Category: SHOPPING

Local fashionistas flaunt their faves

By Ellen Miller- Goins

In these playful, sunlit photo shoots that capture the spirit of Taos fashion, models Savannah Mae Cisneros and Ruthann McCarthy bring effortless charm and bold local style to life, highlighting standout looks from beloved local boutiques.

About Savannah

Savannah Mae Cisneros is a New Mexico native with deep roots in Taos, where her creative spirit and passion for fashion began to flourish. Since her teen years, Savannah has used style as a powerful form of self-expression. As a teen, she says, “I started putting outfits together and posing in my room taking pictures of myself when i was bored.” Inspired by childhood dreams of modeling, she finds joy in transforming herself like a video game character — each look telling a story. She loves experimenting with different looks and posing for photos that reflect her evolving identity. With a natural presence in front of the camera, Savannah is eager to explore opportunities in fashion, modeling and creative expression.

About Michelle’s Boutique

Michelle’s, a vibrant, woman-owned boutique located in the heart of downtown Taos, offers a carefully curated mix of clothing, jewelry and gifts. Specializing in fair-trade, handmade and locally crafted items, Michelle’s showcases one-of-a-kind treasures from both local and international artists. Founder Michelle McIntosh brings decades of fashion retail experience and a deep passion for style, individuality, and community. She’s known for creating a warm, welcoming space where every shopper feels seen and celebrated. Reflecting on the female body, Michelle says, “There are so many stores out there that only cater to one size demographic and I think that is unacceptable. Human beings are beautiful in every size they come in.”

136 Paseo del Pueblo Norte #D, Taos | 575-751-3450

About Ruthann

Taos native Ruthann McCarthy is a dedicated local business owner with deep roots in the community dating back to 1904. As part of the McCarthy family legacy, she has continued the tradition of service and stewardship through her work at Casa Benavides Inn, Legacy Café and the revitalization of McCarthy Plaza. A passionate community advocate, Ruthann founded the Taos Roundtable, a weekly gathering focused on preserving and supporting the heart of Taos. Known for her warmth, tenacity and commitment to honoring family heritage, Ruthann’s leadership continues to reflect the values instilled by generations of McCarthys who helped shape Taos.

About B.E.E.Spoke Boutique

B.E.E.Spoke Boutique and Art Café on Bent Street is a vibrant, woman-owned space offering its namesake, Basic Everyday Essentials, with European flair. Founded by Jenny Chapleau, the shop is rooted in sustainability, simplicity and style, featuring ethical brands like Nudie Jeans, local jewelry creations and upcycled flannel fashions. Inspired by Jenny’s time abroad, B.E.E.Spoke brings together organic cotton, bamboo basics and French touches like Colette mohair and linen. Beyond clothing, guests can sip locally roasted coffee or ceremonial matcha in the cozy art café, surrounded by works from Southwest artists. With community events, thoughtful gifts and a welcoming atmosphere, B.E.E.Spoke is both a stylish boutique and a warm, creative hub for locals and visitors alike.

132 Bent St, Taos | @thebeespoke132 | 971-222-8831

More Taos shops to sample:

Steppin’ Out

Steppin’ Out offers women’s shoes, clothing and accessories. Known for blending comfort with elegance, the boutique caters to those seeking stylish yet comfortable attire.

Steppin’ Out | John Dunn Shops, 120 Bent St., Ste. K, Taos | steppinout-taos.com | 575-758-4487

Clarke & Co. Menswear

A staple since 1987, Clarke & Co. specializes in contemporary men’s apparel and tailoring services, offering high-quality clothing and exceptional customer service.

Clarke & Co. Menswear | John Dunn House Shops, 120 Bent St., Ste. E | Instagram: @clarkeclothingtaos | 575-758-2696

MODA

MODA is a chic women’s boutique in Taos offering curated fashion, accessories, and gifts. As Clarke & Co.’s sister shop, it features top brands like Pendleton, Tori Richard, Kinross, and more—blending city style with mountain charm.

MODA | John Dunn Shops | 120-124 Bent St, Taos | 575-751-7255

Spotted Bear

Established in 2005, Spotted Bear is celebrated for its unique inventory and personalized customer service, making it a favored destination for both locals and visitors.

Spotted Bear | 127 Paseo del Pueblo Sur, Taos | on Facebook | 575-758-3040

Aurora Folk Arts

Aurora Folk Arts is a treasure trove of antiques, art and unique gifts, including a selection of items reflecting the rich history of the Southwest, handmade textiles and sustainable self-care products.

Aurora Folk Arts | 16 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, Ste. A, Taos | aurorafolkarts.com | 575-737-9766

Moxie Fair Trade & Handmade

Moxie offers a diverse range of fair trade and handmade items, including clothing, home decor and unique gifts, all sourced ethically to promote economic independence for artisans.

Moxie Fair Trade & Handmade | 216B Paseo del Pueblo Norte, Taos | taosmoxie.com | 575-758-1256

By Ekin Balcıoğlu

If you follow the road out of Taos north, the valley begins to shift. Chamisa and sagebrush give way to cottonwoods and curves. You pass through open fields and old fences, then arrive in Arroyo Seco, a village that doesn’t announce itself but simply receives you.

It’s small, but it holds a lot — layers of story, layers of time. It’s a place where artists and ranchers, pilgrims and potters, seekers and stayers have all left their traces in adobe and woodsmoke.

When I landed here, I didn’t yet know I was arriving home. I had come with a dream to open a gallery for clay and textiles. I couldn’t expect how quickly I’d be folded into something larger.

Old Bones: Gallery for Clay and Textiles opened December in the building where Claireworks once stood. My creative partner in clay, Max Massey, and I filled the space with ceramics meant to be touched, used and passed down. Alongside them are hand-embroidered suzanis, traditional Central Asian textiles with intricate floral motifs, Turkish silks and woven pieces carefully gathered by my parents from villages across Anatolia. We’ve set aside a small corner for hammam textiles, peshtemals and robes that carry the scent of bathhouses and slow rituals.

Seco is a village built by hands. Laurel Taylor at Wilde.Ink block prints linen shawls and soft blankets in her studio. Sometimes I pass her in the morning, outside with her dye pots gently steaming in the cold, carefully dipping fabric into rich hues of indigo and rust, colors slowly blooming in the soft morning air.

Just beyond us, Santos y Mas is filled with carved saints and retablos, milagros, antiques, turquoise jewelry and treasures tucked gently among shelves. Patricia Reza’s warmth fills every corner, alongside colorful little postcards painted by her young granddaughter, joyful reminders of creativity passed softly from one generation to the next.

Logan Wannamaker’s work is shaped by the high desert: its earthy tones, spaciousness and quiet sense of balance. He fires with wood, soda and salt, allowing fire and time to leave their trace. His gallery just next door includes three working studios and features his own pieces and work by his apprentices, alongside functional ware and custom dish sets.

Rottenstone Pottery keeps its kilns burning as a landmark for wood-fired ceramics in the Southwest. Scott Rutherford, who has worked in clay here for decades, brings together both Japanese and American folk traditions, firing in massive groundhog and anagama kilns. His gallery features the work of dozens of regional artists and has become a steady anchor for clay in the region.

Across the street, in a building lightly scented with cedar and ink, Jack Leustig’s Fine Art New Mexico houses one of the largest collections of Southwest print art in the country. Known nationally for its museum-grade prints, the gallery is guided by Jack’s thoughtful presence and the meticulous eye of studio manager Liz Mercuri, whose care ensures each piece reflects their shared dedication to quality.

Nearby is Arroyo Seco Mercantile, a cabinet of curiosities brimming with vintage jewelry, rocks and minerals, toys, games, and gifts you didn’t know you were looking for. Each shelf feels thoughtfully curated by owner Jeanie Clinton, filled with charm and a touch of playful mischief.

A few buildings down, Taos Wools is full of color. Joe Barry hand-dyes yarns in small batches, many from churro sheep raised nearby. His daughter helps twist skeins and pack orders. There’s a rhythm to it: family and fiber, looped together.

More and more, Seco is becoming a magnet for artists, especially ceramicists. Between the kilns, studios, shared firings, and steady camaraderie, there’s a quiet sense that something is building here, a hub rooted not in trend but in tradition and deep making.

Seco isn’t curated. It isn’t polished. But it’s deeply lived-in. People come here looking for something: a bowl, a shawl, a moment. But what they find, if they’re paying attention, is a village made of intention. Of beauty shaped slowly. Of work done with care. Art here doesn’t shout. It rests in corners, hangs from pegs, sits warm in your hands.

There’s something about Seco that invites you to listen more closely: to the land, to the stories in the walls, to the shape of your own breath as it softens. And if you’re lucky, Arroyo Seco takes you in.

Discover Weird & Wonderful Treasures Around Taos

By Michael Tashji

Taos has long been known for its offbeat charm and individuality, with one-of-a-kind shops and galleries offering an unusual array of original works. Check out these exotic furnishings, offbeat art and apparel, and natural curiosities from local artists – and find out just how funky Taos can be.

Continue reading “Funky Finds”

Starr Interiors celebrates 50th Year

By Virginia L. Clark

Now in its 50th year, Starr Inte-riors seems more vibrant than ever — if that’s possible. One of the oldest galleries in Taos, its uniquely beautiful courtyard accents the wraparound gal-lery rooms just north of Taos Plaza on Paseo del Pueblo Norte, seducing every passer-by into its welcoming embrace.

Continue reading “Susanna Starr’s Odyssey”

Buds, bowls and much more at Rocky Mountain Cannabis

By Emily Mendez

Continue reading “Winter Weed”

Yes, You Can Bring Your Taos Adventure Home with You

By Haven Lindsey

Continue reading “Bison Biz”

Recreational cannabis is booming in NM — here’s what’s on offer in Taos  

By David Lerner

Continue reading “Green Economy”

NM United and the Town of Taos team up on new soccer jerseys 

By Jeans Pineda

The Town of Taos Tourism and Marketing Department has partnered with New Mexico United on a project melding art, fashion and sports within and beyond the Taos community.

Continue reading “Turquoise Takeover”

Take a charmed shopping excursion in the heart of historic Taos

By Josephine Ashton

“The time has come,” the walrus said, “to talk of many things: of shoes and ships — and sealing wax — of cabbages and kings.” But then, bless his mathematician, logician, imaginative, 1832-1898 author’s heart, Lewis Carroll had never enjoyed a summer stroll through the John Dunn Shops in downtown Taos.  

Continue reading “Dunn Deal”

Find rare old-world treasures at Ranchos Antique Furnishings

By David Lerner

Continue reading “Time Travelers”

Indigenous arts in the heart of Taos 

By Virginia Clark & Photos By Sam Joseph

Local, authentic indigenous art is alive and kicking up Native dust around Taos Plaza. The gallery owners are primarily Taos Pueblo tribal members, but they carry works from Taos Pueblo and many other First Nations’ artists.

Continue reading “Native Plaza”

The centrally located John Dunn Shops have something for everyone

By Haven Lindsey & Photos by sam joseph

At the heart of Taos’ Historic District, enveloped in a canvas of trees, surrounded by landscaped flower gardens, with soft background music and welcoming places to sit, relax, absorb and repeat, the John Dunn Shops offer a quaint, pedestrian, pet-friendly experience as the answer to its more lively, vehicular-friendly neighbor, the Taos Plaza..

Continue reading “Shop Taos”

Cruising around Taos, you might wonder if the skunk you smell is the black and white variety or one that’s decidedly greener.

By michael tashji 

That’s because New Mexico legalized recreational adult-use cannabis in June 2021, and weed went on sale on April 1.

Continue reading “Toker Tourism”

Highlighting regional goods. When two rivers merge, it is called a confluence.

By Will Hooper 

Continue reading “Taos Ski Valley’s Confluence”

What comes to mind when you think of Vintage Taos style?

by Jocelyne Kizziar

If your answer is that it’s more of a feeling and an ode to an older way of life, then you are on the right track.

Continue reading “Vintage Southwest”

‘Taos Ski Valley’s renaissance

has delivered modern and thoughtful upgrades while retaining the area’s character and soul, and businesses.  like Cid’s and others reflect that ethos because they are locally owned, original and will be integrated into the community,’ said David Norden, CEO of Taos Ski Valley. 

IN TAOS SKI VALLEY

Continue reading “Retail resurgence”

Taos has the best places to find gifts for any person or occasion

By Celesa Lucien

If you have a busy schedule to include all the scenic and museum destinations of Taos, you will want to hit the best shops guaranteed to complete your shopping list. For items you may have forgotten or for things you did not expect to need or for loved ones that remained at home, here is a “get it or bust” list.

Continue reading “Local shopping guide”

Meet three new entrepreneurs who are putting Taos on the map as a great place to make business ideas a reality.

Continue reading “Casita industries”