Tierra Del Lagarto

Tierra Del Lagarto is a treasure trove of unique home furnishings from around the world, and a member of the Rowe family of retailers for over 20 years. Founded in 1991 by Jerry and Linda Van Lith as a Southwestern furniture outpost in Scottsdale, it has evolved into an exotic destination for imported home decor. This family business is now also co-owned by their daughter Meg Van Lith, and the mother & daughter duo now travel the world hand selecting items from India, Indonesia, Morocco, Mexico, and Turkey for their 12,000 square foot showroom. They specialize in unique finds that “make the room” and start conversations, with a preference for handwoven textiles, intricately painted ceramics, glittering lanterns, and carved old teak. The TDL team includes a fabulous staff of talented people including interior designers, incredible managers, and a busy delivery and receivables department.

“We are so lucky to have many staff members who have been with us for years and years.”

– Meg Van Lith, Owner

www.tierradellagarto.com
15330 N Hayden Rd Suite 125, Scottsdale, AZ 85260, United States
480-609-1289

Their Top 3 Ways to Support Local Biz:

  • Make Friends – We love the connections that are formed when shopping from an independant, local shop. Getting to know the employees, the owners, the familiar faces when you walk in…that is golden. Hearing from clients that have been coming in for decades talking about their kids (then grandkids later) is a huge part of our daily joy here at TDL.
  • Ask Away – When you’re in a small business, be sure to ask some questions, even if it’s about where to go for lunch after shopping! Believe me, it’s the local shopkeepers who know all the nearby places to get a good bite to eat!
  • Reach Out – Every message, social follow, newsletter sign-up, and phone call is noted and appreciated from a small business. We all notice and care — it’s so good to feel seen and appreciated by our community!

What makes your shop unique?

We work directly with artisans and collectors all over the world. Our inventory is a constantly changing kaleidoscope of finds from village makers, multi-generational families of antique dealers and the wholesale suppliers we have encountered in our travels. One of the fun things about our shop is seeing the basics done in a new and interesting way. We carry a lot of beautiful, neutral performance fabric sofas from Rowe, and we love to show clients how to make them their own with vibrant pillows and throws made from indigenous textiles. A classic white sofa can so easily be transformed with a mix of pillows — vintage kilim from Turkey, silk velvet ikat from Uzbekistan, Mali mudcloth, Rajasthani block print, Moroccan sabra, Gujarati mirrorcloth - the options are endless! We have literally thousands of pillows in stock everyday - so it's always a blast when we get new Rowe products in and get to dress up those blank canvases.

How does your shop make customers feel?

Our store is a real trip around the world for everyone that comes in. We travel annually to Morocco, India, Indonesia, Turkey, and Mexico and import our goods by the container load. On any given week the shop may be filled to the brim with treasures from the souks of Marrakech, overflowing with antique Turkish pots and hundreds of kilim pillows from central Anatolia, or bursting at the seams with baskets, lava stone, and old carved teak from Java. Our India shipments come in throughout the year featuring beautiful old doors, towering bookshelves made from architectural salvage, and coffee tables made from vintage trunks. We love the color, texture and life that the wide world brings to our store.

What's on your store playlist?

We play a mix of vintage 70s jams, current indie with a mellow vibe, and music inspired by our travels.

What are you looking forward to showcasing next season?

We have really enjoyed seeing the design world lean into color more the last year or so. It's always been a very vibrant universe here at TDL, so it's a delight when shelter magazines and online tastemakers start reaching for a more full-spectrum palette. Our upcoming buying trips to Morocco, Turkey and Bali are some of our favorites, so that sets a fun mood going forward into 2023! Of course, we will be at Market in High Point to work with Rowe and plan out the next fab pieces to showcase on the floor. We do love to mix it up and bring in some vibrant jewel tones with our upholstery — amazingly they can be just as versatile as the popular neutrals!

What's the most memorable moment that has occurred in your shop?

On a buying trip in India when our current location was being built, we found the entire front of an old home that was for sale. We had it cleaned up, disassembled, labeled in pieces, and shipped in one of our ocean containers. When it arrived in Scottsdale and our team assembled it in the front of our store, there was this incredible sense that we had really found our place in the world, and that we had made something special. That giant carved teak house facade is now our sales counter, and we work behind it everyday — we love its beautiful history.

Why is your location the perfect fit for your shop?

We love Arizona and think our worldly look compliments the desert beautifully. The Spanish vibes in a lot of the AZ architecture plays well with our Moorish and Old World pieces, and rustic wood and natural materials are beautiful with simpler rustic-modern looks popular in our area. We are in North Scottsdale in a wonderful location with a number of other home decor and builder sources. It's a fabulous one-stop shopping area for anyone newly moved to Arizona, those embarking on a remodel, or those just looking for inspiration. We work intimately with the design trade in our area, and are so thankful for the ongoing relationships we have with so many talented interior design professionals in the Valley.

If we pop into your store at any given moment, what would we see?

Whether we are unloading an ocean container, putting out towering stacks of one of a kind textiles, creating new vignettes out of a global mix of furniture, or taking piles of treasures to a client's home, we are always ready to share the stories behind our goods, and to help with fresh design ideas. We love to help clients with designing their special spaces at home, so you may see a bed being totally remade right here on the floor with bedding and pillows in the colors that speak to them. We may be wheeling a carved teak coffee table from the back to see how it looks with the sectional someone is considering, or we could be clearing off a sideboard to layer pots and plants and art to create a custom tablescape for someone's living room. We are very hands-on and ready to help!