Red Arrow Emporium, Inc. — Local services in Taos

I can't say much about the quality of the furniture because I spent less than 10 minutes in the store on a past visit to Taos. I went to the store because it was recommended by someone as a place I might like since I'm replacing some furniture in my house. I decided to furniture shop elsewhere after I witnessed an older woman who was working in the store, verbally humiliating a customer. I didn't know what was going on, but heard a loud female voice coming from the middle part of the store. I made my way toward the loud voice and witnessed a customer who had a small purse that you can wear on your shoulder or on your back. I have an almost identical purse and it is a purse and not a backpack, even though it can be worn on your back. She had it on her back. It was very small, basically flat against her back and not even as remotely intrusive as a backpack might have been. And much less capable of knocking over merchandise than a purse swinging at her side would have been. The employee (I heard from a Taos local at a nearby restaurant that she was probably one of the owners) was totally out of line in her approach with the customer. She was condescending and unnecessarily rude. She said that backpacks only serve a purpose for thieves and for knocking over expensive merchandise. She loudly mentioned, for everyone to hear, instead of simply talking to the customer, that "another stupid person who can't read" was wearing a backpack in the store. A younger employee asked if maybe the sign has fallen off the front door. The older woman said " No, it didn't fall off. People are just stupid and don't read. Or either don't care about other people's rules." The woman wearing the purse that was not a backpack was so embarrassed. She apologized and said she didn't realize the purse qualified as an actual backpack. The older employee made the ugliest face at her and said "Yeah, whatever you say." The customer left, in tears I might add, and I followed. Yes, the store has a sign on the front door that says "no backpacks allowed" and it's their right to enforce that policy. But even if this woman had been wearing a backpack, which she wasn't, there are about 100 better ways to deal with it than the way this employee did. I felt uncomfortable and embarrassed myself and I wasn't even the target of this employee's verbal condensation. You just don't treat people the way she did, period. Maybe she was having a really bad day and didn't mean to take it out on the poor, humiliated woman who honestly and legitimately didn't think her purse was a backpack. And also didn't mean to make other customers in her store feel uncomfortable and unwelcomed, as well. I'll give her that. Because we all have bad days. But I still bought my furniture elsewhere. Because that was the most unpleasant, uncomfortable ten minutes I've ever spent in just...

On 9/14/21, I pulled into the loading zone of the gravel parking area shared by Red Arrow Emporium and two neighboring businesses. I then stepped out to load my waiting disabled passenger. A young man driving a Red Arrow Emporium delivery truck jumped out and aggressively bellowed at me, "IT'S A LOADING ZONE! THE SIGN SAYS IT'S A LOADING ZONE! IT'S A LOADING ZONE!" I said that I was there to pick up someone who couldn't walk. He interrupted, furiously yelling "IT'S A LOADING ZONE! I WAS JUST PULLING IN THERE! IT'S A LOADING ZONE!" as if I, a 68 year-old man, had posed a threat by purposely trying to steal the spot away from him. Until that moment, I had been completely unaware that he intended to park there. He was so frighteningly angry and aggressive that I told him I'd move. I did. I kept my passenger waiting until the area was clear. This was witnessed by another Red Arrow employee in front of the building who said nothing. The wonderful restaurant next door has now lost my business, since visiting there again would require being in the vicinity of the Red Arrow Emporium and its...

I had one of the worst retail experiences of my life at this store. I walked in with my son and an older woman immediately approached me and said it’s not a store for kids. As I am passionate about allowing my son to be a part of society so long as he is not being disruptive, I politely told her he would would stay with me the entire time. She physically stood in front of us, not allowing us to enter further, while she told me (loudly, for the entire store to hear) that it wasn’t a store for kids at all and I should take him out. Shocked and humiliated, I left (of course, never to return).

This store and its management do not represent Taos. I see from the numerous other 1-star reviews that these owners make it a habit of treating people this way, and I advise anyone reading to skip this shop — you can support plenty of other businesses in Taos that don’t routinely treat customers and fellow humans so...