Geology Rocks Opens in LV
Geology Rocks Opens in LV
Plus: Christmas Decorations in LV, Plants at the Farmers Market, LV News Updates, LV Book Club Query, and the LV Update Reflects on the Past Year
So-called local “rock hounds” may already know about Geology Rock and Minerals, which opened up a couple months ago at 5390 Napa Street in Linda Vista, but its store owner wants everyone in the area to come and check out his beautiful and interesting products. Rock hounds are defined as geology enthusiasts who collect rocks and minerals, but you don’t need to be a rock hound to appreciate what this new business establishment has to offer in terms of attractive items that might appeal to you in an aesthetic or spiritual way. I recommend paying a visit to check out the interesting display cases and show room and to ask Kasey Valle any questions you might have about all the products on display in his store.
Geology Rocks is owned and operated by Kasey Valle. Originally from Florida, he developed his passion for rocks and minerals while majoring in Geology at Florida State University. He enjoyed the kinesthetic aspect of his major and being able to spend time outdoors while studying rocks. His academic background in geology is evident as you will find he is very eager to share his information of rocks and minerals with customers.
After college, he began his geology-related business venture by first selling online, but he was eager to have a place to show his products. Consequently, he opened his first Geology Rocks store in Chico, California, which he operated. With a business partner, he subsequently has also opened stores in Chicago and Pittsburgh.
In explaining the typical clientele that frequents a store like Geology Rocks, Valle identified different groups of customers, mainly people who buy his products for home decor, collectors who are interested in mineralogy (i.e. where the rocks came from), those who buy his products for the spiritual aspects (i.e., metaphysical qualities they associate with rocks and minerals), and people who buy his products for use as jewelry, to include artists who set the stone and want to show it off.
He obtains his products mainly from trusted individuals that attend three big gem shows held in the U.S. throughout the year. The shows attract sellers from around the world, which means Valle obtains rocks and minerals from such places as Australia, Poland, Pakistan, the Congo, and China.
He chose the Linda Vista area as a place to open his latest shop because it’s near so many different communities. “We are hoping people from nearby communities will come out and find us, to include not just the rock hounds but people who love crystals.”
In keeping with his desire to educate people about the store’s products, Valle distributes geology information cards to his customers and maintains an informative web site that includes geology-related stories and the basics of geology and mineral identification.
Newcomers to the store may want to check out the store’s Deal Day specials that include Tumble Bag Tuesday, By Weight Wednesday, Trivia Thursday, Fossil Friday, and Social Saturday.
Additionally, the store offers another component—Valle’s girlfriend Nichole Vargas operates Bodywork, which on its website is described as providing “Integrative bodywork” and includes different forms of wellness/massage therapy. You can check out her website here.
Kasey Valle wants people in the Linda Vista area to know “Geology Rocks is not just a typical rock shop. We provide a great welcoming environment. A place with a good vibe.”
Holiday Decorations in Linda Vista
We want to recognize a few local houses and one business establishment for taking the time to get in the Holiday spirit and sharing that spirit with the rest of Linda Vista. We would have liked to recognize many other LV houses, but we are limited in terms of newsletter space.
We weren’t sure about the lights hanging on Filiberto’s—they appear festive and Holiday-like, though as a Mexican restaurant, the color of the lights may just represent the colors of the Mexican flag. We’ll let you decide.
Farmers Market Update
Jessi Foliage and Plants
One of the more popular newcomer vendors at the Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market is Jessi Foliage and Plants. This vendor’s tent is a pleasure to visit; a soothing oasis of green, offering quite a variety of attractive plants. In the few weeks this Encinitas-based business has been operating at the Farmers Market, we have seen quite a few happy customers walking away with plants of various sizes.
Accordingly, we thought it might be a good idea to ask Ignacio Azul from Jessi Foliage and Plants for more information to let all of our readers know more about what they offer for sale, along with some valuable plant growing advice, in case any of us happen to take a plant or two home. Here is what he had to say:
—Do you sell both indoor and outdoor plants at the Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market?
Yes! While we mostly specialize in plants that do better indoors or under shade, we have a variety of plants that could go outside, and some that require very little water. We have succulents too!
—What helpful hints do you have for maintaining indoor plants?
Most indoor plants aren’t fans of direct sunlight, so keeping them in an area where they get indirect sunlight for a few hours a day is recommended. As far as for watering, a few cups of water every other week is more than enough to keep your plant strong and healthy.
—What is the easiest plant to take care of for people who don’t have green thumbs?
Anyone who has a large collection of plants is likely to say their collection began with a Pothos. These indoor plants require very little maintenance and are very easy to propagate. But if you are only just beginning your plant collection, even a succulent might be a good place to start.
—After buying a plant from your Farmers Market booth, when should a customer re-pot a plant?
Repotting a newly purchased plant is up to personal preference. Every plant we sell comes in a pot with holes in the bottom, where excess water drains out. Most plants have at least a couple months before they need to be repotted, but if you see an excessive amount of roots growing out of the holes, we would consider repotting.
—Are there any plants that are not good if you have pets?
Based off of a Texas A&M University article which shows a list of common poisonous house plants, the only poisonous plant we sell would be the Dieffenbachia, also called Dumb-Cane. That being said, we do not recommend any plant be consumed and would suggest some research before attempting to consume ANY plant.
—What are some of your more popular outdoor or indoor plants?
We probably have over 100 varieties of plants to ensure that everyone can find a plant they will like, but among the more popular types we have Pothos, Hoyas, Fiddle-Leaf Figs and Calatheas, to name a few.
—What is the price range for the plants you sell at the Love, Linda Vista Farmer’s Market?
Many factors can affect the price such as the size of the pot that the plant is in, and the variety of the plant itself. Generally, our hanging plants will range from $10 to $30. And our floor plants will range from $15 for our 6” pots to around $40 for our much larger plants.
—How long has your plant company been in business?
Jessi Foliage and Plants is a San Diego based, family owned business. We began our business in Encinitas but we have slowly begun expanding with the help of all our customers. We have been in business for 20 years and we plan to keep on going!
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The Linda Vista Update wishes to thank Ignacio Azul for taking the time to answer our questions. We hope our readers will pay a visit to the Jessi Foliage and Plants booth the next time they visit the Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market. See what they have on sale.
LV News Updates
—Farmers Market: The Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market will operate today (December 22 from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the Linda Vista Plaza Shopping Center. The Farmers Market will take next week off and then return on January 5. Today’s Farmers Market will include a new vendor selling Neapolitan-style pizza.
— Kearny High Basketball: The 7-2 Kearny High Boys Basketball team will play upcoming homes games on December 22 (St Joseph’s Academy), January 4 (Tribune City Christian), January 6 (Clairemont), and January 10 (High Tech San Diego). Go check out the action!
—Community Clean-up: Bayside Community Center will hold its next monthly community clean-up on Sunday January 8. Volunteers will meet at 10:00 am in the Linda Vista Library parking lot.
Book Club, Anyone?
Last week’s edition of the LV Update prompted one newsletter reader to ask if there are any book clubs for Linda Vista residents. We don’t know of any that are currently recruiting members. But we think the idea of a Linda Vista book club sounds interesting. If you know of any such books clubs, let us know. And if you think you would be interested in joining a Linda Vista book club, if one came into existence, please send us a note.
The LV Update Reflects on the Past Year
As 2022 winds down to a close, we wish to reflect back on publishing this newsletter during the past year and thank all of our readers/subscribers for continuing to support this digital venture.
The Linda Vista Update has always been about community. A community exists when people realize they share things in common like ideas, activities, customs, traditions, and experiences—when this occurs, people are more likely to develop a network of relationships capable of rendering assistance, developing stronger personal bonds, routinely exercising empathy, and arriving at solutions that benefit the public good. What eventually arises is the semblance of a common vision that can help guide the community forward. That is why we believe that life is always much more pleasant and productive when we live in a community. Since the Linda Vista community is divided up by different streets, different housing developments, and many different neighborhoods separated by distance, geographic features, and different roads, it can sometimes be difficult to determine what we share in common. Accordingly, we have seen our goal at the Linda Vista Update as one of publishing articles on a weekly basis that remind residents of what our “community” shares in common, whether it be examples of street art, admiring the achievements of our young people, celebrations like the Linda Vista Multi-Cultural Fair and Parade, our concern for proper city infrastructure, the activities of our local elected officials, time-tested LV institutions like ACCESS and Bayside, new institutions like the Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market, and the diverse food establishments we enjoy when we go out to eat.
We aim to do more of the same in 2023. In the meantime, we hope you have a Happy Holiday period, and that you enjoy a prosperous New Year.
We will be taking off the next two weeks, and will return with the next edition of the Linda Vista Update on January 12.
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The Linda Vista Update is a weekly digital newsletter that publishes informative, interesting, and fun news about Linda Vista and its neighboring communities.