Hiawatha Trading dba Thunderbird Mountain Trading Co. — Attraction in Crescent City

6/11/13

CAPTAIN SHON'S RED AMAZON SAUCE (HOT)

I love love love hot sauce. I found a way to incorporate it at our wedding. I brought home over 15 bottles from Costa Rica last summer (and I have only one left now.) And whenever I'm on the road, I try to find something new to try. So I was as happy as an habanero when we walked into this store and found a wall of hot sauce.

I'll first say that we walked around the store and it was pretty big. There's jewelry, furs and soft blankies. Leg warmers, fuzzy hats and mittens. Beef jerky and salmon jerky (free sample of beef upon request). And there's a shelving area full of different hot sauces. From mild on up.

I'm halfway through my 5.6 fl oz. bottle of the red "hot" and we were only there two weeks ago! It's really warm, but not overwhelmingly hot. Great flavor! The woman and man working told us about their products and the countries and people they get them from; mostly handmade items. Apparently the sauce is the guy's recipe we spoke to, and is created and distributed through a company in Columbia.

I need to take my hot sauce home with me and put it in a Bloody Mary. It'd be perfect! Picante tears will stain my face when this...

Staff seemed extremely attentive and helpful until we (my wife and I) approached the jewelry case and wanted to look at the loose gemstones & turquoise. We were looking to buy several pieces for me to incorporate into my jewelry designs for my new business. The woman behind the counter was immediately rude and after mentioning that they were about to close the shop for an hour for lunch, we hurriedly tried to figure out which pieces we wanted. She had a palpable air of condescension as she reluctantly answered a couple of questions about the gems' place of origin and rudely told us the cost per carate of the stones we were interested in, that they were "real gemstone quality" and strongly suggested that they were too expensive for us. She went into great detail about several items next to the ones we were looking at that were not for sale and when we asked again if she would show us the stones, she hesitated and finally said "I'd rather not" and "taking the tray out would take a long time" and "maybe next time." I have never before been bluntly refused service. We left mystified by what her rationale could have been... my guess, unabashed discrimination. Absolutely appalling...

We almost missed this place! After visiting a good amount of gift shops up and down 101, from Crescent City to Wilits, and being disapointed that it was all made in china, we came across This little treasure! The staff was amazing! The owners super helpful and their items are authentic and not priced too high as you would expect. As an jewelry artist myself I can appreciate the hard labor and time it takes to make each piece, the knowledge the owner and staff here have of their items is extensive and what seams to be neverending! I love that they have a website as well. My boyfriend was looking for a small dreamcatcher for his sister and we had stopped at what seams like every shop along 101 and could not find the right one not made in china. Well here they had what seamed like hundreds of dreamcatchers made by real Tribes! I think it took 4 or 5 "this one is it" before he made the purchase. We found the rest of our gifts here! I can really appreciate a storeowner and staff that has the knowlede and shares it with passion in their voice! I would recomend this place to anyone looking for...