Location: 4 miles east of Bemidji on Highway 2, then turn right and go 1.5 miles on County Road 36. On left side of road.
Phone: 218-751-1469. email: ojhoff@yahoo.com Mailing address: Hoffs Rock Shop-50638 County 36-Bemidji, MN 56601
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My informational videos page is working fairly well. I've enhanced most of the birthstones for your viewing enjoyment. You also might want to take a peek at an amusing bit of dramatized flash fiction online. Follow this link History of the Rock Shop
It all began in 1952, when my grandfather Vaner Tangborn opened Tangborns' Rock Shop, eight miles south of Bemidji, Minnesota on Highway 71. His was an immense, one-man operation that he ran until 1991, shortly before his death at age 96. He traded, sold, collected, and sometimes gave away amazing amounts of rocks, crystals, and gems. He tumbled, polished, and sawed rocks, and made them into jewelry. He made over 1500 rock tables and shipped them all over the world. Some of his interests were geology, science, Einstein's theories, the age and origins of the universe, and the geologic forces that brought his rocks and fossils into existence. He was a patient teacher to young children, helping them with their rock collections and teaching them to use lapidary equipment. Thousands of people passed through his shop. He also found time to perform music, serve on local boards, and maintained a lifelong interest in politics. A picture of Vaner and his pet crow Oswald Artistic touches to the shop and to the premises were provided by Vaner's wife Jennie, who passed away in 1972. She was an accomplished oil painter. (His second wife Irene also helped him in the shop). Pictured above: Vaner and Jennie behind the counter. Vaner's hero was Albert Einstein One of Jennie's paintings. One of the large tumblers, but by no means the largest, that Vaner built in the early days of the business Vaner training his rock hound My parents Art Hoff and Luella Tangborn Hoff established a similar business on Highway 2 east of Bemidji on the premises of the Grace Lake Store, around 1958, that they named The Agate Shop Art and Luella Hoff The Agate Shop went through many changes, including several years on the road as an art and craft business. In the summer of 2001, the original building was restored and refurbished, and moved to its present site on Hubbard County Road 36 southeast of Bemidji. Shop newly painted its original colors as of June, 2003. Some photos of the rock business in its current form: Olivia Hoff: proprietor Owner and her brother Wayne on ferry to Vashon Island, WA Hoffs Rock Shop is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily from Memorial Day through Labor Day Weekend, and at other times by appointment.
Location: 4 miles east of Bemidji on Highway 2, then turn right and go 1.5 miles on County Road 36. On left side of road.
Phone: 218-751-1469. email: ojhoff@yahoo.com Mailing address: Hoffs Rock Shop-50638 County 36-Bemidji, MN 56601
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