"If you can't grow it…you have to mine it…and there is nothing more splendid and unique than what we find underfoot every single day." Adrian Quint says his new Peacock Rocks along Red Arrow Highway in Bridgman is literally a 20 to 30 year dream come true. The new retailer conducted a joint ribbon cutting ceremony today with both the Cornerstone Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Bridgman Area Chamber and Growth Alliance, to mark the occasion of his dream achieved.
The noon ceremonies under a brilliant blue sky and sunshine day put the stamp of authority on a venture that sprung to life at least as early as 1998. At that point, after years of rock and fossil collecting as a child and participating in specimen collection trips, Adrian graduated from college with a degree in Geology. That background and his love of Earth Sciences and Paleontology led to the launch of Peacock Rocks, now located in a small commercial strip center at 9798 Red Arrow Highway alongside H&R Block of Bridgman.
Up until now, Peacock Rocks has been a retailer of rocks, minerals and fossils for more than 15 years exclusively as a road show vendor a rock & mineral shows, fairs, festivals and even craft shows around Michigan.
Thanks to the help of Adrian's parents Robert & Kristine Quint and the partnership with his wife Heather, the new brick & mortar shop is now a reality. The shop has actually been open for about a month now, but today marked the formal ribbon cutting ceremony. The store site was selected largely because of its close vicinity to home and family. The location also affords Quint space for his workshop in addition to the product showroom.
Quint told city officials and other onlookers today, part of the joy of what he has to offer is the splendid nature of what lies underfoot, beneath the earth, and "no two are ever alike…just like people, they all share unique characteristics. Heather picked up on that theme noting that we should, as the old saw goes, "Never judge a book by its cover, and a geode rock is a prime example — on the surface it looks plain and ordinary but when you slice it open or turn it over, it sparkles and shines with multiple facets, just like most people."
Adrian says when you crack open a geode rock, you are the very first person to ever see that splendor, just as every slice of an agate is uniquely different from all others.
When determining the value of a specimen, rarity, location, historical significance, and the natural resources involved are all key to establishing true value. Higher values are aligned with those pieces that have had some economic significance at some point in time. By way of example, he and his father addressed the fact that when the Washington Monument was first erected, it's capstone was covered in aluminum because at that point in history aluminum was more valuable than even gold. While gold could often simply be found in nature, aluminum has always had to be extracted through complicated processing of bauxite to achieve its value.
The store is a rock lover's paradise with many examples of rocks, minerals, fossils, quartz & geode pieces, precious gemstones, and jewelry containing many artifacts from nature.
Peacock Rocks is closed on Sundays and Tuesdays, and open Monday, Weds, Thursday and Saturday from 10am until 6pm and Fridays from 10am until 8pm.
You can reach the store by phone at 269-277-8844.
