Ken's Minerals & Trading Post

Roy Block

2023-08

This place is so worth stopping in for, there is so much to look at from fossils, arrowheads, rocks and all kinds of tourism buys. The prices I believe are pretty reasonable and the owner is super nice. The facility is clean, organized and lots of labeling. Parking is easy and lots of it.Nice job!

Kristyn Hansen

2020-05

We loved this place! Spent an hour and a half just looking at all of the amazing rocks and gems, then our kids went back again a few days later. This place is literally a museum with the owner's extensive collection on display, which has some amazing stuff. Great prices too and an amazing variety! My adult kids did the gem mining outside, which was fun and worth the price. You can buy a dollar rock, big Solo cup loaded with local rocks for $5, split a large geode for $15, buy huge rocks by the pound, or get amazing imports from around the world! The workers answered lots of questions for us and were very knowledgeable. You must visit!

Jonathan Dolan

2021-05

A wonderful place for kids to experience rocks and gemstones. We spent about an hour here. The “gemstone paining” is a MUST DO for kids and a great value starting at $7.00 a bag. Did take off one star for not having restrooms available.

Mis Wyo

2023-11

This is our absolute favorite rock shop in all of S Dakota. Great selection and prices, and the owner and his staff are always pleasant and helpful. Stop in and check out the owners private collection as it is museum quality.

Amanda Marini

2021-05

Our experience here with my family and friends was life changing. Carl was very helpful and taught my friend and I about the extraordinary rock collection you guys have. The fossils and minerals were elegant and beautiful!!!!!! Also, i purchased a ring here and wear it everyday in memory of Carl. We also took a picture with this pretty boy who's in sports and marching band. HE DESERVES A RAISE! Carl was extremley informative about every rock, fossil, and agate located in the shop. I will forever be touched by Carl's intelligence, amiability, and existence. Long live Carl!

Jennifer Peterson

2021-05

Cute little store friendly staff centrally located plenty of things of interest at various prices. Something for everyone including cold water.

The Chercanator

2023-05

The shop was clean and neat. The owner was very knowledgeable and kind. My friend wanted a little South Dakota to take home and besides recommending the petrified wood particular to this area, he found three rose quartz she loved. I have to say, the prices were very affordable as well.

OwlofAthena777

2023-10

This place is awesome! Wish I had had more time to view their great collection. Worth stopping and picking up the kids some souvenirs.

L D

2023-05

This is a rock store that has a nice selection of rocks, fossils and minerals located right by Custer. They've got a good selection and decent prices, as well as panning for gems that young kids will enjoy. The reason for the low review is the cashier. I never caught her name, but she was middle aged with blondish greyish hair. We arrived half an hour before they closed so we could be in and out and have enough time to browse around before they closed. Before we even got inside the cashier came outside and rudely told us that they were closing in fifteen minutes. The sign said they were open and going off their sign they weren't closing for another half hour. They had some cool stuff inside, including several different kinds of quartz, fluorite, and large amethysts that make great decorations if your a geology enthusiast. Larger specimens of Amethysts were around a grand, give or take some depending on the specific stone and its rarity, which is a pretty good deal based on what I've seen. I bought a few kinds of quartz, plus some fluorite and some other odds and ends. The cashier was rude to me the entire time, and made sure to frequently remind me that they were closing soon, even though the sign outside and the open sign said otherwise. Finally I checked out (twenty minutes before they were supposed to close). The cashier immediately started talking about the previous customers, saying they stayed for too long, even though they weren't closing and the couple weren't doing anything remotely bothersome. While she was swiping my card she literally said "at least they spent a ton of money" Like I said, they had no reason to be treated like this as they weren't doing anything to inconvenience anyone. Overall I'd say to pick a different rock store if you value polite and respectful staff.

Sam Weasley

2020-05

This place was awesome. The were very kind and helpful. Such beautiful things. ♡.

Taylor Merrick

2022-05

This is definitely the best rock shop in Custer. This isn’t just a rock shop, the owners personal rock collection is on full display and it is INCREDIBLE. Not only are the prices great, but the long local history is even better. I had the pleasure of getting to meet the owner and his son and be able to chat with them about the history of the shop and their rock collections. The owner spends the winter making silver jewelry with local agate gems and they are absolutely beautiful and the price isn’t bad. I could justify the purchase because of the awesome story behind the stone and craftsmanship of the ring.If you happen to meet the owner or any of his sons definitely ask them about their rockhounding experiences. They had some great stories from the local area.

Matthew Knafel

2023-08

Great selection. I bought myself a 35lb chunk of petrified wood for the garden. Good deals on large rocks, by the pound.

Cruising with the Clemons

2023-05

This is an excellent shop with a ton of different specimens of a wide variety of minerals and rocks. They also have some really nice jewelry. My kids love looking through everything and adding some samples to their collections.

Kaitlyn Rebecca Kay

2023-09

Some of the best crystals around the city. This place is full of intriguing specimens of minerals and rocks/crystals. Gorgeous pieces for a good price.

Lemmie Klein

2023-10

Local rocks, crystals, and hand-made jewelry

Gerald Johnson

2023-05

Great selection of rocks. Price was pretty good also. Would definitely shop there again. However we are from Wisconsin, the eastern side, so will not be making that trip any to soon.

Barb Walberg

2023-05

We stop at Ken's Minerals & Trading every time we are in Custer. Great selection, great prices. The gentleman that helped us was personable and friendly. We shared a few stories, had some laughs and left with some lovely gems. We will be back.

Sie Sar

2022-05

Gorgeous store. Worth a stop. Amazing layout and selection. Only thing that doesn't give it a 5 star......the dude working there was not so great to work with and knows absolutely nothing about how to interact with children. My 14 year old was so upset/insulted that she put what she was going to buy back on the shelf. She didn't want the negative energy to carry over into the crystals. Sad. They list another $50 on top of the $100 we spent.

Lonnie Francis

2021-05

Visited from Minnesota. Awesome collection of just about every rock, mineral an fossil. Lots of cool rough outdoor pieces too. Beautiful petrified wood! Great prices and knowledgeable staff. If you love rocks, great place to look around (and spend money!)

Sherrie Agena

2023-07

Love the variety and prices. My favorite rock store. They now have South Dakota pudding stones.

Logan Hansen

2020-05

Amazing selection, and best prices we have seen our whole trip. We stopped by twice and easily spent over 2 hours just looking at all the different things here. You can do gem panning or break open your own geodes, and there is a great variety of things to see! Excellent service as well, I would highly recommend stopping here!

Ryan Carnahan

2021-05

In my opinion this is a must see rock shop! Incredible selection, very fair prices, knowledgeable employees. Nice sized parking lot to stretch your legs and let your dogs out a bit. Truly the best selection I’ve seen just about anywhere. Highly recommended!

Cory Miller

2022-05

This rock shop has become a regular stop for my family whenever we're in the black hills. Lots of neat rocks and minerals to see. My only complaint is the last time we were here before now the gentleman working (whom I believe is the owner) let our young children use the restroom. The young kid working this time wouldn't allow it, which isn't his fault it's probably their policy. It just frustrated me because we assumed that they could use it again and we ended up leaving to use a restroom then returning to purchase our goods. I would recommend this stop if you like rocks and stuff, just be sure and use the restroom prior to visiting.

Brent Jones

2020-05

This is the best rock shop I’ve ever been to (and I’ve been to a lot). They have a huge selection and their prices are extremely reasonable. The people who run the shop seem to be family and are very exceptional people. This will be regular stop for us whenever visiting Custer State Park.

Becca Algozzino

2020-05

They have a nice selection of rocks that are reasonably priced. They offer rock panning for a small charge.

Kimberly Breest

2017-05

If you are collector they have a wide variety of fossils and semi-precious stones. I am a rock lover and this place had good prices and a wide variety of stones! Loved the bins of rose quartz out front. Amazing. The staff was very patient and helpful with my questions. Will be visiting again when I am in the area!

Brad Novacek

2018-05

I've been to a few rock shops and this one was impressive. Good selection on unique polished items inside and bulk rough items outside. Prices were good and not outrageous. Store was organized with great variety and selection. Great job Ken. They had a display of unique items not for sale also.

Katie Tobler Bryant

2023-05

Awesome shop! Best prices I’ve seen from many states around! Super nice and helpful too. So glad we stopped here!!

Ali Bassler

2019-05

Great collection of items and merchandise. The owners are extremely knowledgeable and fair. Each item had a distinct explanations or history about it. This makes the beauty deeper for the customer. Arrows, stones, quivers, jewels, are just some of the things that were for sale.. We love our mortar and pestle.

Jen B.

2023-08

Amazing fossils and rocks from giant sparkling geods to crystal jewelry. My favorite is the petrified wood book ends