The new Hearts and Legends store in the renovated buildings on Gregory Street in Black Hawk, across from JKQ Barbecue, hosted a grand opening on July 1, 2023.
Owned by Valerie and Omar Garcia, the store has western apparel, jeans, western shirts for men and women, hand-beaded hat bands, totes, purses, small clutch bags, and home decor. It also features celebrity pictures for sale.
They have a full collection of Western boots and hats and handmade candles. They have lots of Southwest jewelry, Southwest sweaters and pullovers and leggings, purses, vintage Black Hawk greeting cards (as well as those from many places around Colorado), and vintage coins, including brothel tokens. The jewelry is homemade. They also have salsa and pasta.
At Hearts and Legends you will find rare, real snake bone necklaces and bracelets.
Garcia said he has attended powwows for 17 years in Colorado. For those who may not know, a powwow is a Native American gathering featuring dance, drumming, and singing. Vendors sell their crafts. He participates in powwows as a vendor. He fell in love with the Southwestern culture, he states.
Valerie Garcia added that powwows are intra-tribal, with a variety of tribes taking part. The couple attends a powwow every year at the Denver Coliseum.
Valerie grew up in Thornton and graduated from high school there. She went to work for AT&T and has worked there for 37 years. Omar grew up in San Fernando, California, and then moved to Colorado. He has worked at AT&T for 35 years. Omar is also a silversmith. He makes his own jewelry and has taught silversmithing at Baker Community Center in Denver.
The Garcias are partnering with Hawley Mercantile in Century City. After working there for a while they decided to branch out, so they opened their new store with a Southwestern theme.
Hearts and Legends’ address is 221 Gregory Street, Unit A, in Black Hawk. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Their Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/ profile.php?id=100092383011112. You can reach them by email at heartsandlegends@yahoo.com
