Art gallery grand opening tonight
Yazzie's moves to new location

Raymond Yazzie hangs art in his store's new location on West Coal downtown. The Yazzies have spent seven months renovating the location for Yazzie's Indian Art and will had a grand opening celebration last Saturday. [Photo by John A. Bowersmith/Independent]

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Staff Writer

GALLUP — Raymond and Colina Yazzie have come a long way since they opened their first tiny shop in Gallup.

Five locations and 12 years later, the Yazzies are inviting the public to the grand opening tonight of their Indian art business in a newly remodeled, new location.

Yazzie's Indian Art, now at 235 W. Coal, features a spacious gallery with red tile floors, vintage brick walls, a comfortable raised seating area, gleaming showcases, hand-crafted woodwork, and high quality artwork by more than 200 Native American artists.

In conjunction with the grand opening and the July Arts Crawl, the Yazzies are also hosting an art show reception from 6 to 9 p.m. tonight for more than a dozen nationally known Indian artists.

Featured artists include jewelers Steve Yellowhorse, Norbert Peshlakai, Perry Shorty, Darryl and Rebecca Begay, Vernon Haskie, Arland Ben, and Caroline Tracey; potters Steve Lucas and Harrison Begay Jr; stone sculptor Harold Davidson; painter James King; and Navajo clothing designer Mae Mallahan.

In addition, flutist Kelvin Bizahaloni will be providing live music for the reception, and Greg and Angie Shaff, authors of several Native American art books, will be signing copies of their latest book on Indian basketry.

However, the work of one prominent Navajo jeweler Raymond Yazzie will probably be missing from tonight's reception.

Yazzie, known for his high-end original jewelry creations, explained he is too busy working on a couple years' worth of special orders to create jewelry for his own gallery.</sub>Commitment to succeedIn an interview on Friday, the Yazzies talked about the growth of their art business and gallery.

The couple's first store, a small shop they established on Hill Street in 1994, had a square footage that was only a fraction of the size of their new gallery. They only had two showcases, they said, and their entire inventory was made up of only 50 pieces an inventory they could easily pack up and transport to shows.

But it was their own business, and as the store's manager, Colina wouldn't have to work for someone else anymore. She could also bring the couple's children to the shop each day, something the couple said was and still is very important to them.

A few years later, Yazzie's Indian Art became more well-known in the Gallup business community when the Yazzies moved it to a more prominent and more expensive business location on the southeast corner of Historic Route 66 and Third Street. Raymond Yazzie admitted he had his doubts about the economic risks involved in the move.

"Do you think we'll ever fill up the building?" he recalled asking Colina. "Do you think we'll make the rent?"

However, he explained, a woman soon walked into the store and purchased $3,000 worth of artwork.

"There was our answer," he said with a smile.

Although their business has grown over the years, the Yazzies admitted it has not always been easy. They struggled to keep the business going in the aftermath of the 9-11 terrorist attacks when Americans weren't traveling and the American economy was adjusting to the impact.

In addition, retail business in downtown Gallup is always slow in the winter, said Colina Yazzie, who explained that sometimes the gallery would go for days without any customers. However, she said, the couple started their business with the commitment that they would never quit.

"We had our minds made up a long time ago that we were going to make it work," she said.

When business became too slow, she explained, they would figure out a way to bring in money. Sometimes that involved traveling and exhibiting at Indian art shows, and other times it involved selling artwork to other galleries.</sub>Caring for customersThe Yazzies credit much of their success to the business lessons they learned and the contacts they made earlier in their work experience. For 15 years, Colina Yazzie worked at Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site, beginning first as a sales clerk and interpretive aide and rising to an assistant manager position. Raymond Yazzie, who has been a jeweler since he was 10-years-old and an award-winning artist since his teen years, said he learned about running a business from his former employer, Indian art trader Joe Tanner.

"I think it's mostly your customers how you take care of them," said Raymond Yazzie.

He believes Gallup gets criticized for the poor service customers sometimes experience at local businesses. In contrast, he said, employees of Yazzie's Indian Art have been taught to always treat customers well.

According to the Yazzies, part of taking care of customers involves knowing them and knowing what they want. Raymond Yazzie said that Colina is particularly good at spotting art that will interest their art collectors.

"We have collectors from all over the world that come to see us and shop," said Colina Yazzie. Many of their longtime customers have become personal friends through the years, she added.

With their latest gallery location, the Yazzies have worked to make the space feel like a beautiful and comfortable home. Raymond Yazzie, who said he spends most of his time working in his home studio, said he wanted to create a comfortable environment for his wife, children, visiting artists, and customers.

Yazzie's Indian Art is located at 235 W. Coal Ave; telephone: (505) 726-8272. Its business hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.