Little Shops on Rio Grande

I have lived near Little Shops since they opened 13 years ago. I fell in love with the place then and wanted so badly to open a little business in there, however with two small children, etc, that didn't happened. Over the years, I would go in and visit and continued to love the atmosphere and the people.I will grant, the building is very old. This is the NW valley after all and there are lots of very old buildings that are still in use for homes, businesses, etc. Quite a few of them are showing their age which, to a good many people, it adds to the charm. There have been some roof problems. Gee, live in NM, have a flat roof and you are going to have problems. That may have been where Stewart got the smell from. Personally, I have never smelled cat pee or any other bad smells in there.Why are there not more employees in there? Most of the artisans leave their wears on consignment, so usually, there is any where from 2 - 4 employees in there at a time, sometimes more, and if they are busy with other customers then you may have to wait a few minutes.As for not many cars in the parking lot, I can point to a lot of businesses that have times of the day or days where there are no cars in the parking lot. That doesn't say anything about the quality of merchandise and services inside.There are over 15 different vendors selling their merchandise and services. I would say that at least 80% of it is hand made by the vendors. However, the Avon store carries Avon products, jewelry, and other products that are made by Avon. She also orders some wonderful inspirational art, souvenirs and other items that are made elsewhere. But, that adds to the great variety of merchandise available.Stewart's last statement was, "This place either needs to search out some better vendors or they won't be around too long." Well, that was 2 years ago and Little Shops is still going strong. Lots of people come in for the first time and love the place and there is a lot of repeat business.Please, don't take Stewart's word for the quality Little Shops . Check them out for yourself. You will not be disappointed.

I used to live near these shops, but never found the time to go check them out until last week. I love the building, which has a mural painted on the east and north sides that advertises some of the vendors that you can find in the little tiendas. This made it easy to spot, right off of Rio Grande before you get to Indian School if you are coming from I-40. There is plenty of parking on both sides of the building, and the spaces were big enough for me to be able to park my truck comfortably. (That's a big deal to me, since I am a woman and can't really drive/park that well.) My visit was in the early afternoon on a Thursday. It was quiet, but I did see a few other customers, and had no problem getting help when I was ready to check out. The way the shop is set up is basically like an indoor flea-market. There are a block of shops in the center of the store, and shops that run all around the exterior walls. There were 2 or 3 shop-owners available, so if you find something you want to purchase from a shop without a vendor present, you can pay the building owner in the center. I think this place really has potential. It looks like almost all the spaces were filled with vendors, maybe 1 or 2 spots available to lease out of maybe 20 spots. I didn't check out all the booths, but did enjoy the ones I looked at. I saw several very reasonably priced wooden, southwestern style benches that I will have to go back and buy if I ever have some disposable income. There was a range of furniture from "maybe that should be at a garage sale" to "WOW must have, WANT, NOW!" The owner is also a seamstress, and has her sewing machine set up in the shop. Most of the clothing wasn't my style (think: typical New Mexican broom skirts, etc.), but there were some cute jeans I might buy if I ever turn country and/or can squeeze my beer-loving body into them. I guess technically I wouldn't have to wait for the latter, because she does alterations. I noticed several prom/wedding looking dresses (I'm single I can't tell the difference) that she had awaiting alterations. As for the smell mentioned by the first reviewer a few years ago, I noticed no such thing. I am NOT a cat person, and I can assure you that there is no cat smell in this place. If there were, I wouldn't have stayed long enough to be able to write this review. Overall, I think this place is worth a look. I plan on coming back every couple months to see what new treasures I might find. The location is good, too. It's a short drive from Old Town and just a hop off the freeway. It'd be a good stop on the way down Rio Grande to the plaza, and much more reasonably priced from what I saw.

Since I drive by this place every single day, in my boredom today I decided to drop in for a little look-see to find out exactly what lies inside 'Little Shops'. The building itself advertises 'Art from local artists only', crafts, souvenirs, etc. It should come as no surprise that this intrigued me. It seems like a really odd place for a store of this sort as there is really nothing else but houses around the area but I checked my judgments at the door and walked in. I was literally the only car in the large parking lot and walked in to find an even bigger ghost town. No people, very little product, and lots of dust. The setup was pretty much like any indoor flea market you've been to and it smelled eerily of cat pee, dust and stale coffee (I don't enjoy any of these smells). I slowly meandered through the mostly empty shop stalls and found really nothing of interest - there was an Avon booth I didn't even glance at, a clothing section with old ladies fashions, and a couple of garage-sale-esque plots that had junk in them (not even any staff to sell them). Only one booth had anyone in it that I could see and that was a nice lady who was selling her original artwork. It wasn't at all my cup of tea but at least she was nice and seemed to love what she was doing.I can't honestly think of a good reason why anyone would wander into this store... and based on the lack of cars I generally see in the parking lot as I pass by, I'm not the only one who feels this way. This place either needs to search out some better vendors or they won't be around too long.

Love this shop!! Wonderful local made art and wonderful seamstress, Priscilla! This is a total Go To place.

Went once a month or two ago- went into a little shop where a lady was selling avon. Loved that! Sad it's closing though.

Fun little shops within a shop. A throwback to "old Albuquerque." The place has a Mexican flair, is clean & bright with a kaleidoscope of colorful clothing, etc. the kind artists like to wear. Priscilla, the laid-back saleswoman/seamstress, loves what she does. I tested her alterations skills on a pair of pants I bought in an uptown exclusive men's shop whose tailor did a lousy job taking in my pant legs. Priscilla showed me where the men's store tailor cut corners and resolved the problem. I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with her and unequivocally recommend Priscilla her to others in need of a top-notch seamstress (and someone who is a delight to chat with).PS: Disregard the deprecating review posted back in 2013. Must have been a forlorn, lugubrious individual having a particularly sour day. who had no cat to kick.

I stopped into Little Shops today to look around - no cat pee smell here - I think the guy that wrote that needs to get his psyche tweaked. Found a great small picture for the guest bedroom and I love the selection of Southwest stuff - bought a couple small pieces for possible Christmas gifts for my out of state family. The vendors are very friendly and helpful and every time I go into the Little Shops I find a great vendor and great items to choose from.

Little Shops on Rio Grande is one of the rarest jewels for shopping. It caters to locals as well as the best prices in town for the tourists. The people that work there are extremely helpful and friendly. Easy access from freeway or straight up Indian School or right down on Rio Grande. Lots of parking and just a fun place to shop. Wish more people knew about this place, it's always good to support small local shops rather than the big box stores. Every time I am in town, I find time to stop, shop and just shoot the breeze with the owners. Keep this place in mind for Christmas gifts.