Today we’d like to introduce you to Anthony Arnone.
Alright, thank you for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
After gaining my Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing at Florida Atlantic University, I was working a 9-5 office gig at a tech company. I was not happy there and after a year I left the job. I wanted to take the freelance route, so I put up ads on multiple platforms for freelance marketing services. I went to work posting ads on LinkedIn, UpWork, and Indeed. While doing this, a very close mentor of mine also advised me to place my ads on Craigs List.
From there I got a call from Ruby via CRAIGS LIST. Yes, I ended up here from a Craigs List ad. She invited me to her home where I saw some of the most beautiful crystals I’ve ever seen in my life. It was like a residential crystal shop! She explained to me that she was forced to close her shop some time ago, and she wanted help continuing to sell her inventory. She had no experience with Instagram, Facebook, websites, or e-commerce in general. I decided to take the job and see where this could lead. From there, Ruby’s Healing Crystals was born.
We worked our way up from selling out of Ruby’s home, to Ruby’s home AND my home, to a brick-and-mortar location in Boca Raton, FL. This was throughout the pandemic. We are now at our largest space yet! Ruby has officially retired as of June 2022. She is enjoying her retirement and I have taken over operations and full ownership of Ruby’s Healing Crystals.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The road has been long. There were some smooth patches, some bumps in the road, and some breakdowns on the side of the highway for sure. One constant factor throughout all of these scenarios was the mutual respect Ruby and I had for one another. That is what kept this business alive.
It is always an uphill battle to separate yourself from competitors, especially when you are working on a strict budget with a small team. We were even doing free shipping for the first year of business to help drive online sales. Ruby and I both sacrificed a lot of time and living space in our homes to store inventory, pack and ship orders, and display crystals for sale.
Once we moved into a brick-and-mortar location, it came with a new set of challenges. Shop upkeep, problems with the landlord, time management, and coverage at the shop are all obstacles that had to be dealt with. The main challenge is balancing personal life with business. It is easy to get consumed in trying to build something successful, but you WILL burn out if you do not stop and take time for yourself to reset.
The most important thing to do is keep going every day, even if you feel like you could have done better. Every day is an opportunity to achieve more. Do not feel like you are missing out or not working hard enough just because you took a break or rest day.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Ruby’s Healing Crystals is a crystal shop that carries over 200 varieties of high-quality gems, minerals, jewelry, and other metaphysical supplies. Other supplies include candles, crystal grids, singing bowls, incense, sage, palo santo, essential oils, Florida Water, and more.
We pride ourselves in our customer service and communication. The number 1 rule of this business is to treat every customer the way we would like to be treated when entering a crystal shop. This goes for our online business as well. Anyone who orders from the website can direct message us, text, or call with any questions or issues at all times!
We are truly proud of the safe space we provide for customers to come and seek guidance. We are ready to answer any crystal-related question and do our best to point you toward something that is meant for you.
Ruby’s Healing Crystals has an exquisite collection of crystals ranging from common stones to museum-grade showcase pieces. For any crystal collector or enthusiast in South Florida, our shop is a MUST-SEE. We also have one of the state’s largest collections of Herkimer Diamonds.
We carry over 40 types of carvings, over 40 varieties of bracelets, high-quality sterling silver pendants and earrings, and even a small selection of faceted gemstones ready to be set. We are the one-stop shop for anything crystal related.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Lofi Music keeps this business running. We play it in the shop all day. It sets the perfect mood! We would also highly recommend “The Journey of a Sage” by Kristen Bomas
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rubyshealingcrystals.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/rubyshealingcrystals
- Facebook: facebook.com/rubyshealingcrystals
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0KlP9OuLmCMQENFX73S4Uw
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/rubys-healing-crystals-boca-raton-2
Image Credits
Ruby’s Healing Crystals
