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Santa Fe is known for its green chile, turquoise, and bohemian art scene, but venture beyond the historic plaza (or explore the hidden gems within) and you'll find a prodigious mix of cool coffee shops, boutiques, and can't-miss shops for southwestern flair.
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Iconik
This industrial coffee shop with its cozy re-purposed furniture and high-quality organic and direct trade brews recently opened in a complex of lofts about a mile from the center of town. Iconik's beans are roasted using a rare 1927 Otto Swadlo machine that was unearthed in a warehouse in Portland, and the menu is refreshingly inventive (think strawberry goat cheese scones and spiced sausages wrapped in naan on weekends). Just get there early if you want a cookie, because they sell out fast.
1600 Lena Street
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Santa Fe Dry Goods
The curated selection of high-end women's fashion will have you browsing this shop's color-sorted racks for hours. Santa Fe Dry Goods is the only store in town to carry labels like Rick Owens, The Row, and Dries Van Noten.
53 Old Santa Fe Trail at East Palace Avenue
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Modern General
This newly opened shop near Santa Fe's restored rail yard neighborhood was designed, as the name suggests, to be a modern take on the traditional general store. Stop in for home items like wrenches and cast irons, bulk grains from the counter near the front, or grab a cherry almond smoothie and a Czech kolache from the juice bar in the back.
637 Cerrillos Road at Don Cubero Alley
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Tune Up Cafe
Locals refer to this tiny, cheerfully painted cafe as the place where you feel like you're eating at home without the cooking or the dishes. Serving a comfort food fusion of El Salvadorian and New Mexican fare, it's the perfect spot for a big family breakfast, weekend brunch, or cozy late-night dinner.
1115 Hickox Street between Salazar and Cortez Street
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Collected Works
Mother-daughter owned Collected Works is far and away the town's best independent bookstore. Grab a cup of coffee at the shop's cafe and browse over 30,000 titles that include everything from southwestern history to the latest Dan Brown novel.
202 Galisteo Street at West Water Street
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Kowboyz
From goat skin leather to alligator skin, Kowboyz stocks an overwhelming selection of vintage cowboy boots at surprisingly reasonable prices. Owner Brad Hammond has outfitted everyone from movie stars (think Brad Pitt and Reese Witherspoon) to Texas tourists from the store's 5,000 plus pairs of vintage boots. If you're on the hunt for rare hand-touched leather, this is the place to go.
345 West Manhattan Avenue at South Guadalupe Street
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Jackalope
Few visitors to Santa Fe ever venture beyond the historic plaza, which is fine except that it means missing out on Jackalope. The sprawling complex, founded in 1976 by a world traveling entrepreneur named Darby McQuade, is loosely divided into furniture, pottery, garden decor, folk art, and rugs—but that's only a small sampling of the things you can find.
2820 Cerrillos Road at Clark Road
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Double Take
If you're looking for bolo ties, boots, or gaudy opera dresses, Double Take, New Mexico's largest consignment store, is the place. The vintage shop is well stocked, whether your searching for your next Halloween costume or just on the hunt for cool leather goods.
321 Guadalupe Street at Aztec Street
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Ten Thousand Waves
A Japanese ryokan may seem out of place in the high alpine desert, but somehow Ten Thousand Waves makes it work. This luxury spa, tucked into sage and pinon stands in the foothills just outside of town, offers massage treatments (a Thai massage from Jane will change your life) plus soaks in the communal or private tubs. Its restaurant and 12 zen-like guest rooms mean you can wholly disappear at this hybrid resort.
3451 Hyde Park Road at Ski Basin Road
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Fire and Hops
If you're craving a temporary reprieve from the margaritas and chile that monopolize the Santa Fe restaurant scene, head to this little gastropub. The seasonally changing beers are the indisputable centerpiece, but the fried brussels sprouts are a dazzling understudy.
222 North Guadalupe Street at Mckenzie Street