If you happen to be driving in eastern Washington, and stop by the ginkgo petrified forest state park (no, I'm not kidding that's it's name) to check out Columbia River, make sure you stop by the Ginko gem shop as well. This is not your average crystal, gem, mysticism shop. I would say Bill is a historian, expert, and possibly an archaeologist in another life. He's very polite, gregarious and encourages shoppers to take a look around, explore and even chat with him to learn more about what they could potentially be purchasing. This makes the experience so much more personalized and engaging in my opinion, and while I didn't need any guidance with regards to what I was selecting since I was going for some affordable jewelry, My husband really likes collecting really unique rocks, crystals and fossils. So I eaves dropped on the free consultation that bill provided for over 20 minutes. Fun fact, some gemstones are fluorescent and may appear one color to the naked eye and be a completely different color under black light. Anyway, if you're interested in fossils, gemstones, crystals, butterflies, indigenous artifacts and history lessons, please check out this establishment! read more

See all

Rude people! I called with a question and she wouldn't give me the time of day! I don't recommend!

It's been a few decades, but we're hopping to return later this year or next. The shop is amazing. And now that they take credit cards (I read somewhere), we'll probably buy more stuff. :) Ryan read more

The store was really cute but the owner was a bit creepy and was a little rude. I tried to buy a sticker and began to hand my credit card when he aggressively told me no credit cards. So I grabbed my debit card and this time he more aggressively yelled at me he doesn't take credit cards. Thankfully, my girlfriend had cash but it definitely left a sour taste in my mouth. Before that interaction I was planning on coming back after hiking to buy a ginkgo fossil but after that I couldn't justify going back in. read more

Ginkgo Gem Shop - Hobby Shops Near Me - Vantage, Washington

What a fun little spot in Vantage! We stop here often to meet our son's grandma halfway to Seattle and we can never really find too much to do in the town. We have hiked the Petrified Forest a couple times but always want to find something more to do. My husband surprised us with this spot and since my kiddo is obsessed with dinosaurs it is awesome that they have all these dino sculptures. He loved them. Just check out the photos. Inside it is so cool! There are rocks, and gems and the petrified wood that we all love and so much information. We found a gem in the Gingko Gem Shop for sure. Everything is labeled. They have museum type artifacts and the staff is super helpful. A true little delight for my kiddo and my crystal loving heart too. read more

See all

Will fully admit I didn't know what to expect. I am a bit biased when I see dinosaur statues as I've never been overly impressed with most, so when I saw that this shop had several I wasn't overly eager to go out of my way to visit this shop. My friend, though, was insistent so off we went. The Ginkgo Gem Shop is located right outside the park along this road that has seen better days. The dinosaur statues are indeed very noticeable, but so were the petrified wood samples. They had enormous petrified wood blocks used as parking lot markers. Behind the shop was a fenced in yard with unpolished unknown quality of a variety of stone blocks and petrified wood. I say unknown quality simply because in their natural, unpolished state combined with considerable size it's a mystery what lies beneath the surface. Inside the shop was a variety of polished, cut stones and petrified wood. They also had a few fossil displays, an arrowhead display, and some other interesting artifacts. It was a nice selection and for those who love geology you'll find something of interest here. read more

If your at the Ginko Petrified Forest State Park make sure you don't miss the Gem Shop.. a true delight especially for younger kids. read more

See all

This is a great rock shop just outside the Gingko Petrified Forest state park. In fact, if you're short on time and/or don't want to pay the $10 parking fee to get into the park, I'd say you can get the gist of the petrified-forest experience here. Plus, you can buy some to take home! Out front, there are some goofy-looking fake dinosaurs that are good for photo opps, but don't overlook the large petrified wood logs surrounding the sign and the dinos. The owner supplied the state park visitor center with some of their larger pieces, and he has equally big and impressive pieces outside his shop. Inside, there are some display cases against the walls with fossils, seashells, locally found arrowheads, and polished petrified-wood pieces. Those aren't for sale, but the rest of the store is filled with BIG geodes, slabs of petrified wood, thunder eggs, and other mineral specimens. There are bins and bins of crack-your-own geodes sold by the pound, as well as geode halves and thunder egg halves. They have some beginner's rock-collecting kits for kids and many inexpensive specimens under $5 for young rockhounds. In addition to the mineral specimens, they carry semi-precious stone jewelry, clocks, trinket boxes, and other gift items. They also have some preserved butterfly shadowboxes on the back wall. Prices are reasonable, ranging from individual specimens for just a couple of bucks all the way up to huge display pieces for hundreds of dollars. Petrified wood chunks are $5 each from the pick-your-own bin, so it's affordable to grab a souvenir here. The owner was very friendly and chatty, and happy to talk rocks all day long. He identified the pieces of petrified wood that I had picked out and even brought out a chunk of monkey tree wood to show me what my piece had originally looked like (200 million years ago!). His shop is right there at the back of the store and he polishes the pieces himself. So if you have questions about minerals and petrified wood, don't be shy about asking! I had to be dragged out of here by my boyfriend and will definitely be back next time we're driving past. read more

See all

We went in expecting to buy nothing and came out with something for everyone in our group. Toy dinosaurs for the tots, a necklace for me, a bag of rocks, a fossil fish tile that can be incorporated into the kitchen, mood rings and a few other things. The store is plainly not for the serious rock hound, but instead for the tourist that is on their way to the Ginko Petrified Wood State Park Museum that is right up the road and wants to pick something up to remember their trip with. There are some very interesting fossils in the store as well as beautiful geodes and such, but there are also coffee mugs and mood rings, so it's got a little bit of everything for everyone. It's a typical American Roadside Attraction and it's worth the stop. read more

I'm a geology student and was excited to check this place out and spend some cash. I was also having (what I learned shortly afterwards) a serious medical issue and needed to use the bathroom. I saw the sign saying no public restrooms and acknowledged it, saying I was feeling really sick and needed help. No one else was in the shop except me. The two gentlemen working there were extremely rude and turned me away. They're out in the middle of nowhere and I was visibly unwell. Luckily we figured out there was a place up the road and I was able to get back on the road to make it to an ER. Thanks for that. read more

I love topping by the Vantage Ginkgo Gem Shop. They have such beautiful items and variety. I can spend hours there enjoying everything. My girlfriend love butterflies so we spend time looking at the displays and I have bought some for her. Great place to experience nature and the unique things our world has to offer. Thank you!!! read more

Place for young adults to explore an learn . No gems. Petrified rocks , fossils, arrow heads , mounted butterflys. Fill in all the holes with made in China. Made in Pakistan items. Ignored Everyone that walked through the door until their friends showed up tgen talked about the price of building materials as customers slowly walked out without spending a dime. Though about buying. Butterfly plack as birthday present for $100.00? Gave up. read more

Saw this on Road Side America - just had to pop in - dinosaurs and petrified wood! It is just a little bit off the highway, and inside lots and lots of rocks, and petrified wood! There is also a store cat and plenty of souvenirs. Def, stop in, stretch your legs and enjoy what there is to see! read more

Most of the basic things you can find just about anywhere we're over priced and not nearly enough selection. Just the same stuff over and over. Wasn't greeted and the shop keepers wouldn't even look me in the eye. Waited on them for a while to come over and help me out, planned on spending some money there. It's okay to stop by and check it out but I wouldn't recommend buying anything and save your money. read more

Not really a gem shop, but it is a gem of a shop! Nice selection of local petrified wood and other collections at fair prices. The owner does at least part of the cutting, if not all, and I picked up some very nice pieces late on a Sunday afternoon. There's some non-local stuff but everything seemed to be well labeled. I was looking for something in specific and the owner helped steer me away from what I was looking at (but it wasn't what I wanted) even though he'd be losing a sale. He cares that his customers are happy and informed. Really like this place! read more

Great place to browse through if you're in the area. I found some really neat gifts here. A little on the pricey side, but you'll probably find something you won't find anywhere else. Worth the stop. read more

This place is fine but they have the word gem in their name but I didn't see any gems. The name is misleading. According to Webster's dictionary a gem is a precious or sometimes semiprecious stone cut and polished for ornamental use. I didn't see any of these, only lots of polished rocks and petrified wood, which was cool but not what I was interested in. read more

One of the nicest little mineral and gem shops I've been in for a long time. Wonderful specimens of fossils, petrified wood, etc. Small to very large specimens in a wide range of prices... Gems and minerals from all over the world. If you need information, ask the older gentleman. He's quite knowledgable and very pleasant. His wife seems shy and isn't well versed in things related to geology or paleontology, but she is pleasant. A must stop for those into "rocks". read more

Funny quirky place worth the stop just to see the dinosaur sculpture outside.

We stopped into the completely empty shop with a two year old and a four year old and my dad asked for worry stones and the woman working pointed and said "They are over there", without much clarity as to where "there" was. Would have been nice of her to help the only customers in the store by showing us around. When we did find them my two year old promptly dropped his and it broke, her response was "if you break it you have to buy it". Great customer service over an item worth a dollar. I was already embarrassed enough! She didn't even ask to see if everyone was alright. My total ended up being $4.80something and she wouldn't round up to $5.00 so I could use my card to pay so I ended up spending closer to $15. Thanks a lot guys! read more

This is a great rock shop before the petrified forest. They have fantastic specimens in a wide variety of wood, fossils and minerals. I stop by every chance I get. Its well worth stopping for. read more

if you stop in this area then this is a must visit!! the wife and i were on an epic road trip during the government shutdown (which means all of the national parks were closed). we decided to check out this state park while on our way from seattle to kalispell. the disappointing thing about the state park is that you are a few miles from the park visitor center before you find out that you need to pay to see the sights. on our way back to the visitors center we spotted this little gem. there is not much around here so you cant miss it. inside there are plenty of gems to look at. the shop owner was friendly (after turning on the lights for us) and the kitty was more friendly. the wife showed the cat attention and it followed her around the store. the shop owner gave us a brief history lesson and told us a few things we could do near kalispell with glacier national park closed. so, if you pull off this exit and visit the state park then place is a must stop. you can't miss it...it's the place with all the dinosaurs out front!! read more