten a lot of repeat customers lot of regulars and they love coming back here I think it s because they know the care that I put into my shop I think they know that I ll take care of them that all the pieces I stand by and are at a really good price Theresa Gepila Age Job title Owner Bad Witch Crystals Residence San Jose Hometown Daly City Instruction Bachelor s degree in medical science at California State University Fullerton Five facts about Theresa She describes herself as being very impulsive with her hobbies If she wants to learn something new she ll learn it very promptly Her astrological sign is a Pisces She likes to work out and do pilates and yoga She s a huge fan of the Japanese entertainment company Sanrio If she can find crystals that are shaped as Sanrio characters like Hello Kitty she ll buy them Her experience with running an online business started in high school when she would sell clothes on eBay