Oct 28, 2009

El Sol Studios: Eclectic gallery, shop moving onlineBy Jennifer HerreraMySanAntonio.com

The economy may have claimed the storefront of one local art gallery and folk art gift shop, but it won’t force El Sol Studios owners Ruth Guajardo and her husband Larry S. Aguilar to completely close up shop.

At the end of the week, El Sol Studios will close their once thriving South Alamo storefront, but Guajardo warns customers not to expect a blowout sale. They plan to keep their products and sell them on their Web sites.

El Sol Studios is known for its eclectic Mexican folk art goods. Guajardo said a few of the most popular items the store carries are the digital illustration collages loteria clocks her husband makes and at $15 each their not too bad on the pocketbook.

“It’s a gift that looks expensive, but it’s not,” Guajardo said with a chuckle.

Another favorite of Guajardo’s are the pan dulce coin purses. She admits that although the shop is comprised of 80 percent handmade goods (by either local artists or her own family), when she does purchase imported goods she likes to look for items that are a bit unusual.

“Whenever we go to Mexico, we’re looking for items we would buy for ourselves,” Guajardo said.

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