I posted the original version of this report a couple of years ago, but I thought I'd better update it. A few things have changed, and some things remain the same. One of the things that stayed the same was price range (for the most part). All but one of the shops that I visited had the same, ultra-low prices, ranging from 25 cents per item to $15. One shop had prices that doubled, but I suspect that shop will bring its prices back into line with the market.
Our favorite used book store in Santa Fe disappeared, but Ernie was able to find books at all of the thrift stores we visited this year, and actually came back with a bigger haul than in previous years. He was quite happy with his spoils.
In the last quarter of the 20th Century, a gal used to be able to find wonderful little shops in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos. These shops carried handmade jewelry, unique clothing and shoes, art and folk art, perfume and lotions, books and nick-nacks, pots, plates, wind chimes, fossils – you name it. The cost of the items started at $2 and went up to a few hundred dollars, but you could get quite a lot in the $15 to $45 range. My mother and sister and I looked forward to visiting these shops every time we visited New Mexico.
Our favorite used book store in Santa Fe disappeared, but Ernie was able to find books at all of the thrift stores we visited this year, and actually came back with a bigger haul than in previous years. He was quite happy with his spoils.
In the last quarter of the 20th Century, a gal used to be able to find wonderful little shops in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos. These shops carried handmade jewelry, unique clothing and shoes, art and folk art, perfume and lotions, books and nick-nacks, pots, plates, wind chimes, fossils – you name it. The cost of the items started at $2 and went up to a few hundred dollars, but you could get quite a lot in the $15 to $45 range. My mother and sister and I looked forward to visiting these shops every time we visited New Mexico.
But
many years have passed since those days, and recently a woman came
into the Heard Museum Book Store during my regular shift and asked me
if there was a shopping district like that in Phoenix. She told me
that visiting those quirky little shops used to be one of the
highlights of her trips in the Southwest. Lots of cities had them;
locally we had the Mill Avenue shops in Tempe, and Tucson had its own
shopping district near 4th Avenue. Flagstaff still has
something resembling a cheap-and-fabulous shopping district, but not
to the extent you would have found back in the 1970s and '80s. “What
happened?” the traveling lady asked me. “Was it the economy?”
I
suspect it was the opposite. Those shops were enormously popular. I
think the landlords who owned that property decided they should raise
the rents. They raised them so high, the owners of those little
shops couldn't pay. In New Mexico, expensive jewelry, rug,
furniture, clothing stores, and art galleries moved into those
spaces. The top 5% of the population can afford to shop there now.
The rest of us seem to be out of luck.
It's
sad to see our paradise lost, but there are some alternatives for
those who are willing to hunt a little harder. My search always
starts with thrift stores. Prices there usually run from $1 to $15
for clothing, and quite reasonable for a gamut of other stuff.
Places that advertise themselves as consignment stores or vintage
clothing shops often charge more, but their items still cost
considerably less than what you'll find in the expensive stores in
the shopping districts. Second hand shops also run the gamut,
price-wise, but are always worth investigating. And some of them
carry new work by local artists and artisans.
Antique
stores are also a mixed bag. We have a lot of them in Arizona, and
almost all of them are low-priced. I walked into an antique shop in
Taos on my recent trip to New Mexico, and I had to conclude that the
place was too close to the pricey downtown district. The item I
looked at (a gorgeous buddha) was $550. But you don't know until you
look – that's part of the adventure. What sort of treasure you
find depends on how much you're willing to dig, and whether or not
you're bothered by dust. My tolerance for weirdness and unexpected
adventure is high, and I've waded through worse things than dust to
find the fabulous – on a recent journey in the Cave Creek foothills
for garden rocks I fended off swarms of thirsty yellow jackets.
Fortunately, bug swarms are rare on the thrift store circuit, and
most shoppers can find a few places they like.
Here
are some of the places my mom and I have discovered in New Mexico:
BOOMERANG THRIFT BOUTIQUE in Española carries a wonderful variety of hip
clothing, including smaller and larger sizes. While we were there,
they were running a sale, so we got our items for even less. The
price range was $1.50 to $9.50. They carry an eclectic selection of
other second-hand items as well. They're on the southbound side of
HWY 84-285, near the southern end of town.
ENCHANTING BARGAINS THRIFT STORE in Española is also on the southbound side of
HWY 84-285, a bit farther north than BOOMERANGS. Just drive until
you see DANDY'S BURGERS and then pull into that little plaza. Their
price range is $1 to $10. On this last trip I found 2 pairs of pants
and 3 blouses I liked, and my mom found 5 fabulous blouses. Our
tastes are quite different, yet we both found things we liked. (My
husband bought 4 books.) NOTE: THIS STORE CHANGED OWNERS RECENTLY, SO THE NAME MAY HAVE CHANGED. BUT THE LOCATION AND PRICES ARE THE SAME.
THE WATER STORE in Española is under new management and has re-opened
as of this publication. They have a thrift
section stuffed full of clothing priced from $1 to $4. If you're in the area, it's worth checking to see
what's going on with them – they're on the northbound side of HWY
84-285 that leads through the town to Taos.
Habitat for Humanity Thrift Store in Española has a dressing room that's kind of uncomfortable. It's in an overstuffed closet behind the register. But that shop has one of the best selection of Ladies' pants/slacks I've ever seen. I bought five pairs from them on my last trip, at $1 apiece.
Habitat for Humanity Thrift Store in Española has a dressing room that's kind of uncomfortable. It's in an overstuffed closet behind the register. But that shop has one of the best selection of Ladies' pants/slacks I've ever seen. I bought five pairs from them on my last trip, at $1 apiece.
In
Taos we always check out the COMMUNITY AGAINST VIOLENCE store on 1046
Paseo Del Pueblo Sur. From the road, you simply see a sign that says
CAV. This year they only had half as much clothing as they did last
year, but my mother and I both found a few things we liked, and
they're worth checking out. On the other side of the street at 1024
is a consignment store called PIECES that has a trendier selection than most of the other thrift stores. Their prices are very reasonable, from $5 to $45. I found several fabulous blouses there this year (2015), and my mom found a gorgeous skirt.
TREASURES,
located much farther North on Paseo Del Pueblo, is always worth a
visit, though we have only bought a few items of clothing there.
They also carry antiques and folk art from local artists, and they
have a lovely little garden out front. Just up the road from them
(going north) are a couple of affordable import stores, like the CAMINO REAL IMPORTS AND GIFT SHOP. They must have sold out of all
their Jesuses by the time we got there (see photo), but I got a
lovely urn-style garden pot and my husband Ernie bought a
faux-alligator-skin wallet and a nifty t-shirt. (That was the only
time I saw him get excited about an article of clothing on the whole
trip.)
As
you're headed out of town toward the High Road To Taos Scenic
Highway, you'll see THUNDER LIZARD DIRECT CORAL IMPORTERS. They specialize in beads, so if
you're a bead junky in recovery, don't go in there.
In
Santa Fe, there are a lot of thrift stores on the southern end of
town on Cerrillos Road, and you don't have to drive near the
complicated tangle of the main plaza to visit them. These shops
include GOODWILL, one of my favorite thrift store chains. I love the
way they organize their stuff by color. GOODWILL discount days vary
from place to place, so expect blouses to cost about $4.99 to $5.99
when they're not on sale.
The
HOSPICE CENTER THIFT STORE AT 1303 Cerrillos Road offers clothing and
antique/collectible items, and their clothing is always 2nd-hand
fancy stuff. They were having a 50% off sale the day we visited, so
we got several gorgeous items for a steal. Call them at
505-473-0972.
If
you want a break from clothing shopping try A BIT OF EVERYTHING at
1836 Cerrillos Road. They don't have anything you can wear, but
they're a 2nd hand/antique /collectible emporium that
offers – you guessed it, a little bit of everything. You can call
them at 505-983-0665.
So
yes, the halcyon days of cheap and fabulous, quirky and hip shopping
districts are gone. But it's possible to roll with the punches.
And though people who have to shop for smaller and larger sizes
sometimes don't have as much luck when shopping for second hand
clothing, thrift shops usually offer more than just apparel. These
are the places you might find pretty dishes, garden décor, books,
etc. Second-hand book shops are always worth investigating, and they
could use your patronage.
