Longtime customer Joan Hodgeboom, of Bigfork, brings her pup in to visit with Kehoe’s Agate Shop staff on Valentine’s Day. Hodgeboom keeps coming back to Kehoe’s because “everybody is knowledgeable — you can ask them any questions you want,” she said. (Mackenzie Reiss/Daily Inter Lake)
February 26, 2020
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Shop of wonders
Two-and-a-half miles from downtown Bigfork, well off the beaten path, a bright pop of teal stands out starkly from the drab, winter foliage. The azure structure is home to Kehoe’s Agate Shop, first established by former steamboat operator, Jack Kehoe in 1932. Customers say the remote location is part of the allure — visitors have to do a little treasure hunting of their own in order to find this literal gem of a place. But the journey is only the beginning. Inside the gabled entry is a rockhound’s paradise — part jewelry store, mineral exhibit and most prominently: a showcase of fossils, crystals and of course, their namesake stone, the agate.