The Enchanted Rock Garden

Great selection of rocks and minerals. Good size specimens. However, «Metaphysical Mary’s» knowlege and customer service is sorely lacking. Whatever you do, don’t ask her a question unless you like to be made to feel like a fool and that you are putting her out. Only when you produce your cc do you get some semblance of respect. Beware and shop for great specimens when she’s not there!

Great selection of all kinds of rocks, crystals, and stones around the world!

The name (and the ad in «the edge» magazine) hade me expecting a dimly lit store with insense burning and new age music playing softly. To be honest, I was happily suprised when my expectations were wrong. I was completely blown away by the variety available. They had an actual dinosaur skull for sale! Fossilized megaladon teeth! And pretty much every other kind of rock, in a variety of sizes and price ranges. Even if you don’t know much of anything (or care much) about rocks it’s still a cool shop. Check it out some day.

I have a sort of zen office that I’ve filled with bamboo, vases filled with various river stones, plants, art and a table top fountain. I didn’t mean to «get into» rocks, but something about the colors, patterns and weight of these smooth stones evoked a feeling…
No, I happen not to «believe» in crystals and other new age beliefs, but I do believe in things from nature in my little zen cave. In the winter, I wanted a space that felt natural, creative and that somehow flowed regardless of what winter blight that might come my way.
The Enchanted Rock Garden was somehow just that, enchanting. The variety of hue, texture, color and shape represented the best of nature’s best sculpture. There are rocks and stones from all points from Madagascar to India. To be frank, I don’t know what I bought, but one is a crystal with many faceted prisms conglomerated in an appealing configuration. I also bought some clear, jade colored stones with various shades of jade that marble the clear-​water, smoothness of the stones in a pleasing way.
The proprietor was charming and she was patient with my fifty questions as I feasted my eyes on heaping boxes of stones, crystals and rocks. The fact that she was trying to gulp down a snack somehow made our conversation seem more casual and warm. As someone new to this, I found some of the larger piece prices shocking until I thought again — these prizes are collected all over the world and their beauty represents earth’s. Besides, there are hundreds of options such as the smaller stones I purchased that were $ 5 and under.
Don’t expect new age ambience, expect what feels more like uncatalogued boxes and boxes of treasure awaiting display at some museum of science and nature. You can spend as little or as much time as you care to spend and as little or as much money, but for me, the array of colors and places took me on an enchanting journey in my mind that I intend to repeat. In the end, I got out of there with about $ 40 worth of crystal and stones that sit on my desktop as I type. Granted, my husband still scratches his head, but fortunately for me, considers my whimsy to be part of my charm. My budget won’t allow me to purchase the larger, grand pieces sculpted by nature, but with so many stones at $ 5 and under, I intend to skip the lattes — I think I’ve finally found something worth collecting.

Every time I visit Minneapolis, which is once or twice a year, I make a point to visit the Enchanted Rock Garden. Not only does the owner know his stuff, but his selection is amazing. Granted, some of the larger pieces are out of my price range, but there are plenty of crystals in there that are very affordable and outstandingly beautiful. Try the back of the store… you’ll see the «discount» table, where there are a lot of hidden gems. (sorry, couldn’t resist the pun)