New Maricopa store encourages shoppers to “Go Wild”

Maricopa residents looking for unique gifts, home decorations or tabletop accessories will soon have the opportunity to “go wild” at one of the city’s newest shops. Poco Loco will be opening in The Shops at Maricopa Fiesta on Saturday, August 12, with its grand opening week slated for sometime in the near future.

After leaving Tempe in 1991, long-time residents Darrel and Sonja Templeton owned and operated Poco Loco in Bisbee, Arizona. Sonja, a ceramist for 35 years, successfully operated her pottery studio in the back of the store. While all of her colorful ware was available to shoppers, most of her business was wholesale, serving retailers from Tucson to San Diego and Santa Fe. Dillard’s, Table Talk, Clay Pigeon and Bazaar de Mundo were among her largest clients.

In the fall of 2005 Darrel and Sonja decided to downsize their wholesale operations and move nearer to their daughter Dareece Rosales in Maricopa. They sold their Bisbee Main Street building, as well as a trolley tour company that Darrel had operated since 2001, and relocated to The Shops at Maricopa Fiesta, where parents and daughter will open a bigger and better version of Poco Loco on August 12. The company’s new slogan invites shoppers to “Go Wild” at the eclectic store.

Sonja and Dareece will continue to shop the southwest markets they’ve attended for years, melding their complementary sense of style together with the latest trends in design and decoration. In addition to Sonja’s plates, bowls, saucers and platters–all available in several collectible designs–and Dareece’s hand-painted glassware, the 1,300 square foot store will focus on home decorations and gifts.

A large variety of tabletop accessories, houseware and furniture will be offered for purchase. Most of the inventory is handmade, much of it by local and regional artists. Bisbee-based painter and muralist Rose Johnson, whose unique work is well known in the area, is among them.

“We’re happy to be back,” said Sonja, “and excited to bring such a unique variety of handcrafted home decorations to Maricopa. More and more people are calling this area home, and we invite them to call on Poco Loco to help decorate theirs.”

Poco Loco will be open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 20800 N. John Wayne Parkway, #113. The company’s diverse offerings can also be seen at its website. Poco Loco can be reached by phone at either (520) 227-4473 or (520) 568-5865.