Community Profile

“We raise our glasses to toast Paula as this year’s Arizona Tourism Hall of Fame Award honoree, as her vision and hard work have been instrumental in making Arizona a rising star in the world of wine,” said Arizona Office of Tourism Director Lisa Urias.

As owner of the Cellar Door Unhinged, a sales and marketing business, President of Verde Valley Wine Consortium, adjunct professor at the Yavapai College Southwest Wine Center, wife, mom and grandmother, Woolsey’s glass is certainly full.

“I didn’t even know I was nominated until I got a letter from the Arizona Tourism office saying I had won,” she said.

“Decades ago, when there were few wine producers in Arizona, Paula both visualized a prosperous future for Arizona’s wine industry and, more importantly, got to work taking the steps to craft that vision into reality,” said Urias.

Woolsey found her home in Cottonwood when the city boasted one stop sign and no traffic lights. “That was in 1988 and, by the way, there was no wine industry,” she said. “I worked at various resorts in Sedona doing food and beverage and my husband, Eric, who has a degree in nursery management, worked at a local nursery.  We then moved into the restaurant industry and opened up the Asylum Restaurant in Jerome. We ran it for 10 years before selling it. I wanted to focus more on Arizona wine.”

Although she says she didn’t appreciate it at the time, wine was in her genes. Her father was an importer of wine in the ‘70s and ‘80s. “I was born and raised in Los Altos, California.  After my father retired from Hewlett Packard, he became a wine importer. He also built wine cellars for wealthy clients around Los Altos. My grandfather would come out from Chicago during the summer. He planted a small vineyard. He would make one barrel of wine in our garage.”

In a short video viewed at the Arizona Governor’s Conference of Tourism, Sedona Film Festival Executive Director Patrick Schweiss reminisced with Woolsey about her efforts. 

“Sedona was a smaller town back then. I knew a lot of people and Paula knew a lot of people,” said Schweiss in the film. “Everything we needed was a phone call away.  She has arranged and provided every drop of wine for every event, fundraising, film festival – you name it, she’s done it. Paula realized a partnership with the film festival was valuable for everyone because they come here as tourists and locals come here and watch films and party and then taste the wines grown and produced here in the Verde Valley and come back for more. Paula has been involved in everything wonderful about the wine industry here in the Verde Valley. She’s so worthy of this award.”

MJ Keenan, owner/winemaker with Caduceus Cellars & Merkin Vineyards, also commented about Woolsey in the video. “It took people like Paula to get Verde Valley on the map and basically force people to try our wines. Paula is a bully; she’ll make you try the wine. Her being able to tell the story accurately has been critical. For her to be able to get out into the state and actually be considered for an award like this means that we’re doing something right and that she’s doing something right. She is the cornerstone of that approach of storytelling.”

As adjunct professor at Yavapai Community College, Woolsey taught the first wine classes there and was instrumental in raising funds to develop the Southwest Wine Center in Clarkdale.  

“It was a long haul. We didn’t have a lot of support and had to earn every dime.  A lot of businesses and individuals donated,” said Woolsey. “It took a long time, but it now pays for itself. It makes me happy.”

The Southwest Wine Center now has 300 graduates from the program.

“Yavapai College is only one of three in the country that does what we do, from planting the grapes, pruning to crushing to labeling and then teaching how to sell at our wine-tasting room,” said Woolsey. “Other colleges do not have actual vineyards on site like we do.”

She also notes that grape growing is a low water usage crop and that next to Argentina, Arizona has the biggest diurnal shift in the world.  

“Some people don’t even know we have wine in Arizona, but we do, and it tastes great,” said Woolsey, who has served on the Sedona Wine Fest committee, an event that climbed to the second most popular wine festival in the state, according to a 2023 Arizona Wine Tourism Industry Growth and Opportunities report.

“Spending by wine visitors has grown by an astounding 677% since 2011, from $31 million in 2011 to $241 million in 2023. That increase doesn’t happen without advocates like Paula promoting Arizona as a premier destination for award-winning wine and wine experiences,” stated Urias.

WHO I ADMIRE
My mother. She was an artist, grew up in Chicago and made beef tips at the original Stouffer’s Restaurant. She moved to California, went to college and was an art teacher. She had three kids in four years. When I hit 14, she had opened one of the first antique stores in 1970. It was the biggest antique shop on the West Coast.  

FAVORITE SAYING
“Live long and prosper,” by Spock (Leonard Nimoy) on Star Trek.

MY SUPERPOWER
I’m a Nana. I have a lot of superpowers, but that’s the best.

LAST TIME I PUSHED MY BOUNDARIES
I went to a concert about three weeks after a knee replacement in a wheelchair and walker.

FAVORITE VACATION DESTINATION
Los Barriles on the Baja California Peninsula. Our dad bought a compound on the Sea of Cortez. I love to just sit on the beach. QCBN

By V. Ronnie Tierney,

Photo by V. Ronnie Tierney, Fresh Focuses Photography: Gregarious Paula Woolsey is recognized for envisioning a prosperous future for Arizona’s wine industry and taking the steps to make it happen. 

 Racking up stacks of belt buckle awards that adorn the shelves in their Mountain View Ranchos home, the Flagstaff couple met in 1975 at the former Cowboy Country Club (CCC).

“I was just out of the service and was in a rodeo at CCC and got injured by a bull. Connie took me to the hospital and took care of me. That’s also why I moved to Flagstaff, so I could help coordinate the rodeos at CCC with owner John Avery.”

 They began their horse training business in 1988. “We started from the ground up,” said Roddy. “We did colt training and trained horses so people would have a safe animal. The business escalated from there, training folks how to ride. Connie continues to teach horse riding lessons and I occasionally work with advanced riders.”

 Soon after starting their business, they bought some mules for hunting and moved into training mules as well.

“It’s really hard to get history out of Roddy and Connie,” said Quad Cities Business News owner/publisher Troy Bix. “Roddy is a decorated Marine veteran and they are a salt-of-the-earth couple that are always doing things for others. They are God-fearing, trustworthy and loyal and most people would want to emulate them because they raise the bar. I met them about 10 years ago when I was inquiring about mules.”

Their famous mule, CR Katie, was a scene-stealer when competing in rodeo events such as Dressage, English pleasure, hunter over fences and more. 

“When Katie entered the arena to compete, everything came to a standstill, and you could hear a pin drop. She was a small mule with a big heart. In 2009, she was inducted into the Bishop Mule Days Hall of Fame,” said Roddy. “All eyes were on her.” CR Katie’s last competition was in 2022.

 “I fell in love with CR Katie the first time I saw her, said Western Mule Magazine Editor in Chief Ben Tennison. I’ll never forget her tail in the dirt and her dramatic sliding stops. Great mules don’t just happen, they exist in the hands of great owners and trainers like Roddy and Connie Lara. I was blessed to witness greatness!”

 At 12 years old, the Laras’ grandson, Cameron, who is now 36, competed with CR Katie and was one of the first youngsters to show her at the Bishop Mule Days. “CR Katie holds dozens of championships in various age groups. She has won multiple all-around championships as well as multiple reserve world championships,” said Roddy. 

 CR Katie was Connie’s first mule and the couple continues to reminisce about their time with her. A memory book of pictures and articles graces their kitchen table along with the palpable sorrow of losing her. “Katie was a once-in-a-lifetime equine and we were so blessed to have had her. She now rests in our arena and we think of her every day.”

 Though modest about their accomplishments, the Laras’ four top trophies include Connie winning the all-around world championship at the Bishop Mule Days (BMD) in 2023. In 2004, she won the World Championship High Point amateur all-around at the North American Saddle Mule Association World Show.

 “In 2008, I was invited to go to Brazil to an international equine invitational to put on clinics. I also won the World Championship in Reined Cow Horse at BMD in 2017,” she said. Reined Cow Horse is designed to demonstrate a horse’s control of a cow, entailing speed, balance and responsiveness to the rider.

 “Roddy and Connie are the epitome of class, sportsmanship and everything that BMD represents,” said BMD Executive Director Donna Bird. “They are kind to other contestants but fierce competitors. It’s fun to see them compete against each other and the excitement they both demonstrate. They are a vital part of BMD, and everyone loves them. Their animals are pictures of equine athletes. They take such good care of them and treat them like family.”

 The Laras were both born and raised in Phoenix. Roddy has been riding horses since he was about 8 years old. He worked as a cleanup boy at a stable. Connie started riding when she was 18.

 Frank Windes of Flagstaff has known Roddy for years. “If cats have nine lives, well then Roddy has 30. He’s been through a lot. Several of our friends have told him that he needs to write a book. Connie is an incredible woman, too and I’m grateful to know them.”

THE PERFECT DAY

CONNIE: Getting up late, going for a bike ride and saddling up and riding and training on our mules or horse.

RODDY: What Connie just said, plus try to ride as much as you can before you get tired or it gets too hot. I like to ride at least three or four animals a day.

BEST ADVICE

CONIE: To not take things so seriously.

RODDY: Be kind and gentle with your animals.

WHO WE ADMIRE

CONNIE: My sister, Debbie Wilmeth. She has had so many health problems, and she just keeps fighting. I’m really proud of her.

RODDY: Ben Balow, a horse trainer and good friend of ours in Skull Valley.   

OUR GUILTY Pleasure

CONNIE: Chocolate.

RODDY: Any kind of ice cream.

A FAVORITE PLACE TO UNWIND

CONNIE: My bed. 

RODDY: At the kitchen table having a cup of coffee. QCBN 

By V. Ronnie Tierney, QCBN

Photo by V. Ronnie Tierney, Fresh Focuses Photography: Roddy and Connie Lara (pronounced “La-RAY”) enjoy riding, training and being at home at Mountain View Ranchos in Flagstaff.

RAISED IN HIS GRANDMOTHER’S HOGAN

Dirt floors, blue corn mush and a weaver’s loom interlace the early memories of Secatero’s humble beginnings in Alamo, New Mexico, the eastern edge of the Navajo Nation. “My grandmother could make something out of nothing. She would turn powdered jerky gravy into a meal.”

Before he was old enough for school, young Greg was looking after his grandmother’s sheep – as many as 300 – feeding cattle, hauling water and in charge of the butchering.

“For a while, I didn’t know anything beyond the sheep camp. We didn’t have any means of transportation. We would shear the sheep and sell the majority of the wool. With the other part, my grandmother would wash, spin and pick her own natural herbs for dye. I would help her with the loom.”

When he began school, Greg was speaking his traditional language, but the other kids were talking and reading in English. “I was at a disadvantage. I had to stop my native tongue and start with English. It was hard.”

BUILDING FENCES AND CHARACTER

As he grew older, cross-country running, basketball, and forest thinning and fence-building with his uncles taught him discipline, while shaping his character and earning him money. “I learned a lot of different teachings and a man’s perspective from my uncles. They taught me that there’s always balance. And, as little as I was, I’m pretty sure I was helping with their workload. But what’s so cool about it, they put me on their payroll.”

They also introduced him to hunting. “I remember archery hunting in junior high. My first kill was an elk.”

He also recalls the impact of meeting NBA champions Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Byron Scott, James Worthy and Michael Cooper of the Los Angeles Lakers at a basketball training camp. From that moment on, he’d save his earnings for a wardrobe of court shoes.

Meanwhile, Greg was raising a calf that his mother had purchased – one for him and one for his brother. “We raised those calves, they produced offspring, and by the time I was in high school, I had 60 head of cattle.”

TRAINED BY THE ARMY, HIRED BY NAVAJO POLICE

Upon high school graduation, Secatero joined the U.S. Army. “I was a combat engineer, responsible for setting up obstacles by any means, using the terrain, trees, rocks, wires, anything to block a place.”

He also was trained to clear the path and breach obstacles. “We had to learn how to recognize, arm and disarm landmines. They even taught us how to make our own explosives. To do all this, you had to do math because with these different types of fuses you would have to nail down the correct timing. We saw what hundreds of pounds of explosives can do.”

He also learned that he could advance by doing more homework, practicing his shooting skills, and keeping up his physical fitness along with his uniform and overall appearance. “I was fortunate enough to be put into a leadership school and promoted to sergeant.”

At age 21, he decided not to re-enlist and applied to the Navajo Nation Police Department instead. Within months, he was in the Navajo Police Training Academy. After excelling as a patrol officer for three years, he became part of the prestigious Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations (NDCI).

“Between my work ethic, tracking skills and arrest rate, my mentor saw that my caseload was much higher than my co-workers’ and he helped me develop as a leader.”

DEER WHISPERER, CRIMINAL CHASER

Since his early years as a shepherd and hunter, Secatero has studied animals and their behavior. He says this knowledge, plus situational-awareness training from the military and police academy and his own intuition have refined his skills for tracking game animals and people.

As a hunting guide, he has a reputation for leading archers to trophy deer. “Greg is exceptionally talented and ambitious,” said FBN Publisher Troy Bix. “In hunting circles, he is affectionately known as ‘The Deer Whisperer.’ Combine that with his patience, determination and achievements, he’s got to be the best there is.”

“I’ve guided people to the largest deer killed on the Reservation,” said Secatero. “People have these grand expectations. My biggest one is so small compared to the ones I’ve guided people to.”

His extraordinary abilities also have served him and the Navajo Nation Police Department well when it comes to searching hidden chasms and out-of-the-way gullies of the vast Navajo Nation for missing people and bad guys. He recalls tracing the steps of a murder suspect in Fluted Rock near Window Rock as a young investigator.

“This guy had killed a grandma. We found his vehicle and investigators were searching 360 degrees from the location but were tracking out. I knew something was wrong. From hunting other animals, I know that instinct takes over.”

Secatero believed the suspect was backtracking over his own shoe impressions and was going in the opposite direction toward his house. “In mid-afternoon, I got some people to cover me as I tracked into the night.”

At midnight, Secatero was still tracking in the dark of the forest. “The suspect’s shoe impressions led us to a compound. Inside, we found houses. And that’s when it got creepy. His shoe impressions led back over our shoe impressions.”

Secatero and the other officers found the suspect inside his house with the gun positioned under his chin. “We cornered him. He was getting ready to pull the trigger and we tried to negotiate. But I knew he was hungry. I had some Beanie Weenies, little hotdogs, with me. I rolled three or four of the cans along with a flash-bang [stun grenade] toward him. He took his finger off the trigger, reached for a can and the flash-bang went off. This stunned him. We were able to disarm him and get him into custody. I was able to use my tracking techniques, and it was a good ending.”

ON TRACK FOR A GRAND SLAM
“Running in our culture is really significant,” said Apryl Joe, Secatero’s ultramarathon crew captain and a team member with Change Labs, a Tuba City nonprofit that supports Navajo and Hopi entrepreneurs.

“It has a big purpose in the teachings of Diné people,” she said. “It’s about getting out before the sun comes up, running toward the east and praying. Some do this in practice; it’s also used in some of our ceremonies.”

Joe met Secatero in 2022 at the Bears Ears Ultra run in Utah. “He did the 50-mile race. My uncle was also participating.”

The two met again last year during the Cocodona 250, a grueling five-day, 250-mile foot race across iconic trails and towns from Black Canyon City to Flagstaff, with nearly a 40,000-foot elevation gain.

“He is definitely driven,” she said of Secatero. “He actually got into ultra running a little over two years ago. He ran the Cocodona last year when ultra running was very new to him. He only had a couple of ultras under his belt and he just signed up. Greg is determined. He sets a goal and works really hard to get it.”

Secatero did not have a coach at the time. He learned a lot about having a strategy for sleeping and staying hydrated. “The hardest time for me to stay awake is between 3 and 5 a.m. I was hallucinating plenty and it took my body six months to heal.”

Now, at age 49, his goal is to run four ultramarathons in the same year and become the first Native American to complete the Grand Slam of 200s.

He finished the 2024 Cocodona in a little more than 114 hours, three hours and 14 minutes faster than his time the year before. “It’s kind of weird,” he said of the hallucinations he experienced during the 250-mile race. “I was right on mile 200 with Tim Deel, my pacer. We were trying to get to the next aid station and I saw a 6-foot husky puppy on the side of the trail. I walked up to it and tried to give it some of the food that I had. And then I thought, ‘Puppies should only be tiny!’”

Just three-and-a-half weeks later, in early July, he completed the Tahoe 200, a journey around the largest alpine lake in North America. “I’m trying to ask my body to heal faster.”

“It was challenging, but he did really well there,” said Joe. “I wasn’t on site, but we had been in contact throughout the race. He finished strongly.”

In the three-week break before the next endurance run, he’s preparing for the Big Foot 200 starting at Mount St. Helens in Washington on Aug. 9. After that comes the Moab 240 in Utah this October.

AN INTENT TO INSPIRE
As the senior criminal investigator, a supervisor and captain for the NDCI overseeing the northwestern portion of the Navajo Nation, Secatero’s job includes investigating major crimes and also coroner duties.

“It makes you think what people can do to extend their lives. I figure more people can live a little longer and not be crippled by illnesses like diabetes and hypertension. We have control over this. In my own life I’m not going to fall victim to these types of preventable illnesses. It’s what keeps me exercising. Hopefully, I’ve inspired others to get out there and take this sport to another level. Action speaks louder than words.” QCBN

By V. Ronnie Tierney, QCBN

____________________________

MOST IMPORTANT LESSON
The most important lesson I taught my kids [two sons and two daughters, now adults] was to be honest and truthful, and to be themselves.

MEMORABLE SAYING
One of the classic sayings that my grandmother would use often was the Navajo version of “It all depends on you.” To me, that means it all depends on how much effort you put into something. If you put in a little bit of energy, you get a little back. If you put in a lot of effort, the possibilities are endless.

FAVORITE MEAL
If I had to order the same thing every day, it would be steak and eggs. I like having breakfast for lunch and dinner, too.

WHERE I GO TO RELAX
Mount Hesperus in Colorado is one of the sacred mountains for the Navajo and one of my favorite places to visit. I caught the biggest trout of my life fishing on a lake nearby.

IF I COULD CHANGE THE WORLD
I wish people would take a little bit of time to themselves. Kids would get off the video games and people would spend a little bit of time prepping and cooking their meals, rather than gravitating to processed foods.

Courtesy Photo: Greg Secatero poses with Michael “Dark” McKnight, whom he calls a “running machine,” in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, while they were there for an ultra in 2023. 

Rosebrook, 61, has been attending Frontier Days since he was 7 years old, and he’s no stranger to Prescott, Yavapai County or Arizona. Not bad for a guy born in Santa Monica and raised in North Hollywood.

The Sharlot Hall Museum hired Rosebrook to lead its historical museum and research center. He started July 1.   

“I feel blessed to have the opportunity to apply my passions and my professional experience to Sharlot Hall Museum and give back to this community that’s given so much to me and our family,” Rosebrook said.

His related professional experience as an historian is extensive, as is his connection to Prescott and Yavapai County. “My first memory of a trip to Arizona was Tuzigoot (National Monument) and Jerome.” He was 4 years old.

A few years later, in 1971, Rosebrook and his family were enchanted with Prescott during the filming of “Junior Bonner,” a story of an aging rodeo rider starring Steve McQueen.

Rosebrook’s father, Jeb, wrote the screenplay for “Junior Bonner.” It was his much-needed big break in Hollywood with a major motion picture directed by Sam Peckinpah.

As a kid, Rosebrook said he met cast members, watched the production and roamed around Prescott’s historic Courthouse Plaza. He recalls eating at Kendall’s Famous Burgers, buying comic books at a corner drugstore and standing outside The Palace on Whiskey Row.

A half century later, he was back in Prescott working with a committee to celebrate the 50th anniversary of “Junior Bonner” during Frontier Days. By then he was on the Sharlot Hall board and involved with Prescott’s Western Heritage Center, Prescott Corral of Westerners and Arizona History Convention, to name a few of his non-profit activities.

Rosebrook has history degrees from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and from Arizona State University, where he earned a master’s and doctorate.

He worked in Phoenix television news production at Channels 10 and 3 in the mid-1980s. Rosebrook spent seven years at Arizona Highways as associate editor of research.

In 2002, Rosebrook and his family moved to The Orme School in Yavapai County, where he served as assistant headmaster of external affairs. His wife, Julie, was a teacher there. She is now a psychologist for the Veterans Administration in Prescott.

Rosebrook had attended summer camp at The Orme School during his childhood and his father graduated eighth grade and high school from the boarding school.

Most recently, Rosebrook has been a writer and editor at True West Magazine.

The Rosebrooks, who have lived in Prescott since 2020, have two children in college: Jeb, 27, and Kristina, 23.

“One of the things I was hired for is to raise the visibility of the Sharlot Hall Museum and to get out and tell our story,” Rosebrook said.

He will also be working on plans for the centennial of Sharlot Hall Museum in 2028.

BEST ADVICE EVER RECEIVED

One piece of advice I received from my father, Jeb Rosebrook’s, partner producer-writer, Joe Bryne, for whom I was working in 1989 on the Fox television series    “The Outsiders.” I came to him with a problem one day, and he told me, “Never come to me with a problem without a solution. I might not agree with your solution, but always have a good idea ready to share to solve the issue you are facing.” I’ve never forgotten that and have followed his advice ever since.

WHAT I WANTED TO BE WHEN I GREW UP

I wanted to be a historian or an ambassador. I guess I’d say I’ve been able to do both: I see myself as a professional ambassador of history.

ADVICE FOR MY YOUNGER SELF

Travel more, take more chances personally and professionally, and work in London. I lived in London for a semester and always thought it would be great to go back and work there.

BUCKET LIST MOMENTS COMPLETED

I have three. In 1985, I traveled to the former Soviet Union with a history-political science-language student group from Wake Forest University. We were in Leningrad when they announced Premier Chernenko was dead and the next morning we watched (on Soviet TV) Gorbachev take over in the classic Red Square ceremony.

The second sounds simple, but growing up in Los Angeles, we didn’t get back East a lot and there wasn’t a lot of pomp and circumstance around July 4. When we were living in Williamsburg, Virginia, we got to witness a Thomas Jefferson reenactor read “The Declaration of Independence.” Amazing.

The third, I was able to join my mom and dad, Dorothy and Jeb Rosebrook, in the Frontier Days Parade in 2016, when they honored my father on the 45th anniversary of the making of “Junior Bonner.” I sure wish he could have been here for the 50th. He would have loved it.

WHAT HISTORY HAS TAUGHT ME

I could try and be overly philosophical with my answer, but what history has taught me is to stay positive – stay on the sunny side of the street – and always be grateful for the blessings of life, good friends and family. QCBN

By Peter Corbett, QCBN

 Landing in Santa Maria, California, Gaby worked as a certified nursing assistant at time and Xavier worked with Gaby’s uncle at NI Industries as a hydraulic press operator making bombs. “This was not quite what I aspired to do, but it was work,” said Xavier.

 In their early teens, Gaby met Xavier at a private boarding school called Chateau Laval on the French Riviera. “Many parents worked out of the country and kept their children here because it was a safe place. There were also children from social services,” said Xavier.

 “Chateau Laval is now a famous castle,” said Gaby, who was born in Van Nuys, California, but was raised in France from the time she was a baby.  

 Shortly after their marriage, Xavier and Gaby moved to Huntington Park and stayed in the Los Angeles area. Their daughter was born in 1983 and their son in 1985.

 “We started our own limo service, expanded it, and then sold the business.  I then obtained my commercial pilot’s license and we moved back to France where I thought I could work for a French airline, but it didn’t work out,” said Xavier.

 Since both of them spoke excellent English, the couple worked in Monaco for just under a year, earning enough money to come back to the United States. “Gaby worked for the Monaco Business Center and I worked as a concierge for the Pastor Family,” said Xavier. 

 It was at this time that Native American Jewelry was introduced to the Canales. “I started working at a jewelry store called Navajo West in Torrance [California],” said Gaby. “Before long, they promoted me to store manager.”

 Xavier and the owner became good friends and Xavier became very curious about the retail industry. “When the owner told us he wanted to change careers and decided to sell the store, we bought it,” said Xavier.  At the time, Native American art was not well known in California.

 Before long, they acquired more stores and began making several trips to Albuquerque and Gallup, New Mexico. “We passed Williams many times and had decided that we really liked Arizona and wanted to move here at some point. 

“We fell in love with Williams. It’s such a cute little town and at the time it wasn’t very busy,” said Gaby.

 “We could see that this little town was a diamond in the rough,” said Xavier. “Between its ties with Route 66 and the Grand Canyon, we could see that there was a huge opportunity for the kind of stores that we operate.”

 Eventually at a trade show in Las Vegas, Xavier met the owner of Addicted to Route 66.  “I mentioned that we would like to buy a business in Williams.  His eyes lit up and he said he was selling his store.”

 Thus, the Canales purchased their first store in Williams. And then one day, while strolling the streets of Williams, they came across Raindance, another store that was available for lease. “We stepped it up and opened Raindance a few months later.”

 In 2022, the building for Native America Shop became available and Xavier and Gaby decided to purchase it. Today, they own three retail stores in Williams and continue to own five stores in the Los Angeles area.

 Their Raindance store is very diverse and sells Native American gifts, jewelry, art, t-shirts, hats and gifts from the region. Addicted to Route 66 is a souvenir and gift shop with a 1950s feel. “We have our 1954 Oldsmobile car parked out front. It’s world renowned,” said Gaby.

 “At Native America Shop the store is split. One side has 100% Native American products while the other side of the stores is gifts and souvenirs,” said Xavier.

 “Xavier and Gaby are two amazing entrepreneurs who have faced adversity and overcome it through their hard work and dedication,” said da Vinci Commercial Real Estate Associate Michael Konefal. “They are not only wonderful people, but they offer great things to the communities where they reside and have their businesses. It’s a pleasure to know them and work with them.”

 With 25 employees, the Canales say they are always open to new opportunities, but for now they feel that Williams is a great place to be.

 Xavier recalls his fascination with cowboy and Indian movies and the mysticism of Indian warriors while he was growing up. “We had this view in Europe of Native Americans, so when we came here to start this business it was cool and we have learned so much.” 

 Working as hard as they have through the years, the Canales forgot the joy of having hobbies but they are slowly getting into a position where they will have time. “I like to cook, spend time with friends and we find great joy spending time with our grandchildren,” said Gaby.

 They are both involved with Dig Deep, a Navajo water project and they donate to the Red Feather Foundation in Flagstaff.

 The Native America Shop is located at 117 E. Route 66, Addicted to Route 66 is at 124 Historic Route 66 and Rain Dance is at 216 E Route 66.

LAST MOMENT OF NOSTALGIA

Gaby: When my grandsons return home after a lovely visit with us.

Xavier: Every day. I’m always nostalgic about the day gone by.

BEST PART OF THE DAY

Gaby: Sunrise, when I can become one with nature.  

Xavier: Early evening, when everything is done and I can relax and wind down with the sunset.

WHERE I HOPE TO TRAVEL

Gaby: I hope to visit Japan in the near future.

Xavier: Back to Corsica where I came from. 

MY GUILTY PLEASURE

Gaby: My love for good cheese and wine.

Xavier: A nice aged bourbon.

FAVORITE DAY TRIP

Gaby: Driving on Pacific Coast Highway. The drive to Laguna Beach from Long Beach never gets old.

Xavier: Anywhere in the Verde Valley. QCBN 

By V. Ronnie Tierney, QCBN

Photo by V. Ronnie Tierney, Fresh Focuses Photography: Addicted to Route 66 shop owners Xavier and Gabrielle Canale pose with Elvis, surrounded by memorabilia from days gone by.