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Money and Shopping in Albuquerque


Money and Shopping in Albuquerque

Upon first glance, it might seem like your only place to shop are the miles and miles of strip malls that line the major arterials. While that's not entirely the case, everything is really spread out, with the exception of the concentrated Old Town-Downtown-Nob Hill area along Central Ave. So while you can find just about anything you're looking for, you will probably have to drive a ways to get it. Here are some good places around town to shop:
  • Old Town, at Central & Rio Grande, . If you're looking for all the "New Mexican" shops, this is probably the next best thing to Santa Fe. Granted, some of it is tacky souvenir stuff, but there are also plenty of quality gift shops with authentic Native American and Southwestern art. You can also find plenty of antiques, art galleries, jewelry, pottery, weavings, clothing stores, and other specialty shops.
  • Downtown, particularly along Central and Gold Aves. (one block S of Central). While downtown has plenty of bars and restaurants, the shopping scene is a bit lacking. However, there are a few interesting places:
  • Nob Hill, along Central from Girard to Carlisle, . A trendy district known for its neon reminiscent of the Route 66 days, Nob Hill is easily one of the best places in the city to window shop. The Nob Hill Business Center, at Central & Carlisle, has some great little shops as well as the La Montanita Food Co-Op (see Grocery stores under "Eat" below).
  • Uptown, centered around Indian School & Louisiana. For the more typical suburban mall experience, Coronado Mall , which is anchored by Macy's, JCPenney, Mervyn's and Sears, will suit your needs. ABQ Uptown , on the other hand, is an outdoor mall with more high-end retail stores, such as Apple Computer, Talbots, Pottery Barn, and Williams-Sonoma. Most of the major 'Big Box' retailers are also in the general area, in both directions along I-40.
  • Cottonwood Mall, Coors Blvd & Coors Bypass, on the west side of Albuquerque, . A typical indoor mall, the surrounding area contains most typical 'Big Box' retailers.
    • Here are some specific businesses around town that are worth your time:
  • Active Imagination, 11200 Montgomery Blvd NE (SE corner of the intersection of Montgomery and Juan Tabo), +1 505 346-2232, . Formerly Wargames West on Central, this store has a long history in Albuquerque. Features cards, board games, role-playing games and a gambit of miniature table-top games. Open boardgame night is Thursday, but you're bound to find people gaming any night of the week.
  • Bien Mur Indian Market Center, 100 Bien Mur Dr NE (N of Albuquerque at the Sandia Pueblo, off the intersection of Tramway and I-25), +1 505 821-5400, . Owned by the Sandia Pueblo, this huge market has loads of Native American jewelry, pottery, rugs, paintings and folk art. Most of the stuff here comes directly from the artist to the market.
  • Gertrude Zachary is a locally-owned jewelry chain in Albuquerque with plenty of antiques and Southwestern jewelry. There are three locations around the city:
  • Jackalope, 6400 San Mateo Blvd NE (near the intersection of San Mateo and I-25), +1 505 349-0955, . A local chain of stores (there are also locations in Bernalillo and Santa Fe) that sells folk art, pottery, rugs, and furniture from around the world. There is really a lot of fantastic stuff here, and a lot to browse through.
  • Mama's Minerals, 1100 San Mateo NE (at the intersection of Lomas and San Mateo), +1 505 266-8443, . M-F 9AM-7PM, Sa 10AM-6PM, Su 11AM-5PM. A wonderful store with an extensive collection of minerals, geologic specimens, gems, beads, supplies for the geologist, information about local geology, and more. You could spend a lot of time here.
  • Page One Bookstore, 11018 Montgomery NE (SW corner of the intersection of Montgomery and Juan Tabo), +1 505 294-2026, . M-Sa 9AM-10PM, Su 9AM-8PM. The largest independent bookstore in the city.
  • Tall Tales Comics & Novelties, 1410 Wyoming Blvd NE (NE corner of the intersection of Wyoming and Constitution), +1 505 296-6178, A plethora of comics, cards, board games, role-playing games, miniatures and untold archive of hard-to-find novelties. Excellent site for finding long out-of-print items. Also has gaming tables.

    • The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Albuquerque


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    Albuquerque Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.

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