Photos by C. Whitney-Ward
Randy Rodriguez is a storyteller, and every object in his twenty-two year old Rio BravoTrading Company has a story; if not the story of the artist/craftsman who made it, then the story of how Randy acquired it. And one of his favorite stories is how he came to know that his life would be shaped by cowboys & indians.
"One day in school our teacher asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up," remembers Randy. "The son of a carpenter said he wanted to be a carpenter. The son of a lawyer said he wanted to be a lawyer. I said that I really didn't care as long as it had something to do with cowboys & indians."
And anyone who walks into Rio Bravo – filled to the brim with everything cowboy & Indian - is the beneficiary of Randy’s passion. There are vintage Navajo rugs, heaps of cowboy hats (Ralph Lauren owns one and Randy blocks hats for film industry folks), nifty spurs and belt buckles, sensational jewelry, paintings, handmade boots, saddles, and my personal favorite, chaps - handsome tooled leather chaps that would make you run out and buy a magnificent horse so that you could both strut your stuff.
Legendary Leather Artist - Buddie Foster, Decatur, TX
(ask Randy about him)
Bucking Horse - Dallas Scribner, Oklahoma
The next generation of leather artists.
Everything in the photo above circa 1890's
Circa 1910 Crystal Navajo rug
And amazing painted chaps by Santa Fe Artist, Roseta Santiago
So if you want to walk into a store that is authentic, fabulously interesting and be greeted by a very happy man, Rio Bravo Trading Company awaits.
RIO BRAVO TRADING CO.
411 So. Guadalupe St.
505.982.0230
