David Guery has traveled far, as has his business.

Early this year, Guery moved his business selling minerals, jewelry and fossils from Charleville-Mézières, France, to 5631 N. Academy Blvd. in Colorado Springs.

From bits of bones to tiny stones, Guery and his wife, Meg arranged to have the entire shop in France transported to the United States.

“Not just the merchandise but the showcases and the shelves and the brown wall panel over there,” Meg said, pointing to a wall lined with stone beads and jewelry.

The store was packed up after New Year’s in France and came to the U.S. in April. As soon as Meg and David could get the boxes unpacked and the store arranged, they opened their doors, selling fossils and minerals from around the country and world.

Guery, 40, was born and raised in Sedan, France, and has been selling fossils and other earth-embedded objects for the past 13 years. He attended his first gem show with his grandpa in France when he was 8 years old and took joy and relaxation from uncovering fossils from their casts.

What started as a hobby for him became a job after he left his factory position.

“I wanted a change of life,” David said.

Another change came when he met Meg, a Coloradan, at a gem show in Tucson, Ariz. Meg was hired through a mutual acquaintance to help David sell his fossils and minerals, but their interaction soon shifted from the work realm to a personal connection.

“David had a personal interest right away,” Meg said. “And so our communication really just developed over Google Translate.”

For David and Meg, their love transcended borders and cultural barriers as they found a common language in fossils and minerals; the two were married in October 2021.

Colorado Springs Planning Commission OKs controversial 8,000-seat outdoor amphitheater

“He just focused on geology and paleontology, and I got interested in rocks and crystals,” Meg said.

Behind the glass doors of their Geofossiles shop are rings of turquoise, geodes the size of melons and fossils.

Colorado Springs’ third Whataburger opens this week, while a 7th location is planned north of city

“This is … the lower jaw of a rhinoceros from the Badlands area of South Dakota,” Meg said striding over to an ancient bone poking out of a cast. “There is a fossil hunter up there (in the Badlands) that we met at the gem show,” she added.

Finding trusted suppliers such as the one in South Dakota is crucial for the Guerys’ business. Much of David’s tenure as a fossil seller has been spent building and maintaining relationships with miners and lapidaries (people who cuts and polishes gems) from around the world, particularly Madagascar and Morocco.

He has spent weeks at a time traveling to hand pick the pieces and stones he wants.

At the store, Meg and David have shelves full of boxes with fossils ready to be uncovered.

“They’re really not worth much until they’re prepped,” Meg said. “Because it’s just the expertise and time that goes into it to present it.”

David is a member of the Association of Applied Paleontological Sciences, an organization of collectors, dealers, enthusiast and academics meant to promote the ethical collecting and curation of paleontological work.

“We’re unique,” Meg said. “There just aren’t a lot of fossil shops.”

Trendy retailer Five Below is ramping up its presence in Colorado Springs