Red Mountain Trading Post

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Red Mountain Trading Post Red Mountain Trading Post is a sole proprietorship, run as a community service. Your dog, ice cream cone, your beer, your pizza - bring ‘em on in. Welcome.

My top selling items are flannel shirts, vinyl records, antique bottles mineral specimens, and so many random things - I dig the Goodwill bins so you don't have to. I will tell you this when you step through the door, but let’s make it clear here as well. All of the insulting, snarky signs you see at other retail outlets do not apply here. At the Red Mountain Trading Post you are not on camera, and I will not follow you around the shop unless we’re having an engaging conversation. Please handle the merchandise. If something breaks, that will just be my opportunity to show you how little I care. I run the shop first and foremost as a public service, and I have enough faith in capitalism to trust that respect and friendship are profitable. Then, there is this. While I do not call myself a Christian, I believe Jesus pointed the way out for humanity. So, All Are Welcome Here, with a clear and vehement exception of those who openly and proudly believe their skin color or their enthusiastic support for official cruelty makes them somehow better than those who do not have these twisted ideals. America is under attack from within, by a congenital weakness for white supremacy. My work on behalf of America and humankind is more important than my work as a retailer, and I firmly believe in the common good. I regard peace, love and understanding as normal, natural and healthy. Now that it’s established that I respect you, and love the democratic, American form of government, here’s what I have to offer. I sell primarily used goods, with a distinct preference for old, American made things or other items of quality. My pricing for these “antiques” is roughly on par with what Walmart will charge you for the plastic version. In 2017, I sold 800 flannel shirts. As someone who can take a hint, I brought 2,000 flannel shirts in 2018. I also have work pants, Sorel boots, Uggs, wool blankets, and other such items. I now have at least 8,000 vinyl records in stock: Beatles, Zeppelin, Cream, Commander Cody, Asleep at the Wheel, George Jones, War, Rufus, Jack Teagarden, Dylan, Perez Prado, Sunny and the Sunliners, Dan Hicks, Louis Prima, yup, got it - and much more. The inventory is a distillation of thousands of garage sales, and as such it has wide variety, almost none of which is donated (though if you don’t want your Zeppelin records, I won’t turn them down). Every car that stops is a collection of individuals, and I aim to have sufficient variety that no one person will be tugging at the others to leave. Red Mountain Trading Post was founded in 1951, by Hal and Liane Hall, on land no one else wanted. Hal’s family had been on this continent well before there was a United States. Liane was an immigrant and war bride. Growing the business from scratch, they had at one time a motel, diner, gas station and the Trading Post, which they operated as a rock and gift shop. Liane continued to run the shop for 60 years before handing it off to me, her youngest son, Ron. You do not need to buy anything or even set foot in the shop to use the restroom. I will take your credit card for any amount. I will steer you to the best trails, best places to eat, best values in general with your good time being the top priority.

10/03/2026

Coming up for the colors, or to hang out a bit before Big Todd and the Monsters crank up?

All afternoon, Red Mountain Trading Post will have a guest DJ, playing energetic, ethereal, highly-danceable House Music.

Stop on by. We're set up and organized for someone who only has a few minutes, but we also encourage people to hang out for hours, with no obligation to buy, and never, ever, do we shoo anyone along. Just enjoy the day, look at some random stuff, and take in the music outside.

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Man, get a load of this . . .
09/26/2026

Man, get a load of this . . .

Provided to YouTube by CDBabyKilling the Blues · Rowland Salley...

09/01/2026

We will continue staying open until dark, or later, throughout September. This is essentially working every moment that our energy permits. When we hit the wall, or need to get groceries, or do laundry, will be very much random, so you may find us opening later some mornings (say, 11). Or we may close at 6 the occasional evening, to go treat ourselves to Mi Mexico.

As usual, we pay the sales tax on all transactions, and if your group finds three or more things, there's another 10% off for everyone.

We want you to enjoy your stay, come back, and tell your friends. If you're getting a lesser reception somewhere else, we invite you to spend your money with us instead.

08/21/2026

We have a friend selling pine nuts out front for the weekend. Just so you know. She will just be here through Sunday.

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08/17/2026

The Trading Post will be closed today, Monday, August 17th, in memory of David Houtz. His memorial is at the Sherbino Theater in Ridgway, from 3-6 p.m.

08/13/2026

Just a reminder that our hours are expanded, but for that very reason may be more erratic.

In past years, we have had hours that were more or less 10 a.m. to 6 or 8 p.m.

Due to business being set back by the fire, floods and smoke from other fires, we are now open until dark or beyond. Then, we squeeze in some food and try to get to bed at a reasonable hour. We may get open by 10 or 10:30 a.m., but sometimes we may need to run for groceries, or to do laundry, etc.

Our new extended hours will be roughly 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Please don't hesitate to check on us after dark, because if we're still open, we'll be happy to stay open until you are done shopping.

Thank you.

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08/03/2026

A few days ago, a nicer car than mine pulled up at the shop. A Hispanic couple got out, carrying two bags of groceries. They said they were camping, and overbought, and asked did Janie and I want them. With knowing nods, we completed the transaction. This was not because Janie or I needed groceries, or because they’d been “camping”.

For a little background, our shop has a sign out front that says, “All Are Welcome Here, except I.C.E.” Another sign says, “Baño Público Gratuito”. Another says, “Every Dollar You Spend Is a Vote.” In case there is any doubt to be left, we prominently display a pride flag, because no self-respecting fascist would do that.
The couple that brought us the groceries could not have missed any of that.

For a little more background, Janie and I spend our winters in St. Paul, Minnesota, where the I.C.E. surge last winter included the murder of a legally-carrying Veteran’s Hospital hospice nurse, and the mother of an lovely, now orphaned little girl. Throughout the surge, many hard-working Minnesotans with legal status and green cards were afraid to leave their homes to work or take their children to school. The community stepped up by bringing them bags of groceries.

I steered clear of protests, because U.S. citizens were being detained – and yes, killed. I have been a full-time caretaker for Janie since March of 2025, and my being kept away from her, beaten up, sent to Texas – what have you – she would have had to go into a nursing home we could not, can not, afford. We got to watch our fellow Americans write the book on how to resist being provoked to riot. The state instead took pictures, took video, recorded license plates, and blew whistles wherever these unemployables were deployed.

So, this was a humbling experience of kindness coming full circle. We had had two weeks of horrible decline in business due to the Gold Hill fire, and a few days later we narrowly missed getting taken out by Skyrocket Creek. Did our benefactors know this? Probably not, but the symbolism of their gift was hard to miss. Hardly any of the groceries had been opened, and while much of it may have been a bit salty for my taste, there were also things I regularly buy, including Mayonesa, Irish butter and Greek yogurt. This sticks out to me, because none of these three grocery items reflect what Marjorie Taylor Greene enthusiastically referred to as, “Our Anglo-Saxon Heritage.”

Just as an aside, if your immigrant ancestors did not come from England, Germany, Scotland or Scandinavia, you *don’t count* as “Anglo-Saxon” - you’re one of “them” - and if the believers in “Our Anglo-Saxon Heritage” get their way, they’ll eventually be coming for you.

My mother grew up in Hitler’s Germany. She told me what they were taught in school. She told me how the hospitals were emptied of those unable to carry a gun or pump out babies; those persons were sent to the ovens along with all the other inconvenient types. The big difference between then and now is the German people were largely on board with what was happening. It is not like that in the United States of America. The public is overwhelmingly opposed to what is going on, and when it’s our turn to call the shots again, we will do so legally, with kindness, according to the Constitution, and with an eye always on the truthp

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07/31/2026

It'll be more like 11 before we're open today, and then we'll be slowly unclogging the shop from all the things we rushed inside. Still recovering from the flooding scare. Thanks for your patience.

07/04/2026

We are very gratified that after four miserable days at the shop, you are back. Yesterday was okay, and today was very respectable for the typically best day of the year (the day before the 4th). We will be open on the 4th, with a DJ playing house music starting at 4 p.m. We will go until people get tired. We never get tired of you.

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07/01/2026

Red Mountain Trading Post will re-open tomorrow, July 1st. We had been busy cutting away all fir trees around our buildings, in case the wind sent the fire our way. Thankfully it did not.

So, let's just get a few things straight. Ouray is not on fire. The skies are clear and we are upwind of the fire, which is racing off to the east, away from town.

Highway 550 is not closed. A detour of approximately one mile takes traffic down the "river road" in town. This is highly unpleasant for the folks living along this narrow street, so go slow, but you can get through.

We want you here. We appreciate your business. We are hurting, and we miss you.

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Address

Ouray, CO

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 6pm
Tuesday 10am - 6pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 12pm - 6pm
Friday 10am - 8pm
Saturday 10am - 8pm
Sunday 10am - 6pm

Telephone

+16127996030

Website

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