Downtown

Sears Roebuck and JCPenney have moved on, but a few interesting shops still occupy the curved show windows along Central.

An emporium of American Indian goods, Skip Maisel (510 Central Ave. SW, 505/242-6526, 9 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Mon.–Fri., 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Sat.) feels like a relic from downtown’s heyday—whether you want a war bonnet, a turquoise-studded watch, or deerskin moccasins, it’s all here in a vast, overstocked shop with kindly salespeople. Don’t miss the beautiful murals above the display windows in the foyer; they were painted in the 1930s by local Indian artists such as Awa Tsireh, whose work hangs in the New Mexico Museum of Art [1] in Santa Fe.

Another throwback: The Man’s Hat Shop (511 Central Ave. NW, 505/239-9871, 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Tues.–Fri., 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Sat.), which stocks just what it promises, from homburgs to ten-gallons.

Zip back to the present day at Visiones Gallery (212 Gold Ave. SW, 505/242-9267, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Fri.), run by a local nonprofit and showing fresh artwork by Latino, African American, and American Indian artists, usually priced quite reasonably.