House of the Shalako evolved from our wholesale business which we began in 1973. After pondering a name for several months, we selected House of the Shalako because initially most of our buying was done at Zuni Pueblo. The Shalako ceremony is the most important Zuni event which occurs each year in early December to bless six new homes.

On March 1, 1976 we celebrated our grand opening with Aretha Franklin performing upstairs in the bank lobby! At that time we offered mainly jewelry and a few sandpaintings. Our first five Hopi pots sold immediately to a lawyer; our first kachinas weren't on bases and couldn't even stand alone. We say we are the “American Dream” — after investing a lot of long hours, we have one of the most successful and friendly Native American galleries in New Mexico.

In the late 70s a gentleman named J.R. began a small adjunct to the UNM’s Maxwell Museum of Anthropology near us in the Galeria. He would often stop and share his knowledge which has led us to become educators in our own store. In the early 80s we purchased a collection of a dozen Maria pots. At that time, we became involved with Richard Spivey. When Richard decided to leave this area, Garry became a “pottery trader”. Over the years his careful buying has consistently provided us with wonderful museum-quality merchandise.

Visiting our store is sometimes viewed as a quest. We are not in Old Town, but instead are located next to the Convention Center in the heart of Downtown Albuquerque. We’re directly in front of the tallest building in Albuquerque which includes The Hyatt Regency Hotel.

During your visit we’re happy to validate for free parking directly across Second Street or in the city’s underground parking at Third and Tijeras which is connected directly to the Galeria via a tunnel.

See you soon!
Garry and Sue Zens, Proprietors

Read about our very reasonable store policies.

Serving Collectors since 1976 The goal of House of the Shalako has always been to offer high-quality merchandise for the best price. We're often told that we look more like a museum than a store! Similar to a good museum, we take our educational mission seriously and like to discuss our inventory, the artists and Native American artwork in general. Because we're somewhat off the beaten path in the Lower Level of Downtown Albuquerque's First Plaza Galeria, we price our inventory very competitively.