Tag Archives: thrift shops

Driving from Denver, Colorado, to Santa Fe, New Mexico, with stops back and forth in Taos and Abiquiu–Ghost Ranch (to pay homage to Georgia O’Keeffe), I am constantly reminded that this land was once Mexico.  The landscape reminds me of Oaxaca: expansive with arroyos, crevices, looming 12,000 foot mountains, scrub oak, sign posts telling of land grants established soon after the Spanish Conquest.

My pilgrimage to visit friends along the way embellished my road trip adventure on the back roads of America’s Southwest. In Taos, my friend Winn gave me a list of thrift and consignment shops to visit in Santa Fe. She said sometimes there is Native American jewelry, too. That hooked me!

This is especially interesting since Santa Fe is that eclectic mix of old-timers who have been there for forty years (and collected a few things), and socialites who come for the summer season. They might be oil and gas heiresses from Texas and Oklahoma who seek a milder summer climate. They come for the opera and the markets: International Folk Art Market, Spanish Market, and Indian Market.

They shop on the Plaza at Santa Fe Dry Goods filled with Euro-designer labels, attend galas, frequent cocktail parties, and then shed barely worn attire. Here’s where these clothes end up:

Gaspeite and Sterling Silver Navajo bracelet, thrift shop find

1. Artifact. 930 Baca St., Santa Fe. (505) 982-5000. I found a vintage Navajo sterling silver cuff inlaid with gaspeite, and a brand-new skirt hot off the rack from the Plaza at a fraction of its original price.
2. The Beat Goes On. 333 Montezuma Ave., Santa Fe. 505-982-7877. Here, the discovery is a Peter Nygaard jacket and a raspberry colored crinkle top. Score! This shop is around the corner from …
3. Doubletake. 320 Aztec St. at the corner of Guadalupe St., Santa Fe. (505) 989 – 8886. This shop is in two parts: amazing Native American jewelry, accessories and furniture; and clothing.
4. Look What the Cat Dragged In. 2570 Camino Entrada. This shop benefits the Santa Fe Animal Shelter. I never made it here! Hopefully you will. Let me know what you think.

If you are destined for Santa Fe this summer to volunteer or attend the International Folk Art Market (or any of the others), you might find this bonus thrifty shopping itinerary worthwhile.  I did!