About Us-
Painted Desert Trading Co. was established by Mark and Janet Shipley in 1993 in Cameron, Arizona on the Navajo reservation, after several years managing Tuba Trading Post in Tuba City, Arizona for Babbitt Brothers Trading Co. . The store in Cameron is located at 465 Hwy 89, at the junction of US Hwy 89 and AZ 64. The company began as a bead and craft supply, servicing Navajo craftspeople and roadside vendors. In 1995, the business was expanded and a retail gallery and gift shop was added.
In 1998 the Shipleys opened a second store in downtown Flagstaff on the corner of San Francisco St. and Route 66. The store carries an extensive jewelry selection representing work by Navajo, Hopi, Zuni and Santo Domingo jewelers. Contemporary and Traditional (old style) Hopi kachinas are a specialty, along with pottery by Navajo, Hopi, Pueblo and Mata Ortiz artists. Several hundred Zuni fetishes are always on hand. The store is known for its knowledgeable staff and extensive collection of reference works. Painted Desert Trading Co. was voted ‘Best Native American Gallery’ in Flagstaff by the readers of the Arizona Daily Sun every year from 2004 - 2008
