My last stop is at the Inscription Rock Trading & Coffee Co. where I sit at the cozy bar and chat with its owners, Jonathan and Pam Pickens.  As I had learned that the Old School Gallery across the street is so much more than a gallery, I learned that this gift shop is so much more than a gift shop.  Inside the shop they have a small café that serves everything from cappuccinos to pastries, but then outside they have a stage and patio for outdoor performances.  I was blown away that a community of this size had a music venue!  Jonathan, a musician himself, moved from Nashville Tennessee back in 2001 to the El Morro Valley with his family.

While in Tennessee, Pam ran a similar shop and sold native gifts.  As her and Jonathan traveled back and forth across the country to get more supplies for their shop they fell in love with New Mexico and decided to relocate.  Today, many of the gifts and crafts come from the local Zuni and Navajo tribes, the Cherokees in North Carolina, and from indigenous nonprofits from around the world.

Jonathan, who is also an elementary special education teacher, tells me that they’ve had 6 shows so far at their new venue and attract people from as far as Albuquerque, Gallup, Grants, Zuni and Santa Fe.  The stage has the most beautiful backdrop with a mesa and rock cliffs, which has become the inspiration of the title of their performances “Music Beneath the Mesa.”

When I asked them about what challenges they feel entrepreneurs have in the area, several things came to mind.  Jonathan comments, “Getting supplies, even groceries, is in excess on 65 miles away, so that takes precious time out of the week.  Additionally, financing is difficult for small businesses and finding start up money.”  Pam adds, “There is the responsibility that you feel towards the community.  When you’re buying from one another it’s so much more than just a transaction, as you know that the people you’re buying from truly depend on you.”

As I wrap up my visits in El Morro, I can’t help to think how welcoming everyone has been.  This is a community that truly understands relationships and the importance of cooperation and collaboration, and they all have a vision to build the community in a sustainable and entrepreneurial way.

And, listen to a sample of Jonathan’s music by clicking on Drop In The Bucket.

As I continue to venture around New Mexico taking in the sights, food and culture, I head southwest of Grants down the Ancient Way Arts Trail towards the El Morro Valley.  Along the way I pass the El Malpais National Monument and the Ice Caves, go up and over the continental divide, and arrive in El Morro.  Once here, I find the brightly painted Old School Gallery and a feed store on one side of the road and the Inscription Rock Trading and Coffee Co., the Ancient Way Café and a campground on the other side.   And practically in their backyard is the El Morro National Monument.

This is an area with truly extraordinary geographic and cultural significance.  El Malpais National Monument displays a landscape of lava flows, mountain ranges, and mesas, while providing much evidence of American Indian history.  Today, Indian groups including the Puebloan peoples of Acoma, Laguna, and Zuni, and Ramah Navajo, make their homes here and continue their traditional uses.  And, its neighboring National Monument, El Morro, is home to many ancient carvings and writings alongside sandstone cliffs.

My visit was filled with meeting practically the entire community and lots of food!  I had the opportunity to talk to Paula Tripodi, the executive director of the Old School Gallery, Maqui, the chef and general manager at the Ancient Way Café, Jonathan and Pam Pickens, owners of the Inscription Rock Trading and Coffee Co, and many more who were interested in learning about what I was doing.

This is a community that is using cultural entrepreneurship to come up with ways to attract more people to the area in hopes of building their community.  They truly depend on one another and wear many hats in order to survive.  In the coming weeks, you’ll learn more about the individuals I met and how they are using cultural entrepreneurship as the foundation to build their community and economy on.