Current shop hours
Sat & Sun10 a.m.–5 p.m.Open house at the shop
WeekdaysOn CallCall or text before visiting
The Apple Valley Minerals story
New England's Historic Mineral Shop
Sal Avella & the beginning of an era
In the 1960s, Sal Avella’s growing mineral collection began taking over a historic Georgiaville home and storefront. The old store—part of the Georgiaville Historic District, built in 1890—became Apple Valley Minerals. Sal kept the doors open for over 50 years, and a neighborhood shop became a hub for local and worldwide collectors.
Field work, mentorship & Rhode Island amethyst
Sal was a field collector, a member of Rhode Island Mineral Hunters, and a mentor to young mineralogists. In the early 1980s he helped uncover and excavate the Diamond Hill–Ashaway amethyst locality in Hopkinton, later coauthoring articles about the find in 1995 and 2008. Specimens from the locality reached the Smithsonian, the American Museum of Natural History, Harvard, and the British Museum.
Louis carries the shop forward
As a former mentee of Sal, Louis Fazzina keeps Apple Valley Minerals running the way collectors remember it: a welcoming community hosting open houses, local shows, educational programs, and collection acquisitions. Visitors will find historic treasures in every corner of the shop. You can come in with list, bring a specimen to ask about, or simply look around.