He Has Quietly Transformed Retail Shopping

Santa Fe, New Mexico: Founder Darby McQuade is not the typical shop keeper -- with an MBA, Wall Street background, and Harley Davidson affections -- he escaped the fast lanes to understand  the real meaning and value of life. The name of his store captures a vision where the art, poetry and myths of the old West can be rediscovered within the mundane.  He'd like people to discover beauty in unexpected ways and with unpredictable places.

So, he take a little bit of mystery, adds fantasy, mixes one part entertainment with demonstrations of the arts in progress, then he adds great food, decorative arts for the home, a little zoo on the side, and space to wander and fantasize about the meaning and value of life.  You have come to Jackalope. It is a new kind of retail. Part bazaar, a little bizarre, yet always business as art. You have to experience it to believe it and there is no better place than Santa Fe.

Right at the outset, you'll see his dog because he thinks you shouldn't work where you can't take your dog. His joy of life and his worldview are filtered and nurtured by The Santa Fe Institute. Darby has taken their chaos theory and lifted it up into his merchandising and management.

He is somewhat symbolic of the kind of place that Santa Fe is. You can find the world in this quiet city (and state capital) of 65,000 people. And so much of it is within Darby's four acre compound. Folk art, pottery, weavings, and furniture come from Africa, Bali, Central and South America, China, Egypt, India, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Come meet this soft-spoken gentleman, a free spirit who dreams dreams. Meet Darby McQuade.