Rina's Rocks Leases New, Larger Location

Calling it a "leap of faith," Rina's Rocks owner Rina Elyce is planning to close her current store later this month and open a new one twice its size.

The new, 2,200-square-foot space formerly housed by Salon on Main offers more than additional room to house Elyce's 23-year collection of thousands of rocks, crystals, gems and unique jewelry.  

The bigger store, which Elyce is planning to open on May 1, will double as a "wellness center," according to her mother and assistant, Marcia Sklaroff.

Besides expanding upon her current, but limited offerings of reiki, meditation, healing classes and angel card readings, the larger space will allow Elyce to display her goods in the front and offer multiple classes for more people, as well as health-related lectures simultaneously in the back of the space.

During a tour of the work-in-progress new location, Elyce pointed out two 13x8 partitioned-off spaces envisioned for small discussion groups, or angel readings. Room in the back will be furnished with a couch, area rugs and lots of pillows she said, making it ideal for meditation.

Elyce, who got her start in a small space at the former 263 Marketplace in Warminster, said her business–which opened in Hatboro last year at 31 S. York Road–quickly evolved into something that she had never envisioned. Its evolution grew from a "call" for more classes, she said. 

"People kept asking, 'Are you going to do more classes?' " Elyce said. "I can only have one thing going on at once."

As her lease was coming up, Elyce, who had outgrown the small space allotted for classes and had no room for the essential oils she was beginning to make, started looking at possible new locations.

But, Elyce said she kept coming back to the former Salon on Main space, which, at 42 S. York Road is across the street from her current location.

"This is right in the prime space in town," Elyce said. "This just made sense."

The overwhelming request for more health-focused classes and discussions makes sense too, according to Elyce.

"People are looking for something spiritual," she said. "They're looking for something to keep them grounded."

Ordinary life stresses, coupled with a bad economy make the natural methods used in meditation, reiki and related teachings to reach a "peaceful and serene" state all the more appealing, she said.

"I like the meditations," Elyce said. "They give me time to stop, to get off the merry-go-round of life."

Rina's Rocks will close its 31 S. York Road store on April 20 and open its new space at 42 S. York Road on May 1.