A Gem of a Shop - Morgantown magazine

Almost Heaven Rock Shop is Morgantown’s newest place for one-of-a-kind gifts, jewelry, and home decor.

Walking into Almost Heaven Rock Shop feels like stepping into an art gallery—except the artist is the Earth, the curator is Ben Higginbotham, and every one of the artworks formed by centuries of natural geological processes is for sale.

Higginbotham was born in Nebraska, but his family moved to Hurricane, West Virginia, when he was 4 years old, and he later graduated from Marshall University. He spent about five years independently handmaking and selling wire-wrapped jewelry, then set his sights out west: Moab, Utah, home to Moab Rock Shop. It’s one of the oldest rock shops in the country, and it’s where Higginbotham spent five years honing his knowledge of fossils, lapidary, minerals, and silversmithing.

He moved back to West Virginia earlier this year for a couple of reasons: proximity to family, but also to open his very own rock shop—a type of store that’s few and far between in the Mountain State.

“I remember growing up never seeing a cool fossil or rock shop or a place I could go to and buy stones to make jewelry with,” he explains. But his vision for the shop goes even further: He hopes it can become a place of education, where visitors can learn about the region’s geological history and discover a new passion. “The calcite is from Mineral County, and the quartz is from Hampshire County. You can find nice quartz in southern West Virginia, too,” he says. “I want to extend the regional section of the shop, to show people what’s in the state.”

Each piece is a not-so-hidden gem with a story to tell, so don’t be afraid to ask Higginbotham for the rundown. Take extra care to check out these especially unique items: