Welcome to Copper Country!

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Hello!  I'm Cheryl Ochodnicky, the proud owner of the Keweenaw Agate Shop and here is my story...

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Every summer when I was a child, my family would visit my grandparents in Ahmeek MI.  My mom would drive us around the Keweenaw - picking berries, climbing our favorite rocks, hiking waterfalls, walking the beautiful beaches to look for agates, and even braving the icy waters of Lake Superior.  Our vacation always included a trip to "the Harbor" where we would browse the shops, go to the top of Brockway Mountain, and explore Fort Wilkins.   And every year, we would stop to see my Grandparents former business, the Keweenaw Agate Shop.  Those are some of my favorite childhood memories. 

 

Once I started my career and family, my annual trips to the Keweenaw, turned into every 3 to 4 years, or more.  But that changed in 2018. 

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In 2016 I stepped away from the world of software development in search of a new path for the next chapter of my life.  I wasn't exactly sure what it would look like, but I knew one thing for certain: I wanted a slower, more intentional pace - something that allowed me to spend more time outdoors and focus on the things that I enjoy. 

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In 2017, I started looking for businesses for sale in the Upper Peninsula - just looking around to see what possibilities were out there. My dad and step-mother, Sam & Brenda, loved the Keweenaw and would spend the month of July and a few weeks in October in Copper Harbor.   When I mentioned to them my latest search they reminded me that the Keweenaw Agate Shop had been closed for a few years and might be available to purchase.  That got my attention...   

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The Keweenaw Agate Shop was established in Copper Harbor in 1956 by my maternal grandparents, Vi and Eino Miller, who ran it until 1973.  Back then there were also housekeeping cabins on the property.   My mom and aunt use to clean the cabins (the picture is of me, my mom Pat aka "Trish", my aunt Diane and my grandmother Violet).  The idea of having this shop back in the family and being able to spend my summer and fall in the Keweenaw seemed too good to be true.   

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Since purchasing the building in 2018, the shop has seen some minor transformations.  An upstairs apartment was added, new windows in the front and in 2025 the retail space was expanded.     

 

Since opening "The Shop" in 2019, I've enjoyed talking with tourists and fellow rock hounds.  I swear I learn something new every day from the wonderful visitors!   

 

The shop has many agates, local rocks, and minerals as well as crystals and minerals from all over.  We have all kinds of copper, raw, polished, float, vein, tumbled, as well as copper plates, pitchers and kettles.  

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So if you are coming to the Keweenaw to walk the beaches, hike or ride the trails, climb waterfalls or kayak the great Lake Superior (my personal favorite of all the Great Lakes), view the northern lights, or just breath the fresh air, swing by the shop and say hello!

   

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Cheryl