August 15, 2024 –
As you come down East Avenida Bernalillo into town, it is impossible to miss the colorful Camino Real Antiques, a store that has been in Bernalillo for over 27 years. Fawn Dolan, founder and owner, was driving through Bernalillo with her husband in search of the perfect place to open an antiques store in 1996. With just $150 required for a deposit, the original Camino Real Antiques was opened just a couple blocks down Camino del Pueblo, in a much smaller building. Today, that building holds a yoga studio.
Dolan had always loved antiques and, right around the same time the ‘Antiques Road Show’ was making waves on international television, she decided to try her hand at making a living by selling them, transitioning from a long career as a school teacher. Her antiques business has only grown since.
Camino Real Antiques moved into its current 6,000 sq. ft. space just a few years later. People call every day either searching for specific items or asking for appraisals. The store has seen some interesting things pass through its doors, including a genuine stagecoach and an outhouse. The building itself is an antique – it used to be the Casa Blanca Bar, owned by a Bernalillo sheriff, and the Aztec Ballroom. Dolan tells stories of appeasing ghosts with glasses of beer.
Today, the antique store has new life. Dolan’s daughter, Autumn Maulden, has taken over a large part of the responsibilities of running the store, including curating her own collections.
