Meet Luis Fraga of The Chakkrah

Today we’d like to introduce you to Luis Fraga.

Hi Luis, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been an entrepreneur my entire life always inventing trying to figure out what type of business to start and how. I had many start-ups fail due to fear and finances. I dabbled in real estate for a few years helping homeowners with loan modifications during the housing market crises. It was in 2017 when my life took a turn for the worse. After the failure of a start-up, I began working for a Real Estate law firm in Sherman Oaks while finishing up my AS Degree in Real Estate. However, that career or degree didn’t compensate for my recent failure. I was mentally, physically, and spiritually ill and before I knew it, I was a full-blown drug addict.

Ironically it was in that deep dark addiction that I began to see the world through a different lense. I had the urge to fight for my life and I began trying to heal. Growing up, I struggled with major depression, anxiety, panic attacks, asthma, allergies, eczema, and I had always felt tired sad, and not to mention I turned to drinking daily to relieve myself of those feelings. Don’t get it wrong, I had the urge to heal but I also was spiraling downward faster than I could have ever imagined. I went on a high-speed chase in Utah, I was incarcerated multiple times, and I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. I was hopeless, in and out of rehabs and sober living homes and I thought I could never make it back into society again.

It wasn’t until COVID-19 that I had one of my biggest awakenings that brought me to where I am today. During the last few weeks of my addiction, I had a moment of clarity that I was a healer, I had begun to understand that everything in life is a balance of both good and bad. I understood the concept that there cannot exist heaven without hell, night without day, good without bad, and yin without yang. That theory allowed me to have hope because it meant to me that because I had lived my entire life in hell here on earth that it also meant that I had the same opportunity to experience heaven here on earth as well. I then began to realize that so many multi-millionaires had also gone through addiction and were homeless living in their cars just like I was.

It was through all these newly adopted ideas and concepts that I began to have hope and I finally surrendered. I gave up trying to figure out this life and I stopped questioning everything I had previously questioned, I had given up control and allowed God to guide me for once. I soon made a promise to God that I would go back out into the world one more time and give this life one more shot. I promised God that I would get sober and that I would share my experience, strength, and hope with others. I promised God that I would start a business once again and that this time it would be a healing business and the terms were that I would get sober and he would guide me. I promised him I would take every opportunity he sent me and that I would be fearless.

Just a few weeks after making this promise to God I checked myself into my favorite Sober Living Home called Into Action where my sponsor had also lived. I knew if I really wanted this sobriety, I had to return there and get back into the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous right away which I did. Two weeks into my sobriety, I decided to go to a crystal shop in Sherman Oaks to purchase crystal beads to make myself crystal healing and protection bracelets. While shopping a lady came up to me and told me that I needed to start a crystal healing bracelet company. She told me she owned a very successful crystal healing bracelet company and that I had to follow in her footsteps, that I would be a big success, that people would love my energy just as she did, and that it would help others heal. I looked in her eyes and I simply said, okay. She was excited and before I knew it, she was helping me pick out inventory for my new business.

A few weeks later, I rented an office suite for my business and had my cousin Angela designing and creating all my logos and branding materials. That Black Friday, I launched my official website and that following day on Small Business Saturday, I attended my first pop up shop event which hosted over 50 local small business vendors. I continued to attend events making custom bracelets on the spot which was very unique to many, this allowed for me to grow my business locally. That following year I created a Business TikTok account under @chakkrah and began working on that platform 40+ hours a week making bracelets live and having specials. I also began selling my bracelets wholesale to other metaphysical stores and

I am also very excited to announce the grand opening of my first storefront this spring with my business partner Day from The Crystal Bar which will be located in Palmdale, California. Our store will sell tons of metaphysical items like crystals, crystal jewelry, sage, and much more while also offering holistic healing services. In addition, I am also preparing for the launch of my approved 501c3 nonprofit organization called The Chakkrah Foundation which offers holistic healing to children. I have an amazing board of directors and feel very blessed to say the least.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
For the most part, everything has been extremely smooth but there is one thing that I had struggled with for months. That would be figuring out how to apply the clear coat protector on the spacers because these spacers are only 5 mm and when spraying them, they cannot touch one another or they’ll get stuck together. Prior to spraying them, I have to rinse them in acetone, strain them, scrub and buffer them with a clean cloth, hang them on a wire using a bead spinner, then hang them on this contraption I had built, then by hand I have to spread them out one by one. After all that is done I then have to spray them, let them dry for one hour, then remove them off the wire, and finally bake them in the oven for an hour so the clear coat will cure.

That was the most difficult project because I was applying the clear coat as directed and after a few weeks, they tarnished. Luckily my customers knew the amount of hard work and dedication I had put into this process because they were able to watch me doing this process live on TikTok or they had seen my videos of me explaining the process. It took me five months till I figured out that I had to actually scrub and polish the spacers prior to spraying which I was originally told to rinse in acetone and hang dry. The issue was that there was still residue on the spacers which would cause the clear coat to not fully stick thus causing the spacers to tarnish quickly. Now the spacers are keeping their shine for months and the process of applying the clear coat seems to get easier and easier the more I practice.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I specialize in creating handmade crystal healing and protection jewelry that help heal and protect the chakras. I’m mainly known for my bracelets and what sets me apart from other creators is that I make my bracelets sized to fit and create them upon ordering. I also bless and cleanse each bracelet prior to shipping as well as including a detailed note card that lists the name of the bracelet, the crystals, and the properties of each crystal. I also pair my crystal bracelets with either copper plated spacers, silver spacers, or no spacers which. I also apply a clear coat protectant on the spacers to prevent them from tarnishing. My website allows customers to not only choose their size in ¼ inch intervals but also allows customers to pick their choice of copper-plated spacers, silver spacers, or no spacers.

How do you think about luck?
I’ve had more than just good luck when it comes down to it. I have been faced with challenges that I’ve had no time to face because they were miraculously resolved without needing my own assistance. I have been generously blessed throughout this journey. My family, friends, and the fellowship of AA have been extremely supportive every step of the way. I have also been blessed with the best team and my customers are not only loyal but very loving, compassionate, and supportive. I couldn’t be more grateful and humbled by this experience.

Pricing:

• Bracelets $30.00 +
• Anklets $50.00 +
• Necklaces $75.00 +
• Rings $5.00 +

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: thechakkrah.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/thechakkrah
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/thechakkrah
• Twitter: twitter.com/thechakkrah
• Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/the-chakkrah-lancaster?osq=the+Chakkrah
• Other: www.tiktok.com/@chakkrah