Bar Harbor Pick A Pearl / MDI Pearls — Local services in Bar Harbor

😭I really should have read the negative reviews before going to this store. For future travelers: please read the negative reviews carefully! They are not exaggerations—they are warnings.

If I had, I would have been prepared and not ended up leaving in tears.😭

Here’s what happened: my partner proposed after watching the sunrise, so I wanted to commemorate such wonderful memories by adding one of this store’s pearls to my bead bracelet. In the morning, I picked an oyster and found a beautiful purple pearl. However, the boss (Adam) wasn’t there, so the staff said he would drill the hole later and asked me to leave my bracelet so he could check the hole size. Trusting them, I handed over my $200 bracelet without asking for any receipt or proof.

When I returned in the afternoon, a different staff member greeted me. Instead of sharing in my excitement, she kept pressuring me to pay immediately ($18 for the pearl + $5 for drilling). But Adam hadn’t even drilled the pearl yet, and I hadn’t received the pearl—why should I pay upfront? I had left them my valuable bracelet, showing full trust, yet they acted like I couldn’t be trusted to pay $23. She pushed me four times, which felt extremely petty.

When I finally said, “customer experience matters,” Adam appeared and threatened that I should just take the pearl elsewhere to get it drilled—knowing full well that would cost me extra time and energy. I wanted that purple pearl so badly that I paid, only to find out afterward that the drilling left three holes and scratches on its surface. When I pointed it out, Adam reluctantly refunded me while complaining, “I don’t normally do this.” Well, I don’t normally get rushed into paying $23 either.

To make matters worse, the staff member who kept pressuring me to pay started blaming me, saying I didn’t respect her. Honestly, if she hadn’t kept pushing, I wouldn’t have called her behavior petty in the first place.

What should have been a joyful memory with a purple pearl symbolizing happiness turned into a terrible experience of pettiness, unprofessionalism, and disrespect. I walked out of this store crying, shocked at how a business could treat customers this way.

Thank you for ruining what should have been a special day.

——————————————— Update after reading the owner’s response:

What hurts me is not just the poor service I experienced inside your store, but also how you chose to respond afterward. I left your place in tears, devastated by how I was treated as a customer. Instead of offering even a single word of apology, you doubled down by accusing me.

This is deeply disappointing. The entire situation started because of your poor service. By refusing to acknowledge your mistakes and shifting all the blame onto the customer, you caused further damage—what I would call a second injury on top of the first.

Behavior that causes a customer to walk out in tears should never take place. A professional business takes responsibility when a guest walks out crying. A professional business apologizes, reflects, and improves. What you did was the exact opposite.

You also claimed that “each and every guest is extremely important to us.” If that were true, I would have received empathy, or at the very least, a simple apology. Words without accountability mean nothing.

And frankly, if someone shows poor craftsmanship and lacks even the most basic respect for customers, they should not be running a store in the...

I visited this place on my anniversary trip. I picked a pearl and got a beautiful white one! The lady who helped me was very knowledgeable about the oysters and talked about them as she opened it. It was so fun! I picked a ring and followed all the instructions about not wearing it until the next day. I was very sad when I wore it and at one point looked down and saw that my pearl was gone! I looked everywhere but could not find it. I emailed the place and explained what happened. Adam (I'm assuming the owner) immediately emailed me back and apologized for what happened. He instructed me to send him the ring back and he would fix it for me. I did, and he did! I got my ring back with a beautiful new pearl and I absolutely love it! He did say that the ring has a short pin (that holds the pearl on) so I need to just be careful when wearing it, but I couldn't be happier. I would say maybe don't get a ring, or ask about the pin length if you do, just because it's hard to be that aware of your hands all the time, but I have NO regrets and I am absolutely astonished by the customer service I received. I would definitely recommend this place to fellow travelers!...

Amazing store! Incredible experience! Wonderful owner!

We happened by this store after having collected a couple shells on the beach. My ten-year-old had found an “oyster” that she wanted to open to look for a pearl.

We saw the sign about picking out an oyster and keeping the pearl, and we went in to check it out. The owner was so kind! He explained that my daughter’s oyster was actually a mussel. We chose an oyster from the tank and he opened it for us, teaching us about the oyster and how pearls are formed. It was such a cool experience that another one of my daughters did it too. The owner didn’t pressure us to spend more. He kept saying he’d be there if we wanted to come back.

We loved it so much we returned later in the day for my third daughter to do it, too. We ended up buying pretty little necklaces to keep the pearls in. The price was very reasonable for what you get.

All the jewelry in the store is beautiful, handmade by the owner. I may actually return again before we go back to Milwaukee to buy something for...