Karma Bliss Is In Its Element At Nordstrom’s New Wellness Outposts

The wellness wave has carried Karma Bliss into Nordstrom.

The brand founded by media personality Devi Brown and centered on healing crystals has entered a beauty selection at the retailer that’s widened to include pillowcases, diffusers, supplements, matcha tea and water bottles as well as the more customary bath soaks, serums, scrubs, masks, and face and body oils. At nearly 40 Nordstrom stores and online, Karma Bliss sells three $52 Bliss Bag options — Love, Dharma and Vitality — with five crystals encased in black pouches.

“The beauty department is where I feel people go to be experiential and, even if they’re not looking for beauty products, they might be looking for interesting knickknacks or innovative products,” says Brown. “At Nordstrom, the atmosphere that’s created in the beauty department is one of discovery. It’s a perfect fit for Karma Bliss to be there. I couldn’t imagine it anywhere else.”

Healing crystals still aren’t everyday beauty products. To communicate about them to Nordstrom shoppers, Karma Bliss created hashtags with details about the contents of its bags. The brand also narrowed its range from the four bags available on its website to three in stores, and strategically picked the crystals inside. Dharma is the bestselling bag followed by Love.

“I had to really hone in on the absolute best crystals for each bag that will always bring wonderful attributes to whoever buys the bags,” says Brown. “With e-commerce sales, I can do smaller batches, and I can play with different pieces for each order.”

The process to choose the crystals for the Karma Bliss bags is multipronged. Once Brown sets an intention for a bag, she identifies crystals that are relevant to that intention. For instance, Brown explains citrine is the stone of success and suits the Dharma Bliss Bag containing crystals encouraging purpose and happiness. She’s careful to opt for crystals that have readily available stocks to stave off supply issues.

It’s important the crystals don’t crumble and appear aesthetically pleasing together. For visual reasons, they should feature various colors and textures. Before they’re placed in bags, Brown ensures the crystals are clear of negative energy by playing singing bowls in their presence to recharge them.

For members of Nordstrom’s sales staff, Karma Bliss developed a one-sheeter to provide basic facts to share with customers curious about crystals. On the one-sheeter, the brand explains crystals are natural elements that can be billions of years old, and they emit energetic frequencies people can’t detect with their bare eyes. Fun historical tidbits are thrown into the mix, too. The one-sheeter relays that Cleopatra crushed lapis for eyeshadow.

The information heads off reservations shoppers might have about crystals, but Brown hasn’t encountered many doubters at Nordstrom stores. “Even though it may seem unfamiliar to some, for a large demographic of people, it’s a very on-trend thing. They might be seeing it on Instagram, Pinterest or at their SoulCycle class,” she says. “I haven’t had to try hard to explain it. That surprised me. I thought I would have to do a lot more education than I have.”

In a beauty industry in which replenishment is important to continually drive sales, Brown notes consumers return time and time again to Karma Bliss for gifts. She’s aiming to expand the brand’s product assortment to larger crystals for the home. “There are endless opportunities in retail, especially right now. People are really looking to invest in themselves, and they see crystals and mindfulness tools as valuable to help them grow,” says Brown. “The ceiling is sky high for us.”

Launched in 2016, Karma Bliss has already experienced considerable sales increases. Profits tripled for the holiday season last year from the same period the year before, according to Brown. “We are doing really well in terms of profits and margins, but I hope to get more exposure,” she says. “I definitely want to open up more in the retreat space, and create a hub where people can learn tools for self-discovery and be connected to the world of mindfulness.”

Brown, author of “Crystal Bliss, and a radio and television show host with stops at MTV, iHeartMedia’s 93.7 The Beat and RadioOne’s 97.9 The Box during 10-plus years in the broadcasting business, didn’t initially intend for Karma Bliss to make a splash at stores. She introduced the brand’s website as an education platform where she could connect with fans about her passions. “Very quickly, I realized I wanted to grow it,” she recalls. “It really took off, and people were asking me for more offerings, especially crystals and meditation tools.”

In the internet epoch, Brown supposes consumers in the beauty category and otherwise are flocking to crystals to find meaning. “We are all searching more than we ever have. The generations that came before us didn’t have the luxury of self-discovery. They were focused on survival and, now, we are focused on experiences and self-growth,” she says. “That’s what is really driving people to crystals and mindfulness tools. We are looking for our lives to feel fuller.”