By Ann Smith
Reporter

Did you know that Idyllwild has its own niche in the geode market? Geodes, you say? What in the world is a geode? A visit to The Rock Shoppe will earn you the opportunity to learn about geodes, rocks and crystals.

Cindy and Karl Lende opened their unusual shop in November 2020. This very social couple have traveled and lived in various locations, mostly California. They made their way from Michigan to southern California, where they have lived, just below Idyllwild for the last 20 years.

Karl was in the construction industry and explains, “I ran into a lot of rocks.” He became curious about rocks and where they came from. They investigated many locales before settling on Idyllwild. Karl shared he has always had a passion for rocks and “having a retail store is a tough deal.”

They settled on Idyllwild partly because it’s a small town and they felt the location matched their vision to share their love of natural beauty.

At times, the Lendes will get requests from customers looking for a special piece, so special orders are not out of the realm of possibility.

For a new business, they do quite a bit of repeat business. They’re very enthusiastic about the fact that so many make the drive from Los Angeles, San Diego, Temecula and all over the Inland Empire to explore their shop. Customers cite availability and price.

Back to geodes.

“Cracking the geode” definitely sets this shop apart from many other crystal and rock shops.

Karl describes geodes as a gas bubble from a volcano that has been super-heated. The minerals inside the gas bubble are what creates a crystal. The only way to find out for sure if a rock is a geode is to break it apart by tapping it with a hammer or have someone cut open the rock with a powerful saw. You’ll know once you see the interior and whether or not there is a hollow or solid composition.

This shop is home to a wheel that is able to literally crack the rock. It’s always a big surprise to see what’s inside. The customer gets to pick the geode rock themselves, but no one knows what’s inside the geode. Children go wild over the experience.

The Rock Shoppe is one of the very few places in the state that has the ability to crack geodes.

In any visit to the shop, the Lendes try to educate customers by explaining where rocks come from or what the metaphysical qualities are.

Their vision is “trying to inspire people about the natural beauty that comes from the Earth.”

The Rock Shoppe can be found at 54245 N. Circle Dr, unit C7. They are open Thursday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. They can be found on Facebook and Instagram or you can call them at 951-659-1414.