About the Proprietor

About the Proprietor

Thanks for stopping by! 

Being a business owner has been my dream for many years and I’m thrilled to be starting it!  I hope you find my shop as welcoming as an online gift shop can be. :-)  I know shopping online can often be impersonal so I hope by telling you a little about myself, you'll decide to come along on this wild and wonderful dream of mine!

I'm located in Southern New Mexico (yes, we're part of the United States and yes, our official state question is "Red or Green?" in reference to the chile we add to almost everything) in the small town I grew up in.  

For 12 years I was the General Manager of a gift shop located at a National Park.  During that time I also trained other General and Retail Managers across the country at various park stores.  I loved my job and a treasured task was finding new items from small businesses located around the United States.  I was proud of how we had relationships with the artists and creators of our wares and loved explaining that to visitors who came in my store.  However, toward the end of my tenure there, I saw a sadly upward trend in foreign products being sold in our national treasures’ gift stores.  It wasn't just the ones I worked at and it certainly doesn't stop there.  I've noticed that more and more, especially as I have increased the purchases I make online for my household, the country of origin is China.  If it's not Made in China, the country it's made in is rarely the United States.  From these personal observations, I decided to challenge myself to only sell Made in the USA products if I was ever so fortunate to open my own store. 

Well, my season is now and I’m excited to bring the most unique, well-crafted items made here in our beautiful United States of America to as many other proud citizens as possible! 

I’m currently bringing these amazing finds to fellow residents of Southern New Mexico by traveling to fairs, festivals, and shows in Otero, Lincoln, Dona Ana counties and beyond.  Pop-up Shops are currently being planned too.  Be sure to check out Facebook for future in-person events and the store is 

Always Open at AmericanPrideTrading.com