Celebrating 50 Years
This year, Garland’s is celebrating 50 years as a family-run business! When we look back at faded Polaroids of our gallery from the early days, we see how much has changed since the era of analogue technology, orange carpet, and 1970s style, but we also see how much has remained the same: personal relationships and the beauty of handmade art as the heart of the business. In honor of this milestone, we wanted to share a bit of our story.
Garland’s Navajo Rugs: The Beginning Years
Garland’s Navajo Rugs opened in 1976, in Sedona, Arizona. Our gallery was founded by Bill and Georgiana Garland, along with their son and daughter-in-law, Dan and Tricia Garland. Our family’s deep roots in Arizona - including Georgie’s father who worked for the Red Lake Trading Post in the 1920s - meant that Southwestern Native American art was already familiar and cherished. Bill was drawn to the uniqueness of Navajo (Diné) weaving in particular, believing it to be an art form a machine could never replicate. While Native American jewelry surged in popularity in the 1970s and thus was the focus of nearby trading posts, Bill instead envisioned a store specializing in a wide selection of Navajo rugs.
Construction began on the red rock building in 1975. Bill designed a structure reminiscent of a traditional trading post that blended in with its high desert surroundings, complete with Sedona red rocks, thick wooden beams, and even hitching posts for horses. He drove up to Taos, New Mexico in his pickup truck and purchased hand-carved wooden posts from Native artisans of Taos Pueblo that still hold up the front porch of the Garland Building today.
As the building took shape, Bill and Dan set out to gather the inventory. “In the beginning, there were no weavers coming into the store, so some of the best memories that my dad and I had were of our trips to the Navajo Reservation,” Dan recalled. “We spent time going into trading posts and buying rugs, learning about them and trying to get a feel for which rugs came from where, and comparing values. Of course, we wanted to buy directly from the weavers, but first we had to discover which rugs were made in what parts of the reservation and what their comparable values were.”
After visiting trading posts and deepening their knowledge of Navajo weaving, the foundation for the business was gradually set. It wasn’t long before weavers began walking into the store with rugs they had woven. The increased use of pickup trucks on the Navajo Nation had created new opportunities for weavers to drive to nearby larger towns and seek out good cash prices, rather than solely relying on the nearby trading post as had been done for many years.
“We would treat them fairly and give them cash prices rather than trade goods,” said Dan. “We tried to give the weavers a price more than what the trading post would give them, and they appreciated that and kept coming.” As word spread on Garland’s reputation for fair and generous dealings, an increasing number of artists were drawn to the Sedona gallery.
To this day, it remains a highlight to see weavers bring in new rugs. Steve Mattoon, who joined Garland’s Rugs in 1981, shared, “One of my favorite parts of working with the weavers has always been seeing them come in with a new rug. It’s always great to see a weaver that I have known for years and fun to see the new weaving they just completed. We get to catch up on what they have been doing, talk about any future projects and of course, buy the rug. It’s such a positive interaction.”
Initially, most Navajo weavers who came in did not speak English. At that time, it was typical that Navajo individuals over 40 years of age or so exclusively spoke Diné bizaad (Navajo language), while those younger than 40 usually had learned English in school. Bill, Georgie, Dan, and Tricia took evening classes at Northern Arizona University to learn the Navajo language from a teacher named Danny Blackgoat. They learned numbers and phrases for basic conversation and purchasing - language that Dan still uses today with some weavers.
Steve reflected on this unique cultural exchange. “One thing that stands out to me when I think about the early days is how many weavers we were meeting for the first time and how many of the weavers were older, very traditional Navajo women. They didn’t speak English, wore traditional clothing and had spent their whole life herding sheep, chopping wood, hauling water, taking care of the family and weaving rugs. It really was like the pickup truck that brought them down was a time machine that transported them from 19th century Tolani Lake to 20th century Sedona. I felt that we were in such a unique situation to be able to interact with the Navajo people, learn about their culture, appreciate their rug weaving expertise, gain their trust and form relationships that in some cases have lasted for 50 years.” 
The support for artists quickly went beyond the art as well. “We just became further connected with families, so as things went along if the grandfather passed away, they would call us and we would send them money to help pay for the funeral. We really became part of the families and that has been a beautiful part of it,” said Dan.
This mutual respect and support became a foundation to the business. “One of the things that impressed me from the very start was the relationship with the weavers,” said Steve, photographed on the right with weaver, Betty Ann Nez and husband, Junior. “It wasn't just a commercial relationship - it went deeper than that, and I could see it really was something special."
The approach to directly supporting Native American artists would blossom into relationships with multiple generations of artists for the next 50 years. As relationships grew, so did the inventory. We soon incorporated other handmade Native art forms to the gallery, including pottery, baskets, and Hopi Kachinas. Each art form opened up a rich world of tradition, meaning, and connections with artists. Weavings still remained a central focus, and by the 1990s, Garland’s showcased over 5,000 unique Navajo rugs, representing the largest selection in the world.
Garland’s Jewelry
In 1985, Bill Garland built another gallery on a historic piece of land called Indian Gardens in nearby Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona that would focus on Native American jewelry. The gallery cultivated an impressive collection of jewelry from artists across the Four Corners region. Bill managed the jewelry store until the mid-1990s, when his daughter Susan Garland and son-in-law Alan Grodzinsky took over. In 2007, the jewelry store passed family hands again, and the jewelry and rug store joined together under one ownership with Dan and Tricia.
“Even though I had appreciated this jewelry for many years, once we became involved in the jewelry store it was really special to get to know the jewelry artists personally and learn their creative process. I had no idea the level of intricate work each jewelry piece requires. It deepened my appreciation for handmade art,” Tricia reflected.
“Also, I’m a people person,” continued Tricia, “so I just love getting to know these wonderful artists and their families. I love hearing their stories, histories, and diverse traditions.” We enjoy bringing those stories to our customers in return. Education is a central tenet of what we do, though often this art speaks directly to someone on its own. There’s nothing quite like witnessing a customer fall in love with a piece of art for their home or a bracelet that fits just right.
Since 2004, three of Dan and Tricia’s children - Daniel, Michael, and Brenna - have developed the online gallery. Even their grandson has recently lent a helping hand, marking five generations of Garlands working with Native American art. By 2018, the inventory of both stores was combined under one website and our online gallery has become a presence of its own. As e-commerce continues to grow, we’ve had the pleasure to reach new customers across the world and share a piece of the Southwest with them.
Thank you!
While we've grown over the 50 years, much of what makes Garland's a special place has stayed the same. Our artists still visit from across the Southwest on a daily basis, bringing with them their latest creations. We’ve had the honor to represent thousands of artists, including some of the most renowned jewelers, weavers, carvers, and potters. Along the way, longtime staff at Garland’s, colleagues in the field, and customers near and far have become dear friends and integral threads to our story. 
The Indigenous history in our country is undoubtedly complex. We believe that one small role we play in the unfolding story is directly supporting the rich traditions and beautiful craftsmanship to ensure the continued vitality of Native American art. As Native peoples were the original stewards of this land, we extend the notion of stewardship to these pieces of art. Whether antique or contemporary, hand-woven or hand-forged, each piece tells a story, and each customer becomes the next steward of its beauty. As the piece is shared and its story is passed on, something meaningful is spread. In a world that’s moving fast and can sometimes feel further removed from what’s human, perhaps handmade art brings us back to that which is essentially human. We’re grateful to be a part of that.
Thank you to our customers and artists for a wonderful 50 years!
A look back at the early years...
