Independents

The Pepper Tree
402 Crampton Ave. 324-4677

Dear Dave,
Actually, they are all out of insanity sauce here, but they can order some if you can just hang in there. It is still the best place to find a bunch of great Southwest gifts. This place is nothing like those tired, dusty, generic four-corners gift shops. Your aunt from New York would be disappointed though, because they don’t seem to have the regular stuff. I looked in vain for a kokopelli or a howling coyote with bandana and couldn’t find one. Maybe they were hiding. The Tree is more than just a locally owned gift shop; some of the merchandise is made by Reno residents, too. In the basement is a sort of thrift exchange, where needy families can exchange, not purchase, needed items. And owner Rose Ann Capriotti works with youth volunteers in an effort to provide them with alternatives to hanging out with gangs. If you get there at the right time, you can breath deeply of fresh, invigorating, clouds of herbal aromatherapy stuff. Big clouds.

Friends forever,

Wendy