by Maria DeBlassie
Daily Lobo
Chachi Redondo is fairy godmother to shopping divas and stray dogs.
Her store, Now and Then, unites both her passions - collecting vintage clothing and helping orphaned animals.
The store sells everything from records and pulp books to vintage clothing, jewelry and shoes, Redondo said.
"I'm a thrift-store junkie," she said.
The shop also features a mini spa that includes massages, body waxing, facials, astrological readings and Reiki, a form of hands-on chi healing, she said.
Redondo said her goal is to eventually be able to donate 20 percent of her profits to animal rescue groups like Alliance for Albuquerque Animals.
Redondo said her desire to help stray animals came from partaking in several emotional rescues. She said nationwide, one in every nine orphaned animals find a home, whereas in New Mexico, it's one in every 40 or 50. Part of her mission is to educate people in preventing this by neutering or spaying their own pets and by adopting animals without homes, she said.
She likes to call her store "clothing with a conscience," and she encourages people to have fun shopping while knowing some of the money they spend there will be donated a worthy cause, she said.
All clothes are freshly laundered and in great condition, she said, with great prices to match. One of her favorite items is her vintage T-shirts. She said customers get 15 percent off their total purchase if they donate glad rags from their closets.
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Redondo said she sells records and books too, with reads for 75 cents and all records sold for 20 percent under their market value, Redondo said. She also sells art done by local artists.
Alia Berry has been coming to this store for two months, she said. What keeps her coming is the down-to-earth owner and the great selection, she said.
"I come in here and get my ego boost," Berry said.
Her favorite purchase, she said, was a floor-length, sheer pink vintage lingerie piece.
"I love making pretty girls feel prettier," Redondo said. "I love it when a girl comes in and loves what she got so much she has to wear it out."
But guys are welcome too, Redondo said.
Customer Mark Amezquita said what he likes most about the shop is Redondo.
"She's warm and endearing," he said.
Amezquita said his favorite items are the T-shirts and vintage luggage.
"The prices are great," Amezquita said. "I think people should pay more."
It was UNM sophomore Lexie Vigil's first time in the shop and she said she wants to come back.
"I love vintage baseball shirts," she said. "And I found one here."
Redondo said she moved to New Mexico from Los Angeles and hasn't been happier. She said she has a great lifestyle here and can do so many things that she couldn't do in L.A.
"New Mexico is the last great frontier," she said. "I see New Mexico as a huge opportunity to have freedom and do what you want to do."
