Herkimer Diamond Mines sees boom in business

HERKIMER, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The coronavirus pandemic has changed how we do just about anything, including how we vacation. These days, people are choosing to stay closer to home, which is great news for a hidden gem in Herkimer County.

“We’re getting so many phone calls within an hour to an hour and half radius of people who have lived here for so many years who’ve never been here,” Dr. Renée Scialdo Shevat, resident/owner of Herkimer Diamond Mines said.

Herkimer Diamond Mines is seeing a huge boom in business, and it’s kind of the perfect business to weather a pandemic. They’ve always had social distancing practices in place for the safety of anyone mining.

“Just the experience of being with your family in an outdoor environment where you don’t really have to worry about the social distancing because we’ve been doing social distancing here at the mines for 40 years,” Dr. Scialdo Shevat said. “It’s a natural habitat to social distance in. You don’t bring your hammers out to the mines and have someone right next to you a foot away.”

However, there are some challenges. They’ve had to limit the number of people allowed in the campgrounds and mines. They also closed their museum and canceled several events.