Right place, right time, right frame of mind.
It all came together perfectly for Nia (Marissa) Murray and Michael Strug, co-owners of Good Vibrations Rock Shop in downtown Stratford, and as they celebrate their one-year anniversary with the store under their ownership Murray talked about their being in just the right place to take advantage of it.
“In some ways, the shop just fell into our laps - obviously it was an incredible amount of work to open and build into what we have now but something bigger than us was very much at work when that happened,” she said. “I had this moment one night where I was really struggling with the direction my life was going; I wasn’t happy with my job at the time, I was struggling to find purpose and see a real future for myself. I put out a call to the universe that I wanted my life to change in a massive way.”
Murray remembers being ready for something big to happen that would impact her life in new and exciting ways. It was then that she walked into the shop and began chatting with then-owner Desiree and found out she wanted to sell - but only to the perfect person. Murray has previously run her own crystal consultant business while living in Ottawa before shifting gears during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was then she saw how much joy it had brought her and how much she missed it.
“I had witnessed firsthand how transformative they had been for others, and I knew at that moment that I was being called back to this work,” she said. “So my partner and I bought the shop and we’ve never looked back.”
As their first year behind the counter has shown them, there are opportunities to reach out and help the community - particularly giving people a space where they can be seen and heard.
“Our clients come from so many different backgrounds and have such unique life experiences,” she said. “But one thing they all have in common is that they’re striving to be the best and brightest versions of themselves. They’re striving to heal, to cultivate joy and self-acceptance, and we want them to have a space that they can go to that feels safe and that gives them tools and opportunities to work on these things.”
Murray continued her thoughts, saying that people have the idea that healing is so beautiful and it can be once you’re on the other side of whatever pain you’re experiencing. But getting there can be messy and challenging, and she and Strug knew they wanted to create a space to aid in that journey. It’s the philosophy that she embraces and turns outward to help others.
“I believe you’re always learning and growing, and so I wanted to create a space where people can come to learn and gain insights about themselves,” she said. “That’s why we work with so many skilled practitioners - they have so much to offer and have been able to really help our clients develop deeper relationships with themselves, which has been life-changing for many of them.”
It the work with the shop’s clients that keeps driving Murray on to be and do better, and the support she’s felt from the community has helped keep that drive moving forward.
“To hear their stories and to witness their transformation is something that will never get old,” she said. “My whole business and everything I do is a love letter to them. I’m in awe of their strength, resilience, and commitment to bettering themselves. Everything I do is to bring more joy, more lightness, more love into their lives.”
People who come to Good Vibrations come with questions: where do I start? What do I do with these once I get them home? How do I know which stones to pick? It can be a lot of information all at once for newcomers to absorb, but Murray is there to make sure they get this part of the journey going in the right direction.
“There is so much information out there, and that’s what prompted me to create our Crystal Basics online course,” she said. “That gives our clients a one-stop shop for everything they need to know about stones when they’re just starting out. In our world, we get a lot of unique individuals and questions. Some of the most uncommon ones I’ve heard probably come from collectors who are looking for particular stone types that I’ve never heard of before. We hunt down dream pieces for people - some of those are ones I may never be able to find, but I’ll always try my best.”
Good Vibrations Rock Shop is located at 9 Market Place, and can be found online at www.goodvibrationsrockshop.com.
