EP2007 - Shopping the Borderland

In this hub of cultural diversity, shopping is a fascinating adventure. For centuries commerce has flourished in the area, flowing back and forth across the border. With the opportunity to shop in two countries and three states within a few miles, the world’s most diverse shopping is right here. From quaint shops to open-air markets to convenient malls, shopping in El Paso, Juárez and Southern New Mexico is an unforgettable experience.

In El Paso, hundreds of stores from specialty boutiques and gift shops to well-known national department stores display everything imaginable. The volume of fashion stores makes it a buyer’s dream, with competitive prices on luxury items and famous labels. Gorgeous handcrafted furniture in a rainbow of colors and a variety of styles including Mexican, ranch, Southwest and rustic is readily available.

The West Texas ranching tradition has nurtured a love affair with cowboy boots for decades, while producing a ready supply of leather with which to make them. Western boots are manufactured and sold here, and famous-name bootmakers have factory outlet centers with discounted selections available from many other companies.

Gift shops throughout the region carry items expertly crafted by Native Americans. You’ll find kachinas, pottery, dream catchers, Navajo blankets, and jewelry made of silver, feather and turquoise. Mexican and Southwestern art and antiques fill shops all over El Paso. The selection is incredible and the clerks, who are typically bilingual, are knowledgeable about their goods.

Northern Mexico, like West Texas, is ranch country. In Cuidad Juárez you’ll find leather goods such as handbags, golf bags, attaché cases, boots and belts tooled in intricate designs. Colorful serapes and blankets are abundant. Cotton goods, shirts, dresses, blouses and skirts are often embellished with traditional Mexican embroidery.

To see a great variety of goods in one place, visit the two-story Mercado, the old city market, on Avenida 16 de Septiembre. Open from sunrise to sunset, hundreds of tiny stalls fill the building selling inexpensive toys, chess sets and folk art, all crafted by hand, plus shawls, macramé, copperware, tin picture frames, ceramics, carved wood furniture and hand-blown glassware.

Across the Santa Fe Bridge, you can visit the many shops on Avenida Juárez. Another nearby shopping center is the government-owned Centro Artesanal-Fonart. Pueblito Mexicano on Avenida Lincoln is a replica of a 19th-century colonial Mexican village that showcases silversmiths, weavers and other artisans crafting their wares.

Highway 28 leading to Old Mesilla, New Mexico is a pleasant drive up from El Paso. On the historic Mesilla plaza, exquisite shops housed in adobe buildings dating from the 1860s offer Southwestern art and jewelry crafted by local artisans. The area features a shoppers paradise, with excellent dining as well.

In Las Cruces, New Mexico you’ll discover great galleries and specialty shops in the downtown area, as well as larger stores throughout the city. If you’re looking for antiques and collectibles, plan your itinerary to hunt for treasures along West Picacho Avenue.