Land of Buddha — Local services in New York

I was excited today to see the store while I was out shopping with my partner and in-laws. I am an African American male. My in-laws are not. I was the only black person in the establishment at the time. The shop owner seemed really friendly based on his interactions with other customers. I overheard him helping a Caucasian lady who was looking at necklace she wanted and telling her to just keep it on, since she said she wanted. At the time I was browsing the books near the cash register. I found a book I wanted to purchase and browsed the rest of the store. I decided I wanted to purchase two necklaces in addition to the book, so I went to check out. I waited my turn in line and finally told him I wanted the book as as well as a couple of items from one of the cases. The entire time he is checking out the customer in front of me, he keeps looking up at me. He asked me for the book and said he would hold it for me. Than said he needed a minute. He started writing on the backs of pieces of signed credit card receipts.. It felt weird, but I just waited. A woman comes up and said she wanted to look at some items in one of cases. He ask her to wait a minute and then helps another customer who walked up. I thought okay, he seems to be alone and the place is busy. I was fighting the feeling that he didn’t want to serve or that he didn’t trust me. He finishes helping the customer and then goes to the lady and said you wanted something from the case. She says yes, but looks at me. He turns around and looks at me. Are the two of you together, as if I suddenly had worth. I say no answer and he tells me, well I am going to help her first. You know ladies first. He didn’t help the lady before the man who walked after us. He helped the man before helping me, even though I waited in line like customer before me. I said no problem and walked out the store to meet my family who were waiting for me as I was the only who wanted to make a purchase. At which point, I had to suffer the additional humiliation of explaining why I didn’t have the items I wanted to purchase. I would prefer if you just put up a sign saying “no black people allowed” or just tell me I am not welcome when I walked in the door. The psychological torture of trying to make sense of the situation, telling myself that I am paranoid, and being publicly humiliated after wasting my...

I absolutely fell in love with this magical and authentic place.

Spotless, beautifully organized, with everything perfectly in place. Crystals and singing bowls of every shape, size, and type — especially the iconic Tibetan ones. Incense, smudge sticks, clothing, mats, books, jewelry… truly a delight for anyone who loves Eastern spiritual practices and sacred objects.

And that’s just the front — at the back, there’s a stunning meditation hall, harmoniously adorned with Buddhas and exquisite Eastern deities. The wooden floor is neatly covered with mats, and the space is filled with carefully arranged instruments for sound therapy, healing, and meditation sessions.

By pure luck, I walked in just in time for a sound healing session guided by Mel — and it was incredible. She’s a truly gifted therapist: graceful, intuitive, and full of love. I left feeling renewed, at peace, harmonized, and energetically recharged.

She pays attention to every little detail, creating an unforgettable experience I definitely want to repeat regularly.

Crystals, meditation, and yoga are deeply part of my path — so discovering this gem in East Village, Manhattan, New York felt like finding a...

Nice-ish place. They have prayer beads, singing bowls, scarves, incense, altar cloths, bells, crystals. Everything is overpriced, of course, but you have to expect because of the location. I try to buy from stores instead of online because I want the stores to be around so I support them as much as I can. A girl was managing the shop the first time I went in and it was an utterly pleasant experience. I bought some sandalwood beads and a singing bowl. Loved it all. This time there was a man there who asked if I wanted help, showed me one thing and when i asked if there were other colors or other designs, he said, "There's nothing for you here!" I still stayed a few moments, looking at other things, inquired about the price of one item and then he looked up from his cellphone long enough to say, "The price is on that." I did want to buy some lapis lazuli beads but felt so terribly unwelcome that I decided to leave because why would you give your money to someone who so clearly doesn't want you to buy from them? If I knew when the girl would be there again, I'd go back, but otherwise...