Had a similar experience to KaTrice G - pretty sure this shop is operated by racist gatekeepers…read more
When I walked into the shop, the store manager was warmly chatting and laughing with another woman who looked just like her. Then, as their conversation slowed and she turned away to start walking in my direction, I tried to greet her with a "Hello" and a smile - it sounded like she was in a cheery mood, after all, and I wanted to continue to foster the good energy. I shouldn't have bothered; it was near miraculous how instantaneously her demeanor darkened, her smile evaporating like some bizarre stage trick. As she faced me, she couldn't even muster a nod of acknowledgment, much less a smile; she just glared at me with an intensely stony face, before swerving off to one side of the tiny shop wordlessly.
Funnily enough, the only form of acknowledgement I did receive was from the other customer in the shop, who smiled at me hesitantly. The store manager made it to the shop's tiny front counter, where she proceeded to stubbornly avoid eye contact by scowling down at the countertop, motionless, for the next few minutes. Exactly what she was staring at was unclear, as there wasn't much to the little stand besides some pieces of jewelry on display and a payment processing pad, which I'm sure she's looked over many many times before. She refused to look up, even as I walked right past the counter to find my boyfriend.
Suffice it to say, I got the message. I grabbed my boyfriend and steered him out of the shop. After we walked out and I shared my bewilderment from the singularly unpleasant encounter, my boyfriend noted that he'd also gotten a similarly wordless, cold stare as he walked by her in a different corner of the shop.
It's that bewilderment that brought me here, to Yelp, to see others' experiences with this particular business. I think it's rather interesting to note that all the 5-star reviews on Yelp and Google come from people - tourists and locals alike - with looks that are reminiscent of the blonde/dirty blonde women featured on Lucky Cat's social media.
Let me be clear here: I didn't walk into the shop expecting to be greeted, much less attended to. I've definitely dealt with my fair share of gruff, no-nonsense business managers in the past, and it's perfectly okay - I don't know what they're dealing with, and I've never expected to.
However, the difference between the store manager's affable treatment of the other customer, and the reception (or complete lack thereof) that we received, was so jarringly stark, that I started looking the shop up online to find answers.
It's remarkably hypocritical, considering the fact that the shop's Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/p/BBWBwCiFaBl/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=) promotes the "placement of buddha statuary... to neutralize any negative chi," and the shop itself smells strongly of incense and sells "new age" healing/cleansing knick-knacks like sage bundles and crystals and sound thingamabobs - notes ripped off of indigenous cultures with impunity.
And the clothes were basic. Usually, I try not to knock small businesses, because I know that an owner's heart and soul goes into it, but since I've had such a horrible experience with this soulless business, I'll just be honest: the products look like fast fashion items they're purchased at a discount from dubious producers overseas and sold for a premium under a veneer of island exoticism. Even worse, the selection is lazy, your numbingly predictable Western vision of an exotic "Eastern-influenced" (read: appropriated) alternative lifestyle, with nothing distinctive to offer.
Really, who are you kidding?
