They sell geodes they collect locally, along with geodes from Africa, Brazil, and all over the world
Probably the most impressive piece in the store is a 500-pound Brazilian geode that’ s been split in half to reveal fantastic giant purple amethyst crystals.
For special items like that, local blacksmith Denny Smith makes special display bases.
Matt said he and Amy are partners.“ We find everything together and we run the business together. We also have the Iris Garden Cottages and Suites. We do everything as a partnership. I have friends that say,‘ You mean you work with your wife all the time?’ I wouldn’ t have it any other way.”
It seems like a case of recognizing a real treasure when you come across it. •
“ It’ s just a really fun business to be in, to go exploring. We also go ourselves, to the quartz mines in Arkansas, we actually go and dig at different places and find things ourselves.”
By going themselves and bringing back their own stock, they cut out the middle men and bring the finest of what can be found into their shop. They can offer it much more affordably than a lot of rock shops can.
“ We’ ve got gems, minerals, crystals, fossils— really anything that comes out of the earth. Everything that you can think of, we have.”
Goniatites, Moroccan geodes, calcites, shark teeth, lead quartz crystals, smokey quartz crystals, petrified wood, tigers eye, Tranka geodes, amonites— minerals and rock formations of every variety are to be found there.
July / August 2018 • Our Brown County 25