EVERETT – Now a trip to the local mall can include picking up a little something from Madagascar that’s a few hundred million years old.
Dig It! The Fossil Workshop isn’t the usual mall store. But it’s one that’s sure to get noticed, especially with a large pterodactyl mounted at the entrance and looming above the main thoroughfare of the Everett Mall.
That alone may make shoppers curious enough to walk in the door. Once inside, they find a place that allows children – and adults, too – to dig in sand pits and uncover fossils or unusual rocks.
If it sounds different, it is. The new store, which opened quietly last week but marks its grand opening Thursday, is only the third Dig It! nationwide.
“This is the flagship store,” founder Jacqueline Drecksel said as she stood in the Everett Mall space. Her other two stores, both in Utah, are considerably smaller.
Drecksel developed a love of fossil hunting from childhood trips with her father. As a parent in Utah, she taught science workshops in schools, which led her to create a fossil kit for kids that’s been sold in museums for eight years.
A successful entrepreneur who’s run businesses focused on birthday party equipment rentals, cookies and breastfeeding supplies, Drecksel launched the first Dig It! location in 2002.
The Everett location features three digging areas: Excavation Station, which has general dinosaur-era fossils; Shark Bite Bay, which features fossils of ancient sea life and shark teeth; and Prospector’s Pit, which has geodes, agates and polished rocks scattered in the sand. In another area, young people can pan for pyrite, better known as fool’s gold.
The goal is to give children an idea of what it would be like to dig in real fossil beds around the globe, Drecksel said.
“They’re learning. They’re learning while exploring, and what a great way to spend an afternoon with a child,” she said.
There also are areas for children to string their own shark-tooth necklace, crack open a geode or take a close look at a fossil with a microscope. Dig It! has shelves full of dinosaur- and paleontology-related toys and games, as well as fossil art objects.
To dig in the sands and take home a fossil, the price is $8.99.
The fossils, including sea life such as trilobites and fossilized dinosaur poop, are relatively common ones that come from all over the world. The Everett store also has examples of rarer fossils that it displays to students and other visitors.
School and Scout groups are among those who have already checked out Dig It! The center has booked more than 20 birthday parties for the coming weeks, Drecksel said.
For the casual shopper, though, the place usually requires a bit of explanation, said Heather Shipley of Lake Stevens, the store’s director of retail.
“It’s definitely something you have to tell customers all about,” she said, adding that the store’s 14 employees are trained to help show customers around.
Drecksel, who runs her business from Pocatello, Idaho, said she’s happy to be in the Everett Mall. The shopping center’s ownership – Steadfast Cos. – was the one that first approached Dig It! about being here. In addition to the store, Dig It! installed a dinosaur-themed soft play area for children in a nearby area of the mall.
From this new flagship, however, Drecksel has big plans for Dig It!, which hopes to add a dozen new fossil centers in the next two years, including one in the south Puget Sound region.
Reporter Eric Fetters: 425-339-3453 or fetters@heraldnet.com.
Dig It! The Fossil Workshop
Where: Everett Mall, 1402 SE Everett Mall Way
What: A store and activity center featuring three different sand pits for excavating fossils and minerals
Web site: www.digitfossils.com
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