Entering this distinctive decorative shop is like walking into a 128-count box of Crayolas. Hand-painted wooden shelves and cabinets featuring original Southwestern designs line the walls. Bright ceramic crosses are mounted next to chromatic metal key hooks. Kaleidoscopic wind chimes glitter in the windows. Handmade beadwork purses, necklaces and bracelets add to the rainbow of color-coordinated options.
John Isaac Antiques
Wander through the rooms of this sprawling treasure trove and you’re destined to unearth hidden gems. Hispanic devotional art, Mexican pottery, rare regional art books and vintage Navajo rugs are just a few of the items in Isaac’s museum-quality collection. Antiques range from kitschy (salt and pepper sets from the ’50s) to quirky (hand-carved Guatemalan slingshots) to quality (gorgeous dance masks from south of the border).
Christin Wolf Gallery
Lovers of modern jewelry will appreciate the clean, geometric lines of Christin Wolf’s stone-and-silver creations. Just browsing through the cases is an education in geology. There’s turquoise from Arizona, sugilite from South Africa, lapis lazuli from Afghanistan and spiny oyster from Baja. Innovative “reversible” rings and simple “slider” pendants are great for everyday wear as well as formal occasions.
Santisima
Albuquerque folk artist Johnny Salas maintains this tiny but festive upstairs showroom specializing in contemporary santos and Day of the Dead objects. Dozens of Salas’ elaborate, pop art shadowboxes hang alongside paintings, sculptures and multimedia constructions of other local folk artists like Vicente Telles, Stacey Sullivan de Maldonado and John Maldonado.
