The store sells fossils like dinosaur teeth, trilobites and megalodon teeth, from prehistoric times.
Eric Clark, who co-owns the store with his wife, Jackie Clark, said he bought a warehouse full of fossils from a relative last year after the previous owner died. The warehouse was in Middletown, which Clark said was a long commute from where he lives in Yellow Springs. The location, in a more distressed area of Middletown, was also not great for sales, he said.
He said he also was selling fossils at festivals and markets, including Xenia Community Festival and the Beavercreek Popcorn Festival, prior to the new retail space.
“And that was fine and everything, except it is a lot of work to pack and unpack a thousand pounds of rock every single weekend,” Clark said. “And my poor van was just on the verge of tears every time it saw me.”
This summer, he took advantage of the retail space available in Yellow Springs. The new store has a warehouse attached, and plenty of space to store all the fossils, Clark said. His kids, ages 8 and 10, are also using it for online school, since Yellow Springs schools are doing school online.
Clark said the store looks a lot like a museum, but he was surprised initially by how many families came into the store using the outing as a field trip. Clark added a kid’s corner, he said, where kids can play with toy dinosaurs and read books. That keeps kids occupied while their parents can look around, Clark said.
“It’s great for the parents because it kind of keeps them occupied while they’re looking at all of the other things,” Clark said.
The warehouse was big enough Clark says he’s not worried about running out of fossils anytime soon. He said the sale was “basically a liquidation” and he has enough fossils that he could fill the store several times over.
He was a fossil enthusiast before buying the warehouse, but he says he’s not an expert.
“I’ve always liked looking for shells and rocks. I’ve never been very good at it, but now I don’t need to be,” he said.
Rock Around the Clark opened in July and is located at 108 Dayton St., Suite L (upstairs). Hours are Thursday and Friday, noon to6 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday noon to 4 p.m. (special winter hours.) Visit http://www.rockaroundtheclark.com/ for more information.
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