Meet Sue Longo | Crystal Monger, Rock Slinger

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sue Longo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sue, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking

The biggest decisions made in my life have been driven by intuition. That voice inside me is strong and loud, and I have trusted her at the most pivotal moments thus far… I don’t plan to change course any time soon!

Because of her guiding counsel, “risk” takes on a different meaning for me than it does for others. For me, risk taking happens when I quiet her voice, which has happened when I’ve been rooted in a scarcity mindset. Frankly, during times when I played it “safe,” I’ve been completely miserable. What have I learned? Ignoring your intuition is rarely worth the security it may temporarily provide.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

Element50 Crystal and Rock Shop opened its doors in June 2021. It has grown into much more than just a spot to buy crystals. Customers often comment on the amazing energy here and how they always leave feeling better than when they came in. And we get to witness that shift in others on the regular!

With help from passionate employees and collaborators, I strive to keep things fresh by implementing new product ideas and hosting events, curated with one purpose in mind: elevating frequency to move closer to finding peace and joy. We’ve hosted sound baths, reiki sessions, breathwork classes, and oracle deck readings. Our friends include talented designers, energy workers and healers and it’s a great honor to host their services and carry their products at the shop. As a business owner, creating this beacon that brings together a community of crystal enthusiasts and energetic healers has been my proudest achievement.

Our branding is another source of much pride. I have never quite understood the importance of this marketing concept until Element50 came to be. Ultimately, branding is the voice of your business. We are Element50, and as such, we’ve utilized a periodic table theme as a clever way to present our own descriptions of every crystal and rock we’ve got. With every purchase comes a thoughtful, detailed card about the stone, including its element, chakra, and noteworthy attributes. We have even gone as far as to create our own periodic table of crystals!

A further extension of the brand is Element50.com. In addition to being an ecommerce platform, it is a unique vehicle to share our mission with a wider range of customers. A massive undertaking in creation, it sorts every pebble into various categories, whether by element, chakra, color, shape, or intention. For those who don’t live in or near Fairfield, CT, we offer personal shopping experiences in a virtual format, using Zoom, Facetime, or other forms of video calling, to find exactly what you need. This service was born in the attempt to address our largest challenge: bringing the store’s energy to our distanced customers. During our virtual time together, you are able to see the crystals move in the light, sit in the hand or staged as you need them to be to make the best choice for you. However, truth be told, when crystal shopping, it is very often that the rock chooses you, not the other way around. And we at Element50 envision that this virtual shopping solution will channel that energy and capture the magic.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Fairfield, CT is, at its core, a beach town. It has grown exponentially in the past 5 years. Population explosion, thanks to COVID NYC exodus… so despite the pandemic, we have seen growth in business and commerce. I think that is amazing.

A friend visiting would look forward to the following:

Certainly a night at home. I have 3 Frenchies and they like to make a dog blanket on visitors. Take out from Garden Catering. Unreal chicken nuggets.

A visit to the beach. Not only to see the ocean, but also to see where I lived during college. I went to Fairfield University and was a lucky student who lived in a beach house for a year. Dinner would need to be pizza at Colony Grill. The best thin crust pizza EVER. Dessert at Dave’s Paletas, right near my shop. Rice Pudding Paleta. So good.

A day at my store. I am a small business owner, I can’t take the whole week off! Lunch from Playa Bowls, a stone’s throw away. Surfer vibe Acai Bowls. Dinner across the street when the shift ends, at the new restaurant in town, Il Pellicano. Cool drinks menu using specialized Italian spirits (The Bergamot Flip is hands down the most delicious libation I have ever had) and the food… burrata, rice ball, homemade pastas. And THE BEST DESSERT. Olive oil sponge cake with homemade limoncello buttercream.

Shopping on the Post Rd. Fairfield has a ton of small boutiques, and primarily women owned shops. Obviously, I am a proponent of supporting local. Lunch at Firehouse Deli, an institution in town. They have a Fairfield University panini (chef’s kiss).

Grab a matcha latte at Candlewood Market and take a hike through the Audubon Nature Center. Check out the birds (hawks, owls) they are rehabilitating.
Dinner at Mecha Noodle Bar for ramen. Followed by 16 Handles for frozen yogurt (this is my 11 year old’s dream date).

Things we would weave in:

A Bacon Egg and Cheese from Country Cow

A show at the Sacred Heart University Community Theatre (also a town institution that was recently renovated)

A sunset at Sasco Beach

A bowl of pasta at Centro – the very first restaurant my daughter went to and has been a staple for us for 10 years

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

My crystal muse… my 11 year old daughter, Abby. I have loved crystals and have “used” them in different stages and decades of my life, but the spring of 2020, Covid lockdown, Abby and I started a journey of crystal discovery together and from that, Element50 was born. She can recognize them all, loves “working” at the shop and is a source of inspiration when I grow tired or bogged down with the details of owning a business. She always brings the magic back to the forefront for me.

Next, Jason, my husband. He has been incredibly supportive and there for all of the things while the store and the brand have become a rather all-consuming passion and soul’s path. Whether it’s picking up the slack at home with Abby, or the 3 dogs, the laundry (I can go on…) and being handy with what’s needed at the shop and listening to me spill out a million ideas, or offering many of his own, he remains patient and focused and a make shit happen kind of partner and I am beyond lucky he is mine.

Honorable Mention: my Shop Girls. Renee, Abby G, Kylie and Jasmine. The Dream Team. Thank you, thank you!

Website: Www.element50.com

Instagram: @element_50

Facebook: @element50

Other: TikTok @element.50

Image Credits
Pandora Kerma