January 17, 2008 Issue
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Classified Chestnut Hill Local Don't Miss an Issue, Tell us what you see or Winner of Two |
‘Rock Stars’ at area gallery may have healing properties
A year and a half after discovering Manayunk’s Rock Star Gallery, 26-year-old Kate McKiernan has taken over the business and moved the gallery to Mt. Airy, opening last August at 20 E. Mt. Airy Ave. McKiernan was drawn to crystals as a college student. She would make jewelry with her friends at night in their dorm rooms at Moravian College in Bethlehem. McKiernan was a comparative religion major at the liberal arts college, where she and her friends first began working with crystals. After college, McKiernan, 26, who is originally from Pottstown, moved to Manayunk where she came across the Rock Star Gallery. “I fell in love instantly,” McKiernan said of the crystal gallery. “I could walk from my apartment.” She was working for her parents, doing online marketing for their printing and marketing firm in Pottstown, but McKiernan had begun exploring the world of crystals, learning about their medicinal properties, reiki, massage and reflexology. McKiernan was intrigued by the healing powers of the crystals, explaining that “everything that comes from nature has healing properties.” When she discovered the Rock Star Gallery, she found a place where all of her interests intersected. Soon after, she began selling jewelry though the gallery and later she practiced reiki in the gallery’s wellness center. When the previous owner, Ras Ben, told her that he was thinking of selling the business, she knew she wanted to buy it and where she wanted to locate it. “The past owner suggested Mt. Airy because so many of our customers were from here,” she said. McKiernan said the move to Mt. Airy has been entirely positive. “This community is very holistic, locally based and supportive of anything organic.” The gallery features more than eight local artisans, most of whom were associated with the previous owner. McKiernan has also brought in some new people of her own and features jewelry, boxes, signs, canes, murals, crystals and wood carvings. The gallery also hosts alternative medicine workshops and reiki reflexology, as does its Manayunk incarnation. More than an artisans’ boutique, the gallery is a sanctuary that draws people looking for an answer to stress and distraction. Its approach is inclusive. Artists, poets and others gather for Open Mics in the gallery space; workshops provide guidance on optimizing the energy that may be derived from crystals, Feng Shui and even the services of an “animal communicator.” The Rock Star Gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. For more information, visit www.rockstarcrystals.com.
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