Last week, I told you about Mancos School of the West and the homeless artists looking for a nice large studio to house them all. I hope you didn’t think of the poor artists sitting around with paint drying in the tubes and spiders making webs on the canvas, because nothing could be further from the truth.
They all teach classes in their own studio, the Mt. Lookout Grange, the Mancos Public Library and even outside – weather permitting. Please go online and google schooloftheWest.com. They’re all listed with everything you need to know. Who knows, maybe next year I’ll be telling you how to get to their new studio.
Good news from the Mancos Valley Chamber of Commerce: The Visitor Center will be open from 10-6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday evening, thanks to a group of enthusiastic volunteers. The tourists will be pleased, and now you can bring your kids to see the forest animals and books and visit the monthly art show.
The Bounty Hunter is located on Grand Avenue, about the middle of the block, and has a large supply of tailoring and sewing equipment for sale. Do stop in and look for the leather tailoring machine, leather, display cases, cutting boards, clothing racks, and even a bright shiny silver mannikin for sale. This is the telephone number to call if the store is not open: 970-946-9774. Anne also has a large supply of fabric, including silks, leather, fine hides, lamb and cowhides.
The Bauer Bank building on the corner of Grand Avenue and Main Street is the oldest, biggest and classiest buildings in town. George Bauer, a Prussian stonemason, designed and built the building in 1905. It served as a bank for 10 years, with offices upstairs and a pool hall in the basement. It has a long history of housing many types of stores, even apartments, but stood empty and discarded for years until Charlie Mitchell, then owner of the Western Excelsior Plant, purchased it in 1994 and refurbished it as it is now. It houses a group of artists and is called the Artisans of Mancos, who make a large assortment of goods, including saddles, fine art, wooden tops and jewelry boxes. The basement is being worked on, and many hope to see a pool hall and bar return, but that may be just wishful thinking. Next week, we will go inside and meet some of the artists who work there. Until then, enjoy the beginning of spring and meet me for coffee at the Bakery, Monday, Tuesday or Wednesdays at 9 a.m.
