Los Altos’ longtime lapidary shop will soon be leaving Shoup Park – and not by choice. The city is terminating its lease at year’s end, leaving those running the shop to find another location after 60 years in the basement of the park’s Garden House.
“When I found out (the shop is) closing, I was really depressed,” said instructor Steve Scholom, who teaches people how to cut and polish gems and rocks at the shop. “I love it so much.”
The Peninsula Gem & Geology Society took over the lease in 2015 and merged the shop’s operations with the Sequoia Gem & Mineral Society, according to PGGS president Nick Hughes. The lease had been extended through 2028, with a clause that allowed the city to terminate it early with cause, Hughes added. In this case, the cause was that the city wanted to use the space for another purpose.
“The use of the building they are located in has changed over the past several years and now requires secure storage of records,” Los Altos City Manager Gabriel Engeland said in a statement provided via email. “We are no longer able to host public groups in this area.”
The move means the shop must find a new location, and the two gem societies are exploring their options, according to shop manager Cathy Phalen. She said they seek 500-600 square feet of ground-floor space in or around Los Altos.
The number of lapidary shops has dwindled in recent years, according to Scholom, who noted that all the similar shops serving the Peninsula have closed. Now, the nearest ones are in Santa Cruz and San Francisco.
The Los Altos shop offers workshops to the public in cutting and polishing rocks and gems, charging a fee of $10 to maintain equipment. Phalen said it runs as a nonprofit organization, funded solely by donations and the shop fee – not contributions from the two gem societies.
“We have new students come in, and we start from scratch, teaching them the basics…,” Phalen said. “But you can branch off, once you learn how to use the machines, into just about anything.”
People as young as 12 years old can attend the workshops, making the shop a popular spot for families to learn together, according to Los Altos resident Melissa Lui, who is a regular there.
“There’s a tremendous amount of expertise in the older folks that’s being passed down, which is really nice,” Lui said. “It’s been amazing for me to see how much knowledge and love of this gets passed on from person to person, or parents to kids to grandkids.”
For Scholom, who has been associated with the shop for a decade, it has been a special place.
“I go to the lapidary shop in order to relax. It’s a time where I think about polishing rocks and forget about my worries,” he said. “At the same time, it’s an awesome moment to give back to people who are interested in gems and minerals and want to figure out what to do with them.”
Although the shop’s lease ends Dec. 31, Phalen said it will close to the public Sept. 2, giving them time to move out. Those who know of a potential space for the shop are asked to call (650) 743-7447.
