About Us // What now???
Welcome!
GM Rock Shop is/was a small hobby business located in the heart of the Saskatchewan prairies, 15 minutes north east of Saskatoon.
Originally GM Rock Shop was started in 2020 to provide myself a way to supply other local hobbyists and myself with affordable & easily accessed supplies. I am passionate about helping people do the things they love and sharing my knowledge was amazing. I have met some amazing people who I consider friends, and I've gotten to see a lot of beautiful lapidary. Awesome!!!
As for the end of the shop?
There were many factors.
After Covid, prices went up quite quickly, supplies became harder to get and postage is now through the roof. A box that used to cost $27 to ship now costs $43. Rocks aren't light. Another supplier decided to raise their prices almost double and hope that I wouldn't notice until after the order arrived. Lortone declined to grant me a distribution account unless opened a physical location. Ordering from existing distributors wasn't enough to keep the shop regularly stocked without a lot of headache.
I struggled with what to do about the shop for a long time. I really did. I loved running the shop and talking rocks with people. However, in the midst of my decision making process, I had a very....invasive and totally disrespectful interaction with a customer and that was enough. I treat my customers with respect and I would expect that courtesy to go both ways. This is why we can't have nice things, because of those who do not respect others time and effort.
I will miss interacting with all the wonderful people I've met through the shop. You really made the last few years fun. It's not all sour grapes, I promise. I still have some supplies and plenty of rocks, so please, feel free to reach out if you need anything! Just because the shop is gone doesn't mean I'm not willing to help those who made this business possible.
Who knows, maybe a few years down the line when things settle down, we'll be back....
- Mel