Running a retail store isn’t anything new to Tess Coats.
She has, after all, been working in retail for the majority of her career while also founding popular local stores like Spur Line Supply Co. and the Spectacle Caravan.
So, once Coats left her position at Spur Line in early 2020, it seemed like a logical step to open another retail store.
Located in Albuquerque’s Old Town in Plaza Don Luis at 303 Romero NW, Luna and Luz opened in the fall.
Much like Coats’ previous concepts, Luna and Luz focuses on providing customers with items ranging from small-batch printed cards to jewelry to beauty products made with New Mexican ingredients.
“My main focus, which has continued through now, is really emphasizing … a well-curated collection of local and regional goods,” Coats said. “… The concept and the idea is always to kind of create this more elevated experience and a more elevated curation in terms of the product selection.”
Many of the brands carried at Coats’ former projects, like Power & Light Press, Dryland Wilds and Hanselmann Pottery, have also found a home at her new store.
Her decision to continue carrying those brands is a result of the yearslong relationship-building effort Coats said she undertook when she first ventured onto Albuquerque’s retail scene as a small business owner.
Coats said as a business owner she has had the ability to form lasting friendships with some owners of the brands she carries and opening Luna and Luz has allowed her to re-prioritize those relationships.
As one of the newer Old Town shops, Coats said she is excited to be a part of a change in the neighborhood by offering a store that also appeals to locals and doesn’t have to be a once-a-year destination.
“Tourists are here, they’re in Old Town. That’s the beauty of it, right?” Coats said. “But the work is in getting the locals here, the work is in getting the locals to know that there is something constantly here.”
Named after her daughters’ middle names, Luna and Luz is also a family effort — Coats and her partner, Ben, are the store’s only employees, though Coats said her daughters often have a say in shop’s decisions.
“It was important after leaving Spur Line to kind of go back to like remembering what’s most important, which is your family and your home base,” Coats said.
Luna and Luz is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
For more information, visit lunaandluz.com.
