91 Best Places to Shop in New Mexico, USA

In a town with two super-sized Wal-Marts and a Target, a shopping round-up would not be complete without mentioning the gargantuan Animas Valley Mall. Expect the usual chain suspects, plus a multiplex movie theater.

One of the top spots in the Southwest for handmade Turkish, Persian, and Afghan rugs, Arrediamo also carries a fine selection of authentic Navajo rugs and textiles.

Packed to the rafters with a varied assortment of 1930s linens, handmade quilts, candles, organic soaps, vintage cookware, hand-thrown pottery, decorated crosses, and souvenirs, this colorful shop is a highlight of shopping in the charming village of Arroyo Seco.

A paradise for tea lovers, Artful Tea is the city's emporium for loose-leaf or bagged gourmet tea, with global selections from Japan, Nepal, India, and more. Green, matcha, black, rooibos, herbal, and floral of all varieties can be found here along with specialty tea cups and brewing accessories.

This cozy space in an old, creaky-floored adobe is stocked with perhaps the finest handmade cowboy boots you will ever see—in every color, style, and embellishment imaginable. If you can't find what you're looking for, they create custom boots too. Other finds, like funky ranch-style furniture, 1950s blanket coats, jewelry, and belt buckles are also sold here.

The Sandia Pueblo-run Bien Mur Indian Market Center showcases regional Native American rugs, jewelry, and crafts of all kinds. It is a good place to get familiar with the distinct styles found at each of the 19 pueblos here (as well as that by Diné, or Navajo, artists), and you can be certain about the authenticity of purchases made here as well.

Black Cat Books & Coffee beckons for a used-book browse and a superlative cup of java.

Blue Moon Eclectics has locally made arts and crafts as well as some Navajo and Zuni jewelry.

This funky general store and gas station, pronounced boh-dees, has been serving the region since 1919. It offers a thoughtfully curated array of quirky gifts, locally made arts and crafts, local beer and wine, household supplies, and fishing gear (including licenses), along with delicious breakfast burritos, green-chile stew, deli sandwiches, and other light fare.

This shop on the plaza buys, sells, and trades Native American arts and crafts, including pottery, belts, kachina dolls, hides, and silver-coin jewelry.

A spacious shop that sells functional and decorative art from around the world, Casa Nova deftly mixes colors, textures, and cultural icons—old and new—from stylish pewter tableware from South Africa to vintage hand-carved ex-votos (votive offerings) from Brazil. There is a major emphasis here on goods produced by artists and cooperatives focused on sustainable economic development.

Peruse a wide selection of hand-painted Mexican Talavera tiles at this Old Town stalwart that's been in business since 1977. Prices are reasonable, making the colorful geometrics, florals, mural patterns, and solids close to irresistible. Tin lighting fixtures as well as ceramic sink and cabinet knobs fill in the rest of the space in this DIY-inspiring shop (yes, they ship).

Just off the main highway to the north is East 9th Street, a street of historic buildings and a few shops. The Cimarron Art Gallery sells Southwestern odds and ends, and artifacts, and has a 1930s soda fountain for dishing out ice cream, sodas, and coffee drinks.

City Electric is a shoe shop Gallup-style, and is definitely worth a poke around. This purveyor of moccasins, cowboy boots, belts, and cowboy hats also repairs saddles and shoes and sells leather and fittings for your own work. This corner shop with a Pueblo Deco facade was founded by an Italian immigrant in 1924. It has stayed in the Bonaguidi family ever since.

Cowboys & Indians carries a serious selection of fine Native American and Western art and artifacts culled from the collections of sharp-eyed antiques dealers from across the country. Set on the eastern fringe of Nob Hill, the door may be kept locked, but ring the bell—it's worth a browse when you are out this way.

To break free from the chains, step out to Dad's Diner; it's fun, open on Sunday—not much else is in town—and a certain cut above mall food.

Owner Joseph DeBella turned his lifelong fascination with rocks and minerals into a decades-long career as a metalsmith and gemologist, traveling the world to learn about and buy precious stones and working for many years making fine jewelry before opening his own Downtown stores; the original shop is on West San Francisco Street while a newer store lives right on the Plaza. Santa Fe is a popular destination for weddings and engagements so many come to DeBella Fine Gems to collaborate on original creations for upcoming nuptials.

A welcome antidote to Santa Fe's preponderance of shops selling Native American and Spanish-colonial antiques, Design Warehouse carries hip, contemporary furniture, kitchenware, home accessories, and other sleek knickknacks, including vaunted brands like Alessi, Knoll, and Normann Copenhagen. Note the select collection of books and magazines focusing on art and design.

This rambling 25,000-square-foot shop ranks among the best consignment stores in the West, carrying elaborately embroidered vintage cowboy shirts, hundreds of pairs of boots, funky old prints, antique Southwestern-style furniture, and amazing vintage Indian pawn and Mexican jewelry. The store comprises several sections that also include contemporary clothing and accessories for men and women and a pottery showroom.

Check out "concept-led" minimalist contemporary jewelry from European designers and Deborah Alexander and Gordon Lawrie, who own the store. The contemporary space has a fascinating array of materials, good range of prices, and helpful staff.

Just across from the BioPark, shaded outdoor seating on El Vado Motel’s plaza is surrounded by a cluster of locally committed shopkeepers and food purveyors. A good meal option is Buen Provecho, inspired by Costa Rican traditional cooking, or enjoy a cerveza (beer) from the El Vado Taproom. Stroll just beyond the plaza to a cluster of local vendors on the complex's outer periphery (Southwest Cactus Shop has not only the expected succulents, but a well-selected range of southwest-themed hand-stamped cards, earrings, clever metal birds, and more), or a little further east on Central Avenue to Kaufman's Coffee & Bagels (freshly made on site) or Swan Song, a retro-ware recycler.

Coming up from Zuni on NM 602, travelers will come upon Ellis Tanner Trading Co., a venerable fourth-generation family operation.

Emerson Gallery highlights the modern, appealing paintings and prints of Anthony Chee Emerson. His bright yet harmonious palette is decidedly nontraditional, yet his themes speak to Native American history and contemporary issues—sometimes in the same piece.

Detour one block south to Fifth Generation Trading Co., an old trading post run by the Tanner family since 1875. Big and distinctly tourist-driven these days, it has a wealth of Native American wares and is known for sand paintings.

This outstanding independent shop is strong on art, architecture, cookbooks, literature, and regional Southwestern works—it's a block from the Canyon Road galleries and hosts frequent talks by authors in person and via interviews posted to the shop's website.

Focusing on handmade items from both local craftspeople and artists in Oaxaca, this lifestyle gallery offers beautiful prints, ceramics, jewelry, and more, at all price points. Owner and "Creative Conductor" Frank Rose also sells an impressive collection of prints by Mexican artists including Diego Rivera and Rufino Tamayo.

Hattie Sloan, proprietor of the Heirloom Shop, was one of the key figures involved in the restoration of Historic First Street. Hattie and her daughter and co-owner Cathy know their antiques and have packed this highly browse-worthy shop with beautiful selections, from rhinestone necklaces to quilts, china, and linens.

About a half-hour drive west of town, in Waterflow, are a number of old-time posts, including the Hogback Trading Co. A fourth-generation operation in business since 1871, it is especially known for fine, handwoven Navajo rugs.

A sliver of a shop that feels like an art gallery, IMEC (International Metalsmith Exhibition Center) carries an unusual range of jewelry and craftwork by a nationally renowned group of metal and glass artisans. Many are New Mexico based, like Luis Mojica, who does stunning work in sterling, resin, and mother-of-pearl, and Mary Kanda, whose intricate glass-bead pieces are richly colored.