Story by: Ziggy Ross, Tourism Editor
Photos by: Mckenna Bone
Grand Junction is known for its flurry of small businesses that exist downtown. Of all the businesses that exist, the shop Minerals and Beads stands out compared to others. This little shop that lives on Main Street is known for its large crystal collection and vast selection of beads. What many may not know, however, is that owner Jamie Mahoney made this shop a reality with just a little help and a lot of influence.
Mahoney is a Colorado native who has developed a love for gems and jewelry over the years. She started her involvement in beads and gems when she spent her college years in Hawaii.
“I moved over there with my high school sweetheart, and I worked at a gem and jewelry store,” Mahoney said. “I dreamed that someday I would have something like that.”
After spending some years in Hawaii, she decided it was time to return home, but her love for beads and gems continued to grow. She settled in Glenwood Springs for a little while and started working at High Country Gems and Minerals.
“It was the first rock shop that I actually bought rocks for my own collection when I was about eight years old,” Mahoney said.
While working up in Glenwood Springs, Mahoney worked at two stores that were both owned by Matt MacQueen, a bead store and a gem store. A couple days were spent at the bead store then a couple days were spent at the gem store.
“Then he asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up,” Mahoney said. “I was like, well, I would love to have a combination of your two stores.”
At that moment in time, a plan began to hatch for Mahoney and MacQueen, and luck was on their side. A mere two weeks later, MacQueen took a trip to Las Vegas and met a man on the plane who was leasing a building. Mahoney was asked if she wanted to move to Grand Junction to run the business as her own, but she was apprehensive at first. When given only five minutes to make her decision, she answered with the only thing she knew to say.
“He said he needed an answer in five minutes,” Mahoney said. “So, I told him I’d call him back in five minutes.”
Mahoney took a few minutes to think on the idea, but ultimately decided that it may be time to move out of her parents’ house again and onto something new. She called MacQueen back and gave him a resounding yes. She began working at the new store in Grand Junction in 2004.
“He always had this vision that in five years, I would be able to purchase it from him” Mahoney said. “And I always thought that was kind of crazy.”
So then a new journey began for Mahoney. She needed to figure out how to establish herself in a way that she could take over the Grand Junction location. While trying to find a way to come up with half a million dollars, she met someone unexpected, but he proved to be most important in her journey. Mahoney met her now husband, Kevin Mahoney, and he encouraged her to buy the shop.
“I told him it was a possibility for me to buy the shop,” Jamie Mahoney said. “And his response was ‘why aren’t you doing it?’”
Buying the store came with its challenges, including getting a loan. Getting a loan was not a possibility for Jamie Mahoney, because all four of MacQueen’s stores were combined on taxes. Two years of taxes needs to be shown for one location, but this was not possible for this store at this time.
“So, I started asking people for money, which I never do,” Jamie Mahoney said. “When I got about half of the downpayment I needed, my boss came to me and said he’ll take what I’ve got.”
Jamie Mahoney was now on her way to becoming a business owner. It happened almost overnight for Jamie Mahoney, but MacQueen always knew that was going to be their story.
“He always knew that that was how it was going to go down,” Jamie Mahoney said.
As of December of 2009, Jamie has been the owner of Main Street Minerals and Beads. Kevin Mahoney co-owns the shops with his wife, and they enjoy running the store together.
“It’s a high vibration crystal palace,” Kevin Mahoney said. “It’s my favorite rock shop in the world.”
Jamie Mahoney is glad she could bring something like this to Grand Junction, and she’s thankful for the local support given each day.
“Working for yourself is something else,” Jamie Mahoney said. “I love bringing the beauty to the valley and raising the vibration.”
Main Street Minerals and Beads is open Monday-Saturday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., and they are closed each Sunday. They are located at 524 Main St, Grand Junction, CO 81501.
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