Gold Bug — Local services in Pasadena

GOLD BUG. I love this store, I love every little thing in this store. This space is filled with amazing finds. Curiosities all over, I mean in every corner of this place, it holds something new and brilliant. That gets you excited and happy. The products are so much fun to look at and what makes it even better is the Family that runs this store. I go in happy to look and know that there are a lot of things that I should not grab, pick up, move etc.. because I have common sense. there are things on the shelves with 1k price tags.. I have seen people nonchalantly pick them up and gasp at the price and put them down while knocking another piece next to it. that is not right.. have some common sense. IF you do, you can talk to the proprietors and they will assist you in every possible way, they will pull it off the shelf, give you the price, talk to you about the artist, tell you where it's from, what the history is behind each piece. They will even tell you what inspired them to buy it. Why they like it so , why it was purchased, how they found it and more. The amount of meaningful conversations I have had with the male owner that everyone seems to be so butt sore about (sorry I have no other adjective, I know its crass ) have been so fantastic that I'm actually astounded at the reviews here. I think that the majority of the complaints are from people that were rude from the get go, and speak to the staff like they are the ones in control, instead of speaking with curiosity and kindness. I say this because I have witnessed it all in this store. I have been coming to this place since it opened its doors, I have seen people drop vases, break art pieces and not care about it. Seriously, this store is a gem and all you have to do is ask. I have been in this store so many times over the years and I have never had a bad experience in this shop. Your experience in this store starts with an attitude of curiosity, respect , and kindness. Your overall experience will be based upon your attitude and that...

So disappointed and disheartened. I’ve shopped here quite a bit over the years, but was never treated as poorly as my partner and I were today. I’m no longer in the Pasadena area, so we drove 45 minutes specifically to shop at this store for gifts. After a short while browsing and choosing things we planned to purchase, I was yelled at from across the store because I was looking at my cell phone. When I explained that I was looking something up that I was unfamiliar with, the owner exasperatedly told me that the store has a no-cell-phone policy. Prior to that we hadn’t even been spoken to. No offer to help. Not even a greeting. The irony to this situation was I was actually on Gold Bug’s website. The interaction was so terse and disrespectful that we no longer felt comfortable and simply walked out. Confused, I decided to look at the other reviews here and it appears I’m not alone. It also appears that the owner’s motivation for being so rude is out of a fear that people may be searching for where to purchase similar items outside the store. Turns out, most of what’s in this store is readily available on Etsy and directly from the artists. This is a classic case of someone capitalizing on other artist’s works for a gross profit. Well congratulations, Gold Bug, you just chased another customer away from making a purchase with you as I’ll be purchasing online instead, when a little kindness and customer service would have kept me from ever realizing how jacked up your prices are. Save yourself the trouble of a terrible experience and just browse the artists on their website, then google them and shop directly. Also if you’re an artist considering showing your work there…maybe think twice about how you want your work...

I love the store, the wares and the displays. I bought two pair of earrings from a designer they represent a few years ago. A year later, I was back in town and stopped in to buy another pair, and happily saw them on display. I asked the owner what the name of the designer was, and he said he wouldn’t tell me..His words were: “If I tell you, you’ll just go online and buy them there.” Wow! I told the owner perhaps he doesn’t remember, but I had bought two pair last year, and that I had stopped in to buy another pair. He was so unkind, condescending and snooty. Well, I bought another pair anyway. You’d think a store that sold you over $300 dollars of merchandise would share with you the name of the designer whose piece you are buying.

There is a wonderful store on Bleecker Street in New York City who carries the same designer. I always stop into this store when I’m in York, and they gladly share all the information about this jewelry line...if they have what I want, I buy it from them. And if they don’t, we look online and see what else is available. And we have a wonderful time looking at all the beautiful pieces together: it’s the K/LLR Collection, and its designed...