Ascension Crystals continues to rise

Ash Clow, owner of Ascension Crystals, holds an andara crystal ball, at her store located at 404 San Felipe St NW Unit B in Old Town. The store opened in 2021 and Clow hopes it entices young people into crystals.

Chancey Bush/ Journal

Nakayla McClelland Nakayla McClelland Nakayla McClelland Journalist

Published January 8, 2024 - 12:15 a.m. Modified February 11, 2025 - 2:00 a.m.

Ash Clow’s life changed in June 2021 with the grand opening of Ascension Crystals.

The year before, Clow said she was struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic and decided she needed a change. She had a dream where she was inside a crystal store, and she decided to open up her own business in Old Town.

Before opening the crystal store, Clow had a healing practice. She has always been metaphysical and spiritual business and her main goal was to help people through internal struggles.

Ascension Crystals has found its groove since its 2021 opening.

The store sells a variety of spiritual and metaphysical items, such as gemstones, sage and crystal tumbles and clusters. The smell of incense greets customers, and the shop is filled to the brim with pendants and different types of jewelry.

Clow knew she was going to be taking a big risk. She poured her time, passion and a majority of her savings into making her dream become a reality. She makes some of the jewelry herself.

Katy Poole, an employee at the store, said she started working at Ascension Crystals because she, too, needed a change in her life. She was selling cars and wasn’t fulfilled with her career.

“It just felt like the perfect fit”, Poole said, adding that she has been surrounded by positive people since working at the store.

Clow says the store has been a lot of work, but incredibly fulfilling.

“Having a business is like riding a lion,” she said. “You’re trying to take care of everything while making sure you don’t get bit.”

Clow recently opened another crystal store in Taos called Andara Crystals, which has a similar concept to the Albuquerque store but with different designs and other merchandise. But she plans to close the store in the upcoming months to focus more on her Albuquerque location.

“Taos is a small town with a tough crowd but they love us and we love them,” she said. “I love Taos, but my heart is in Albuquerque. I belong here.”

In 2024, Clow has plans to revamp the store and provide space and time for spirituality classes.

The courses will incorporate crystals. Clow said she hopes to capture the interest of young people.

“The most heartwarming compliments that I have received about the store and what I do have been from teens and kids,” she said.

And to those that don’t believe in the healing properties of crystals?

“It may not make sense to others but it makes sense to me and it makes sense to other people,” Clow said. “Come try a crystal and see. This store has a way of making non-crystal people into crystal people.”