- Co-founder Jonas Agdanowski turned a childhood passion for minerals into three rock shop locations across Michigan and Kentucky.
- Covington store features fine minerals, crystals, fossils, jewelry, and pieces crafted by local and global artists.
- Shop draws collectors, casual browsers, and visitors seeking stones tied to stress relief and crystal healing.
Dimitridon Studios co-founder Jonas Agdanowski developed his love of geology by scouring the beaches of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for rare minerals as a child.
His family would take regular field trips to the area, where he and his younger brother, Dmitri, would pick through shuttered copper mines. Later, Agdanowski moved to Tucson, Arizona – home to the world’s largest gem and mineral show – where he became fully immersed in the field.
“You get surrounded in it, and you get fully immersed,” Agdanowski told LINK nky. “You kind of just go completely down the rabbit hole.”
Today, Agdanowski’s passion for mineral and gem collecting has manifested itself through a series of three brick-and-mortar rock shops he founded alongside his brother and parents. Two of the shops are based in South Haven and Ludington, Michigan, while the other is located in central Covington at 714 Madison Ave.
So, what does Dimitridon mean? The actual Dimetrodon was an extinct, dinosaur-like reptile that lived over 280 million years ago. The creature’s name also bears similarity to Jonas’ younger brother Dmitri’s name. The similarities inspired the studio’s brand name, with a fossilized Dimetrodon skull serving as the logo.
The Agdanowskis launched the Covington store in 2023, following the original South Haven, MI store that opened in 2019. Upon entering the Covington shop, customers are instantly welcomed by displays of different stones, gems, and minerals, arranged by shape and color. Some stones have been crafted into jewelry, while others have been shaped into sculptures and tools like mortars and pestles.
“We have a whole bunch of stuff for everybody who could possibly be interested in it,” Agdanowski said. “We’ve got finer, more scientific stuff. We’ve got just nice display pieces, jewelry, all sorts of things.”
Ashley Sifford, the manager of Dmitridon Studios, mentioned that the store attracts customers of all ages, whether they are curious shoppers browsing the aisles or older individuals reconnecting with stones they cherished earlier in life.
“There’s a pretty big variety,” she said, “There’s a lot of younger people, but then we also have a lot of the older generation that were maybe into this back when they were growing up, and they’ve reconnected with that as they’ve gotten older.”
Moreover, Sifford said the store was popular with people interested in crystal healing, an alternative therapy that uses crystals and gemstones to promote physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. The practice has gained popularity on social media in recent years.
“Some people come in saying, I’m looking for something to help with anxiety or stress or something that helps them gravitate towards those stones that are going to be most beneficial for them,” she said.
Agdanowski said that sourcing stones is one of the most challenging parts of his business. Dmitridon Studios sources its stones globally, with the availability of some stones fluctuating. They focus on acquiring high-quality minerals from trusted suppliers worldwide and maintaining a diverse, well-stocked inventory.
At just 21, Agdanowski is still early in his career, but he has already turned his childhood curiosity into a multistate retail operation. In Covington, he hopes Dimitridon Studios can be a place where people of all ages can discover wonder and connection through his unique products.