La Local Loca

I’ve had my issues with the holiday season over the years. When I was a kid, Christmas/​Hanukkah (we combined them) was the best night of the year, on mom’s side of the family. Every single person gave every single person a present, everyone except the kids, of course. And then I grew up and went to college and realized I was suddenly responsible for the same gamut, which wasn’t the way I intended to spend my student loans. I remember my first year in Albuquerque, trudging through Old Town in mid-​December, buying gifts for every single person, and I ended up with a smattering of New Mexico-​centric kitschy garbage (Route 66 signs, bottles of hot sauce, chile ornaments) that everybody pretended to appreciate, but I’m sure they didn’t. It was costly and stupid and the next year I decided to drop that cash on local charities in every single person’s name. Bah humbug on them.
Slowly, really incrementally, Old Town is becoming a better place to shop local, and it starts with off-​the-​beaten-​path places like La Local Loca. Jennifer, a local, is an artist and her business reflects what inspires her vision. Yeah, you can buy her very reasonably priced work, and you can buy reasonably priced jewelry, beauty products, clothing accessories, art that you can wear and eat and feel good about from plenty of other local artists. Oh, and she’s one of those people who rescues dogs, the last time I visited there was an incredibly sweet little dude sniffing at my shoe.
I would have easily spent a quarter of my tuition supporting a business like this, back in the day, and I highly recommend a visit. Like I said, it’s a little tough to unearth, it’s in a corner of a business complex off Romero near the plaza, first floor to the north. But that’s also what makes it special; it’s a diamond in the rough, unique as you’ll find in this neighborhood. Here’s hoping you do a better job at the ol’ consumer cancer we call the holiday season than I did.