Luna Tuna

Don’t get me wrong– Luna Tuna has a crazy good selection of items from Mexico and the Southwest. The store is full of awesome displays, and items that you would buy if you had $ 50 to splurge with. And despite giving it only 2 stars, I do recommend that people shopping in Ipswich check it out. I don’t think there are any similar stores in the Ipswich downtown area.
My problem with Luna Tuna stems from the owner. When the store was newly opened, my boyfriend and I went inside and were awed by the displays and the items for sale. Now, I have no idea if this is against small store etiquette, but we dared to ask the owner where one of the items came from because we’d seen it at other stores and really thought it was cool. This was the wrong thing to ask of this woman. She immediately became much colder, and then accused us of owning a store and trying to find out where she got her merchandise. She even asked us where our store was located! And, when we assured her that we did not own a store– well, you could tell she didn’t buy it. That’s no way to treat your customers. Whenever I drive by Luna Tuna, that’s all I think about; not the cool items, but the weird treatment when the store was brand new. And, that’s what I tell my friends when they ask about the store.
The prices are high. I felt they were higher than you should expect to pay for Mexican collectibles. There are stores all over the area (particularly Artesanos in Rockport) that offer the same items for less money. Again though, if you’re on vacation and stuck in Ipswich with only the downtown to shop in then I guess the prices are fine if you feel the need to buy something.
Moral of the story– don’t weird out your customers. People ask questions. Why this woman would assume that meant we owned a competing store and were «scouting» her store and sources is beyond me. And, since this is the only time that’s ever happened to me, the memory has stuck and I always tell people. Not a wise business move!