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| - Similar start to this story: Once again, stuck in traffic westbound on Sahara, got bored of watching the dust blow off the abandoned lot across from the monorail track. Looked to my right and...hey, hasn't this Minerals store been here since forever? Might as well come in and say hello, I mean my god I'm local and I don't even know half the shit in this blaze.
I walk in with teh Numbah Wan Woo Man and she's already in attack mode, mentally filing away different stone weights, sizes, costs, and whatever else jewelry designers take into account. I wander into the back room and check out the fossils....and was in awe of the amount of boning on display. Don't be fooled by the exterior, the lobby area and what you see upon entering is probably just a fourth of the good stuff.
The trilobites, pteranodons, and other unfortunate creatures suspended in rock and crystal are on display in the well-lighted and neatly organized "museum room" to the rear of the store. There's a lot to take in, as pieces mostly have informational index-card sized printouts and there are a LOT of cards here. I could have spent the whole day in there in my days as a fledgling g33k, but alas, we were here on business and I was quickly knocked from my reverie by the back and forth going on at the counter.
Not being in the industry, I must have had the dumbest-ass look on my face because the Girl and the proprietor BOTH turned to me and started going over the challenges of shipping, bulk orders, storage and drilling, etc. I slooowly backed away until I blended in with the rest of the dead things, upon which they resumed their arms dealing.
Very educational experience, to say the least, and the woman was happy to have secured a Vegas location for last-minute orders in case her Cali stash isn't enough. And I was actually able to ask the ageless question that's been gnawing at me since birth and I've been saving since childhood: "How does one determine pricing for calcified bat guano?"
Unfortunately, we may never know.
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