Seeking Chameleon Owner Catherine Richmond stands outside her business at 35H Rover Blvd. in White Rock. After eight and a half years, Richmond has decided to close her business. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
Nestled in a conventional-looking shopping plaza in the White Rock downtown area, a few doors down from the Los Alamos National Laboratory training center, there is a vibrant splash of color and whimsy known as Seeking Chameleon.
A rainbow-colored curtain hangs over the front door. There are antiques and artwork on display. It would inspire a smile from anyone passing by – that is until they spot the large turquoise sign hung to inform people that after eight and a half years, the store is closing.
Closing her store was a tough decision for Owner Catherine Richmond. She explained that her mother, Helen Finney, recently died from pancreatic cancer, and caring for her father, Henry, while also operating her store just got to be too much.
“I just haven’t been able to give it (the store) the attention it deserves,” she said.
So, Richmond is holding a business closing sale that runs through the end of July. The sale is on everything from the fixtures to the merchandise and the discounts get bigger the more the store’s closure approaches.
The schedule for the clearance sale is:
30 percent off through June 17
35 percent off June 18-24
40 percent off June 25-July 1
45 percent off July 2-8
50 percent off July 9-15
55 percent off July 16-22 and
60 percent July 23-29.
Richmond sells everything but perhaps the kitchen sink in Seeking Chameleon. Inventory is new and old. There is jewelry, an extensive collection of rocks and minerals, paintings and every type of knick-knack imaginable.
She explained it was her love of cool things and shopping that led her to open the store.
“I opened the shop because I had too much stuff and I love stuff … I love treasure hunting,” Richmond said. “There are so many different kinds of things that I love.”
So, opening the store at its original location next door to the Jemez House thrift store was a great decision. In fact, Richmond said when she opened the store she thought, “Why didn’t I do this 20 years ago?”
Seven-and-a-half years ago she relocated Seeking Chameleon to its current location at 35H Rover Blvd. One of the things Richmond said she will miss is sharing the store’s treasures with her customers.
“I’m going to miss getting to know these people in our community, learning their names … and sharing the treasures I love so much with everyone has absolutely been the joy,” she said.
To find her store merchandise, Richmond said initially she scoured thrift stores, flea markets and yard sales but as more and more people met her and knew her, they would come to her with items to sell. In fact, she said she stopped needing to go out looking for merchandise because it was brought to her.
The store has always been a successful business, Richmond pointed out, partly because “there’s literally something for everyone.”
This includes some truly unique items such as a mummified pig fetus.
“I was so sad when it sold,” she said.
Another thing Richmond said she will miss is interacting with the public through her store.
“I’m going to miss the entire experience,” she said. “This was my connection to the entire community. There are so many regular customers. I am going to miss all of it. It is an extensive amount of work but it’s worth it.”
A thing Richmond said she will not miss so much is the financial side of the business.
“Bookkeeping is a very painful ordeal,” she said.
Despite the sadness of closing the store, Richmond said she is looking forward to new opportunities. She explained that her recently retired husband, Scott, and she hope to be able to travel more. Plus, Richmond said she has a long list of hobbies including making jewelry, enameling, sewing and producing fused glass.
Seeking Chameleon may be closing but something else may be taking its place. Richmond said Christa Tyler, who owns 420 TeaTime LLC next door to Seeking Chameleon, is interested in opening her own store in the same spot. Richmond said she is hopeful Tyler will be able to take over the space. In the meantime, Seeking Chameleon is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It is closed on Sundays.
Seeking Chameleon Owner Catherine Richmond, left, helps her friend and loyal customer Lyndsay Remerowski decide on which fine jewelry piece to purchase Monday at the store. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com
A scene inside Seeking Chameleon. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com