The Rock and Soul owner Christy Donahue will tell you her shop is first and foremost a rock shop. She’s been a rock hound for 40 years and fills her shop with a vast inventory of gem and mineral specimens.

But there’s not only a lot to browse at the Utica shop, there’s also a lot to do and discover.

Each year, more than 500 students walk through the doors at 229 S. Clark St. to explore 500 million years of geological history. Many try their hand at mining gemstones at the shop’s outdoor sluice box station, which has a miniature water tower and a trough that stretches 47 feet. When sluicing, children sift a pan of dirt through the station’s running water to reveal concealed gems.

Donahue said kids love to visit her shop.

“We do a lot of interaction with the children that come in. They all get something free when they come, but we also explain,” she said. “We bring them around and show them cool stuff like UV reactive stones and fossils they can find in the area.”

Kids are especially drawn to geode cracking. Using a hand-cranked tool, staff help position each rock before it splits cleanly in half, revealing crystals inside. The activity is available year-round, while the outdoor sluice box operates during warmer months.

The sluice box is open to walk-ins during business hours. Families can choose from four sizes of sluicing bags, from the budget-conscious Paydirt bag with gemstones and minerals all the way to the Mega Strike bag, packed with fossils, shark teeth, arrowheads and a large crystal specimen.

A special place to shop

For those who come in to view her rock inventory, Donahue said the interest is split between minerals, since the collection is so varied and big, and metaphysical crystals, which she’s spent the last eight years learning about.

Among the trays of sparkling gemstones and rugged mineral specimens lining the shelves, there are rocks from every continent in the world.

“Over the last 10 years, we’ve established connections with distributors all over the world. A lot of times our stuff is one step from the mine. Someone will dig it and sell it, and then we buy it. We’re very close to the source on all of our stuff.”

That connection, along with the shop’s atmosphere, is part of what keeps people coming back.

“We get thanked so much for making people feel good just because of the energy in our shop,” she said.

Beyond the retail space, The Rock and Soul also includes a sanctuary area, a wood-lined room featuring a double waterfall.

The business recently hosted a second annual gem and mineral show. The sanctuary also hosts classes for Mandala painting, which is a structured, circular design built around a central point, often used in spiritual practices for meditation and focus; classes for Zentangle, which is an abstract drawing created using repetitive patterns; and small wedding ceremonies.

Donahue also sells tarot cards and books about rocks, nature and other local interests.