Your cart is currently empty!
Our Story
Nature Gallery was born of a hobby my mother, Norma Tager, and I shared. We were both passionate collectors and lovers of rocks, minerals and crystals. In 1987, after Norma survived a bout of ovarian cancer, she knew that she needed to get out of the Hollywood rat race and get a fresh start away from the place where she had experienced the dis-ease.
Norma, a professional writer, packed up her collection and moved to a small house near Cal Poly University in San Luis Obispo with the intention of getting a job writing at a local ad agency. She set out to find a crystal to use during her meditations, but to her great surprise, there were none to be found. There were no shops in San Luis Obispo County that sold crystals!
When she told her friend Marcia in LA about her shock and dismay, Marcia said she had to meet Ron: “He’s the guy in town to talk to about that stuff.” Norma took Marcia’s advice and met Ron. When he heard Norma’s story, he said, “Norma, you are going to open a crystal store in San Luis Obispo.”
Norma thought this was ridiculous since she had no money for merchandise, no experience as a store owner and there were no stores available for lease at that time. Ron insisted that she go back to check it out further. Norma went back to San Luis Obispo and went directly to the prime real estate office across from the Mission Plaza. She told the man at the office her plans and that she would appreciate being contacted if a commercial space became available. The man listened with interest. “I’m Tom Coull,” he said, “And I own this real estate office – and this building for that matter. I’m just about to kick out Terrible Bob’s Earrings a few doors away. I was talking with someone who wanted to lease it for a children’s clothing store.” He paused briefly, pensively. “What did you say you wanted to do? Crystals? Oh, yes! I like that idea better.”
Norma’s new friend, Ron, consigned merchandise and jewelry for the Gallery and started teaching her about selling stones. The Nature Gallery opened on November 7th, 1987.
WGA Strike Motivates a Change of Career
I had been producing in the film business and commuting by prop plane each weekend to help Norma with the Gallery. On March 7th, 1988 (Norma’s birthday) the Writer’s Guild strike started. It turned out to be the biggest strike ever in the biz. Los Angeles was a very depressing place with no one working. I had become very close with Norma through her cancer treatment and decided to shift my focus and temporarily move to SLO to help her with the new business.
The strike lasted 22 weeks, the longest ever in the entertainment industry. When I returned to Los Angeles to find work after the strike the competition for work and the ensuing stress in was palpable. I felt strongly that this stress was repelling me from Los Angeles and the entertainment industry. I could feel in my heart that this angst, this disease was not good for my well-being. Sensing my discomfort, Norma offered me a partnership in the business.
Move to SF Bay Area
When a second bout of cancer struck in 1990 and the California tourism economy was on edge due to the recession, it was clear that we needed to move the business to a more affluent area.
In 1994 we finally made the move to the bay area. The gallery relocated to Town & Country Village in Palo Alto. Sadly, Norma passed away in 1996, leaving me as sole proprietor of Nature Gallery.
After 15 more years in Palo Alto, I made the bold move in 2012 to a space twice the size in neighboring downtown Los Altos. The Gallery’s new larger showroom inspired me to expand the collection to feature larger, more dramatic mineral and fossil decor treasures.
These natural works of art create a grounded geologic aesthetic for both homes and offices. As Nature Gallery curator, I personally select each mineral, fossil specimen, jewelry and decor treasure based on its intrinsic beauty.
Community Connection
My connection with my community has been at the heart of my success as a businesswoman. I am the co-chair of Downtown Los Altos First Friday, an active member of the Los Altos Village Association, the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce and WeLA, a women’s networking group. I have also been the board chair of Peninsula HealthCare Connection, a healthcare clinic for our homeless and at-risk community, a member of the Rotary Clubs of Palo Alto and Los Altos and the founder of the Downtown Streets Mentor Program.
Teaching, Learning and Exploring
From the time I was in third grade, I wanted to be a teacher. Through my gallery, I feel deep satisfaction from teaching on many levels – from visitors to the gallery to elementary-high school geology field trips and entrepreneur clubs, to providing the first job experience for many local high school students. I started the SV Nexus Meetup, a speaker series which explores the nexus of art/science and technology. I am always happy to host an event to raise money for a worthy local charity.
Inspired by Nature
I’ve always been an artist. Inspired by my uncle Stan Goldstein’s passion for photography, I experimented in the darkroom at Hollywood High School. I was the chief photographer for the school newspaper and started an advanced film making class. I sold my first photograph “Light House in the Woods” when I was 16 years old for $400 and that same year my first photograph was published in the Hollywood Reporter. In the past 10 years I’ve been expanding my creativity by designing a line of jewelry, the 87Rocks Collection and have collaborated with metalsmiths to created multi-media sculptures incorporating metal, air plants, rocks and fossils.
The gallery would never have existed if not for passionate people with good energy – including Norma, Marcia, Ron and Tom – and, of course, our loyal customers. I am forever grateful for this journey. I think Norma would be proud!
I look forward to many more years of providing this curated collection of mineral and fossil treasures to a like-minded community of people who see nature as art.
Best wishes always,
Carol Garsten