A Little Piece of Heaven, 2nd Hand Treasures, St. John, AZ

A few days ago on my journey north up US 191, I passed through St.John, AZ.; a quaint town in the white mountains that is all about community. There I met Estelle White who owns an amazingly diverse shop called 2nd Hand Treasures. The shop sells both new and used items and definitely has something for everyone. Inside you will find antiques, a man cave as well as a women’s side (all clothing sold here is washed prior to display), local art, and  home-made arts and crafts including jewelry and little jewelry music boxes made from real eggs! These items and much much more make 2nd Hand Treasures  a great stop for all. Aside from being a unique shop for tourist and locals alike, there is a lot more to this store front than meets the eye. Estelle teaches art classes in the back of the shop and also offers her students an outlet to display and sell their art right there at 2nd Hand Treasures.

Estelle spoke very highly of the community and gave reference to several scenarios where the people in St.John have pulled together to help one another when the economy dropped out. Often on the weekends you can find most locals at the city park facility. This offers  a picnic area,  tennis, swimming in an indoor pool,  raquet ball, horseshoes, a playground, and even a place to grill for outdoor events. This paste weekend on May 19th was St John annual classic car show and chili cook off! (which Estelle won last year). This event and others brings in a great crowd to St John, AZ.

Apart from owning a unique store, teaching art, and being involved in the community, Estelle also gives back by donating many items from the store to veterans in need. Her knowledge and involvement does not stop there though; she also sells real estate in the white mountain area. There are several amazing ranch homes in and around this area for those looking to get away. If interested please contact Estelle at www.mountainvalleyrealty.org.

Estelle was very pleasant and knowledgeable to speak with on all fronts and even took the time to tell me about other

Realtors in the area as well as referring me to the Arizona White Mountain magazine, the local Apache County Historical Society Museum ( which houses a variety of prehistoric woolly mammoth tusks and camel leg bones est to be over 24,000 years old), Frankies restaurant (affordable and wonderful food) , and several places to play golf around the area.

Within an hour of St John Arizona you will also find the Lyman Lake State Park,the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest, the Petrified National Forest which boarders the painted Desert and is not far out from the Grand Canyon, as well as many Apache, Zuni, and Navajo reservations.

St. John was a personal favorite of the White Mountain towns that I stopped in and definitely worth the visit to those who are planning to explore Arizona. Don’t miss out on all that this beautiful area has to offer!