Western Otter has reopened in Santa Fe at 203 E. Palace Ave. with an array of kitschy Southwestern collectibles and what the company calls "one-of-a-kind treasures."

"Our vintage boots and tooled leather bags with cacti, skulls and florals are all hand-painted by husband, Michel," said co-owner Jennifer Wurth.

The Wurths opened Western Otter in 2004 in Hico, Texas, in an old Western Auto building. They sold retro toys: Slinkys, dashboard hula girls and Panic Pete dolls, auto bingo cards -- you name it. But with the kid in everyone yearning for nostalgia, the Wurths are betting that these items will sell strong as ever today. They carry similar inventory from the Hill Country store here in Santa Fe.

For store hours and more information, call 982-6393.


La Fonda on the Plaza has appointed Edward T. Pulsifer as its director of sales and marketing. Pulsifer joins La Fonda from Heritage Hotels and Resorts, where he oversaw sales and marketing for seven boutique hotels in the Southwest.

Said Jennifer Kimball, chairwoman of the board of the Corporación de La Fonda, "With Ed's broad range of experience in the hospitality industry and his successful management of historic properties in particular, he will undoubtedly be successful at La Fonda."

Pulsifer will be responsible for overseeing sales and marketing efforts at the 174-room historic hotel, and managing a team of 10 employees.

An Albuquerque native, Pulsifer serves on the boards of the New Mexico Department of Tourism (Region 5), Tourism Association of New Mexico and International Association of Hispanic Meeting Professionals, and is chairman of the Advisory Committee for Central New Mexico's Hospitality Tourism and Culinary Arts Program.


Warren R. Sacks of Barker Realty in Santa Fe has been named to the "30 Under 30" Class of 2012 by the editors of Realtor Magazine.

David Barker, president of Barker Realty, says, "Warren joined Barker Realty in 2005 immediately after graduating from Elon University. Warren started out as a summer intern cleaning out our basement file rooms, quickly became licensed and moved into sales." Barker says, "It became evident that Warren would excel in management and we named him as the company vice president in 2008."


The New Mexico Small Business Development Center Network at Northern New Mexico College has been accredited by the Association of Small Business Development Centers Network, representing America's 1,100 SBDCs and 5,000 business advisers.

Julianna Martinez-Barbee and her staff continue to be recognized as one of the outstanding SBDCs in the nation and noted for several best practices in the area of marketing according to the ASBDC and the United States Small Business Association national reviews, said Al Salgado, chairman of the ASBDC National Board, in a statement.