Made By Hand Crystals

If I could give this store zero stars, I would. On a random Saturday, my husband and I decided to stop by Made by Hand Crystals in Trumbull Mall to look at some crystals, as I was interested in possibly purchasing one. When we first walked in, there was only one person inside. I was told to go back outside and wait to be greeted. I hadn’t seen the sign, so I stepped back out, read it, and waited as instructed. When the gentleman came out, he immediately spoke over me and directed his questions to my husband, asking him if he understood English. My husband hadn’t heard him clearly, so I responded but I was completely disregarded. He continued speaking only to my husband and explained all the store “rules” to him, ignoring me again. When I politely asked if I could ask a question, he told me to wait until we were inside and that he would come back to me. That honestly should have been our cue to leave, but we decided to give it a chance. Inside the store, we walked around until he approached us and began what seemed like an unsolicited “reading.” I had not asked for one. He recommended a specific bracelet and made certain claims about why I “needed” it. When I asked the price, he told me and walked away. Later, I found another item I was genuinely interested in and asked about the price. He responded with the price but then said, “You’re not getting that you’re getting the bracelet.” I explained that the bracelet was out of my price range for the day. His response was simply, “Oh, well thank you for coming,” and he walked away. We left shortly after. As we walked through the mall, I felt physically unwell my heart was racing, I felt nauseous, and I even developed a headache. The entire interaction left me feeling dismissed, uncomfortable, and pressured. What’s ironic is that I normally don’t tolerate being treated that way. I would have lost it. But for some reason, I stayed calm, let him do his thing, and just observed. Maybe the crystals really did bring me peace because I handled that situation far more calmly than I usually would have. After reading other reviews, I realized this experience was not unique. The behavior was unprofessional, dismissive, and inappropriate. No one should perform a “reading” without consent. And consistently ignoring a woman to only address the man she’s with is disrespectful and unacceptable. I cannot recommend this store based on our experience. I’m sure he or whoever owns or runs the store may respond to this review with a smart remark, but I am being completely honest and transparent about what happened. This is not a store I would ever recommend. ——————————— ——————————— There should really be an option to reply to your response, and I hope you see this. You mentioned my behavior, and I would genuinely like to know what behavior you’re referring to, because there was nothing inappropriate about how I acted. I simply questioned why I had to wait behind a red line before being greeted. Asking a question should not be considered a problem. It’s unfair to suggest that a woman asking for clarification is behaving improperly. Also, your comment about my husband being timid or scared is completely inaccurate. That assumption is wrong. I hope you reconsider how you address customers in the future

Stopped in this store hoping to pick up some great bargains after seeing several signs outside advertising 50–90% off EVERYTHING. I was excited thinking I could purchase so many wonderful things for friends and family. I was even more excited when I noticed no one was in the store. I walked in and was greeted by the owner, who thoughtfully suggested I step back outside and wait at the red line. After stepping away to check the other window, he graciously reappeared about five minutes later and invited me into the store. What excellent customer service! It was truly a wonderful experience being given so many specific rules to follow while shopping. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if more stores adopted this fabulous business model? I especially appreciated being able to relax without touching merchandise. I loved the trust-building exercise of keeping my hands at my sides at all times. It was also refreshing to browse items without the burden of knowing their prices. Shopping is so much more enjoyable when cost is a mystery! Unfortunately, I had to leave because each time the owner entered my space I felt smothered by his presence. I can’t wait to return to the Trumbull Mall, enjoy a nice meal at the Cheesecake Factory and then happily walk right past this place 😊

“Can’t polish a turd.” Bizarre rules to stand in line outside, be escorted in for “touchless shopping” per employee directions today. Can’t touch a tshirt or fake crystals. How do I look for my mood ring sizes to buy one if I cannot touch them? Cool appearance of store. Today: mall opened 11:30ish. I am alone and wait to go in for 1st time. At 12, as walking up, dude employee is locking door/leaving. Says brb. 10 mins later, allows me to come in. I was able to look at 1full table of the decent sized store with him yapping my ear off to be told he really has to “go to washroom but if I come back later he will give me something complimentary” at 12:25. 15 mins to look at less than quarter of store with hands behind back and leaving my open diet coke can unattended (concerning for women) at a table by the door. I will never go again, will tell everyone in line it’s fake over-priced items anyway and the images attached are the instructions he told me while waiting to be let in to “share with my friends.”

I stopped into this crystal/spiritual shop while visiting the Trumbull Mall because the store looked interesting from the outside. Unfortunately my experience was not very welcoming. Shortly after entering, I was told that customers are not allowed to touch anything in the store and that I should come back at a “better time.” The interaction felt abrupt and uncomfortable, especially since I had just walked in and was simply browsing. I completely understand that small shops may have policies to protect fragile or handmade items, but the way the policy was communicated made me feel like I shouldn’t be there. A more welcoming explanation or guidance from the owner would have made a big difference. I hope the store considers creating a more customer-friendly atmosphere in the future.

this store and the items they have inside are very beautiful but I will never spend my money here. there are rules to follow in order to even step inside, (which is ok) you must wait to be invited inside, you cannot separate from the person you are shopping with. you must keep your arms at your side and you cannot touch anything in the store, which is strange because with stones you generally pick them based on the connection you feel toward it. the manager is a creep and gives off the worst energy. I was shopping with my boyfriend and we walked by outside of the shop and saw there were a bunch of lego sets along the window, next to “50-90% off, everything must go” signs. as we walked up to enter the store another couple was entering the empty store ahead of us, a women stood at the door and told the couple that walked inside to go back outside and wait behind the red line until they were told they could enter, the couple left, and we probably should have too. we were invited in, told the rules, and went inside to ask the price of the lego set we saw, once inside we approached the area we saw the lego set and noticed it was completely hidden and unreachable behind these tables of stones, the manager turned to us, the only people in the store, and said we scared him, ok weird because he was standing next to where we walked up, but ok. my boyfriend asked him about the lego set. we were quickly met with a condescending and hostile response of “well our legos are gifts for customers who spend a lot of money here” ok, that’s fine, he then told my boyfriend he should buy me a gift. while he spoke to my boyfriend and i stood there next to him the man spoke about me as if i wasn’t standing there, which definitely made me feel uncomfortable and a little bit disrespected. he specifically pointed out a green stone for my boyfriend to buy me to deflect and protect against people who you spend your time with and that talk, and talk, and talk, but don’t actually speak with intention, when my boyfriend asked for the price he said this quarter sized stone on a rope string was 100$, what a joke. he rudely followed that up with “if that’s too expensive for you i can offer you an imitation stone for 10$ instead”. he has such unwelcoming and arrogant energy. we left and will definitely not be returning. this store is a scam. update: the owner has responded to my review and his response must be in regards to a different customer, none of what he has replied with is correct, not us, wrong customers.

Amazing shop. I like all the things here. Great salesman.

Went to this place after seeing a "50%-90% off" Sign in the windows, first off we EVERYONE HAD TO WAIT IN LINE! it's not a club! and everything are WAY OVERPRICED! items from Shien or alibaba that should have been $1 are $80+ for a cheap plastic beaded bracelet and fake glass crystals?! They make you NOT TOUCH anything and give you a "guided tour" where the guy is rude talking junk about other businesses and tries to FORCE you to buy things as you walk around. GUESS WHAT I TOHCHED THINGS WHEN YOU DIDNT LOOK AND THEYRE ALL FAKE! Not one "stone" cold to the touch! The audacity of people?! No wonder they're going out of business and all reviews are terrible!

I visited this store on a quiet Monday morning, it was completely empty, with not a single customer inside. The sign at the entrance said to “wait to be welcomed,” so we did. Then the only person inside (the same one mentioned in many 1-star reviews) came out and said it would cost $20 per person to skip the line and enter, even though there was no line and no one in the store. When we politely asked what the fee was for, he had no explanation and instead told us to visit other stores and refused to let us in. He also made strange comments about “negative energy,” which made the situation even more uncomfortable. His attitude was extremely rude, dismissive, and condescending, the kind of interaction that instantly ruins your mood and your impression of the place. This was by far the most unprofessional and bizarre retail experience I’ve ever had. It reflects poorly on the entire Trumbull Mall, no customer should be treated this way. I genuinely hope mall management reviews this tenant, because such behavior drives people away and damages the mall’s reputation. **Response to Your Comments:** There are so many 1-star reviews describing the exact same behavior which confirms that our experience wasn’t unique. My review was written to describe a specific, factual experience that clearly occurred, not to "spread negativity." I stand by everything I mentioned, you refused to let us enter an empty store and asked for $20 per person to "skip the line," when there was no line at all. I only leave reviews when I have a genuine experience worth sharing, positive or negative. My review here reflects exactly what happened during our visit and has nothing to do with my other reviews. It's disappointing to see the response focus on me rather than addressing the issue itself. I hope management takes this feedback seriously so future visitors don't have a similar experience. Because the way customers are treated here affects the entire mall's reputation.

I wish I could give zero stars. I had one of the rudest and most disturbing experiences here. The person working at the entrance asked and confirmed my race before letting me enter, and then demanded money just to walk into the store. This behavior felt discriminatory, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable. Truly unbelievable experience. I will never return, and I strongly advise others to be aware of this conduct. Answer to the owner: It was Monday afternoon, there was no other customer in the line or the store and you asked for $20 to enter the store. I also notice others having similar experiences here based on others reviews. Good to know that we can just avoid this store.

I went here when it was completely empty to get a crystal or some nice handmade gift for a friend. I waited outside the store for 15 minutes while the staff inside played on their phones. They weren't helping customers and wouldn't provide a reason for why I had to wait outside. Additionally, the staff were very rude. I eventually left without making it into the store. I will be taking my business elsewhere and recommending to my friends never to shop at this store. All around, a very unpleasant experience.