[Rockhounds] MSP to Austin Rock Shops

[Axel Emmermann]

I'm sure that you would have dragged us in there if it had still been there in 2013, Kitty. 
I'm afraid that it's a bit like the song "Video killed the radio stars"... 
In this case: "eBay killed the rock shops".
People don't seem to get the message: the world has gone online, deal with it or perish.
Some time ago I needed a new gismo for my computer. So, I went to a computer shop to buy one. The storekeeper told me that he didn't have the gismo but that he could order it within two weeks. I told him not to bother, went home and ordered it online... cheaper and delivered next day at the time of my choice. You can't compete with that... 

Aloha
Axel 


-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
Van: Rockhounds <rockhounds-bounces at rockhounds.drizzle.com> Namens Kitty
Verzonden: woensdag 27 februari 2019 21:13
Aan: gary brown <gbrown at catspaw-minerals.com>; rockhounds at rockhounds.drizzle.com
Onderwerp: Re: [Rockhounds] MSP to Austin Rock Shops

The only rock shop in Hilo closed some years ago (I know Kreigh Tomaszewski bought a specimen there when he visited us in 2003, and I don't remember whether it was still open when he and Axel Emmermann visited us in 2013).  I bought a lot of specimens when the owner had a closing sale. The owner told me that her sales were so down that she could not pay the rent for her shop, much less make a profit.

There are a couple of rock shops in Kailua Kona, but most of them feature "healing gems" and stuff meant for tourists, not rockhounds, and I don't know how they're doing financially.

There is a rock shop on the north shore of the Big Island in the little town of Hawi called /Star Light Hawaii Crystals & Treasures/.  We were there a few yours ago and there was a large sheet of plywood nailed across it's front. It seems a car-driver pulling out from a parking lot across the street hit the gas pedal instead of the brake, and plowed right through the front of the rock shop.  There was a hand-painted sign on the plywood saying:

"We will re-open soon.
This is NOT a drive-in rock shop!"

Aloha, Kitty


On 2/27/2019 6:19 AM, gary brown wrote:
> We're heading down to Austin, [snip] any suggestions for rock shops 
> along the way?[snip] We've been seeing fewer and fewer places on our 
> jaunts. Gary
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Rockhounds mailing list
> Subscription Services:  
> http://rockhounds.drizzle.com/mailman/listinfo/rockhounds_rockhounds.d
> rizzle.com List Usage Policy: 
> http://Tomaszewski.net/Kreigh/Rockhounds/Rockhounds.shtml
>

_______________________________________________
Rockhounds mailing list
Subscription Services:  http://rockhounds.drizzle.com/mailman/listinfo/rockhounds_rockhounds.drizzle.com
List Usage Policy: http://Tomaszewski.net/Kreigh/Rockhounds/Rockhounds.shtml