Kokopelli Gift House — Local services in Vandalia

Stopped as we were traveling through.. it's a convenience stop not far off the interstate.... Cram packed with the largest assortment of stones and other gems.... Plus Native American type jewelry and other items.... They have incense and other types of quasi spiritual items.... But They also sell some overpriced junk.... There were two older women very nicely dressed who provided friendly enough customer service.... But unfortunately one of the items I purchased did not make it into the bag..... Even though the lady had looked at it and rang up the price of it somehow she must have laid it down on the counter..... So the next day when I was 100 mi away I realized it was not in our bag.... Fortunately we were traveling right back through the same interstate so I called and sure enough she informed me it was still lying on the counter.... The good part is that she was helpful enough to recommend putting it in a plastic bag and stashing it in a secret place outside the door if I arrived after they had closed. This did not become necessary as I was able to get there before close of business.... And I will say she did Apologize nicely for the inconvenience.... Bottom line is... If you're looking for this type of gift house then this one would be recommended... But beware that you don't overpay for something that's garbage and absolutely be sure to check your bags before...

Lots to say here…. I enjoy turquoise but I don’t like buying from people that are not native. The amount of white sage in the building is crazy and being that it’s part of a closed practice it’s a little off putting that non indigenous people are running the store. They also have a lot of other closed practice items like lots of chakra stuff. I understand that it’s advertised as a native jewelry store which it is. The other strange thing in here is there are a lot of native baby dolls, and tiny figurines. Also the register is on their “desk” in the back. It makes it confusing to check out. It was a very small store with lots of items. Profiting off native materials isn’t cool. Do better. Also the “Indian” sign out front. That’s not what they are. They are indigenous peoples. Nothing in there is ethnically sourced because it’s all fairly cheap. Most things don’t even have a price on them. Lots of stuff on the floors and there are some random cabinets on the floor with sale items in them. The women inside watch you closely the entire time and the conceal carry sign on the desk doesn’t help when it comes to having a welcoming environment, along with the political sticker on the desk. I will not be returning....

I stress to anyone thinking about giving this business a chance: don’t.

I tried going inside today and the amount of people in there exceeded well over maximum capacity. We could barely fit in the front door with the amount of people in there, and it was so uncomfortable and tight that we ended up leaving less than five minutes after entering. The filters in there are clogged with dirt and dust that blew into our faces. I’m absolutely appalled that a business like this is allowed to stay open, that blatantly puts their customers in danger without any consideration. There are much better metaphysical shops in the area that sanitize everything and get their employees tested regularly, let alone take this pandemic seriously. I wanted to like this place so badly but my safety and trust has been absolutely violated. This establishment should get shut down for the health code violations they’re committing. Between the COVID violations, overpriced products, and the fact this place isn’t ethically sourced or owned by Native Americans, this place doesn’t deserve a 4.7 star...