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Heirloom Shop
"The Best Antiques Are Old Friends" |
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132 S. First St.
Raton, NM 87740
(505) 445-8876
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More than an Antique Shop - It's a Collector's Paradise
Finding hard-to-find items isn't hard when you know where to look. The Heirloom Shop, situated on Raton's beautiful
Historic First Street, holds a massive collection of odds and ends and then some that fascinates seekers of unique
merchandise.
If you're hunting for special items made and used between the 1880s and 1950s, you'll likely find them here.
History kept alive
Hattie Sloan and daughter, Cathy Naylor, opened the shop in 1986 with the goal of keeping alive the
history of the Raton area by creating a collection of items used in the day-to-day lives of people who once lived
here. Today the shop is bursting with thousands of relics and artifacts that attract collectors and curiosity shoppers
from all over the country.
"Our slogan is 'The best antiques are old friends,'" Cathy says. "We strive to create an atmosphere
of small-town friendliness in the shop. Many of our customers come back repeatedly and truly have become old friends."
With nearly all of its floor space and high walls packed with colorful merchandise, the shop is a regular stop
for collectors wanting to decorate their homes, historians interested in authentic area pieces and antique dealers
searching for items that are no longer easy to find.
The selection is as diverse as the people who once used what now sits on shelves and tables, all tastefully arranged
for easy browsing. Fine china is among the more popular items, Hattie points out. "People love to bring the
past into their homes and make them look special," she says.
A constantly shifting inventory typically includes an array of flow blue china, transferware, fiestaware, hand-painted
glass, crystal, porcelain and colorful Depression glass. Furniture pieces range from primitive to the refined.
For those looking for special jewelry items, the shop offers an extensive collection of estate jewelry that includes
pieces from the Victorian era as well as a fine selection of older Southwestern pieces. The shop boasts the largest
selection of sterling silver flatware and serving pieces in the area.
One area in the busy shop features a collection of figural salt and pepper shakers fashioned as angels, squirrels,
pigs and teapots. Farther down the aisle are old spice tins and other kitchen collectibles. There are shelves packed
with first-edition novels by authors who are long since gone, early photo portraits, magazines, calendars and numerous
other ephemera, or paper goods.
The shop is the proud owner of the region's largest collection of original historic maps of the Maxwell Land Grant.
These maps, dating from 1889, are considered to be the most detailed topography ever created for New Mexico during
this time period.
Another area that draws a lot of attention is the clothing - a wide selection that collectors and shoppers are
crazy about. Wedding dresses, fancy skirts and blouses, military uniforms, mink capes and hats in their original
boxes all bring back the feeling of a classy, forgotten era.
There's also numerous pieces of artwork depicting the rugged and simple creative style of the Southwest around
the turn of the century. In addition, you'll find a collection of coveted contemporary Hispanic religious folk
art, a big seller in these parts.
The Heirloom Shop building, which is an official Historic Building, was originally a pharmacy and then converted
to the Abourezk Grocery Store, which operated in Raton for more than 50 years. Hattie and Cathy have managed to
purchase some of the original apothecary jars and mortar-and-pestle sets used in the pharmacy.
"The merchandise really does reveal the history of the area," says Cathy. "We were surprised at
how much interest there is in historical items of the Southwest."
Southwest mystique
She tells of buyers from as far away as Pennsylvania and Massachusetts seeking merchandise for private
collections and museums. And many international tourists passing through Raton are fascinated by the merchandise,
the likes of which they've never seen before.
Cathy says it's not only the selection she and Hattie offer that draws visitors, but the region itself holds a
certain mystique that interests many people.
"They think it's romantic; they're intrigued by the fact we're on the Santa Fe Trail and that Raton is the
home of real cowboys," Cathy says. "We've had our share of shootings and hangings and land wars here.
The items we sell were a part of all that history that people can take home with them."
Hours
The Heirloom Shop is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Call (505) 445-8876 for more
information.
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