Gasport man turns passion for minerals into growing business
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Minerals in Christopher Slowey’s warehouse in Gasport include rare pieces, crude stones, jewelry and polished pieces, such as the piece of artwork he is holding. There is an open house today at Slowey’s showroom at 8417 East Ave.
GASPORT – Christopher Slowey’s love of minerals has catapulted him into a thriving business.
The Gasport resident has always liked minerals and was drawn to the vendors who set up their wares at concerts.
Christopher Slowey demonstrates the ultraviolet properties of a pink mangano calcite obelisk, one of hundreds of minerals for sale at his Gasport business.
After running a redemption center for five years with a friend and then starting a collection agency, he realized he didn’t like that, but had saved up enough money to do something he was passionate about.
That turned out to be collecting and selling precious minerals and forming Mellow Slow Minerals.
The Covid pandemic hurt huis business, but he has regrouped and with online sales booming, he outgrew his basement and leased two spaces in a warehouse at 8417 East Ave.
His business is mostly wholesale, but once a month he opens the doors for individual and wholesale sales. One of those occasions is this weekend, when the public is invited to stop and shop, including today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free and there will be free giveaways, deals and new inventory, he said.
Slowey recently returned from out west where he spent a month mining and attending mineral shows. He said while mining, they came across never-before discovered rocks which they believe have dinosaur bones in them. He took them to a mineral show in Tucson, where Slowey said they turned some heads.
Collecting minerals is big business in Tucson and the whole city is inundated in February with collectors and mineral shows.
Slowey’s showroom in Gasport is filled with tables of rocks of all colors and shapes from all over the world. He has amethyst from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada; Labradorite from Brazil; mangano calcite from Pakistan; scolecites from India; and many others from Africa and Australia.
He explained people collect minerals for a number of reasons, including metaphysical and geological.
White scolecites from India and moss agate pendants are among dozens of minerals at Christopher Slowey’s showroom.
“I respect both reasons, but mainly I collect them because I like the beauty,” Slowey said.
He explained, for instance, that Labradorite is a polished stone with amazing colors, which Native Americans used to meditate in front of. Scolecite from India can have tiny water bubbles which can be seen moving inside.
He also has many pieces of jewelry made from minerals, such as rings, bracelets and pendants.
Many of his customers come from Orleans County and he would like to see a local business, such as a salon, sell his minerals. Currently The Flo on Allen Street in Buffalo, Fuse Salon on Hurtle Avenue in Buffalo and Elevated Smoke Shop in Cheektowaga are among others who sell his products.
Anyone who cannot attend the weekend show, but would like to make an appointment during the week can contact him on Facebook, at Piunth@gmail.com or by calling or texting (585) 866-9104.
