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River Trading Post was
conceived and implemented by a fellow named Joe Zeller after he retired, in
2000, after
over forty years in the advertising agency
business. Since the early '60's Zeller was an executive at several leading
ad firms including J. Walter Thompson and D'Arcy. He helped to develop
advertising campaigns for many top American companies, including Kraft Foods,
Procter and Gamble, Ford, Seven-Up and many others.
[Joe Zeller photo, left, by New York Times]
During
those years, Zeller became an avid collector of Native American art, especially
art of the Navajo, Hopi, and other Pueblo people. He knows the
four-corners area like the back of his hand, having traveled and photographed
the area extensively. He is the author and editor of one of the top
websites devoted to Native America, Native American Images. That
site enjoys over a million "hits" each year, and many educational
institutions use the site as a resource in Native American studies. You
can visit Joe's site at
www.nativeamericanimages.org.
Joe's idea behind River Trading
Post was actually to share his enthusiasm for fine Native American art, and
artifacts, with others who have a similar passion for fine Native American
works. He'll tell you that his idea is to assemble one of the finest collections
of Navajo weavings, Hopi Kachina dolls, Pueblo pottery and Plains Indian work, and to offer items
from the collection at prices that represent absolutely solid values for the
collector. (Don't ever ask Joe if he gives a discount.)
Today, River Trading Post
galleries can be found in Dundee, Illinois; Santa Fe, New Mexico; and
Scottsdale, Arizona where they are among the very top galleries in each town.
And, since its beginning, the River Trading Post website has become
the most popular website worldwide for collectors of fine Native American
Art.
River Trading Post has
become a place in its short history that importantly contributes to the
livelihood of many of today's leading contemporary artists, to the future of
tomorrow's young Native American people, and to our collectors (either novice or
advanced) by linking them with the beauty of Native America and all of its
diverse people.
Joe also believes that people
purchasing from the River Trading Post website ought to be able to put a face on who they are dealing
with. That's why his picture is shown here. Joe also strictly adheres
to the Code of Ethics of the Indian Arts and Crafts
Association and to the strict regulations of the
Antique Tribal Art Dealers Association.
If you
ever have the opportunity to visit a River Trading Post in person, you will find a
warm welcome, wonderful folks to help you enjoy your visit with us, and the ever present cup of
Arbuckle's Cowboy Coffee. If you choose to visit our website, you will
find the same warm welcome, sadly, without the Arbuckle's Cowboy Coffee.
And, it you ever want to jot a
note to us just send an e-mail to
Joe Zeller. Joe always takes the time to read the mail, and to get
back to you personally.
If you have a high speed internet
connection you may enjoy watching a little video where you can learn a bit more
about our very special place.
Sights
and Sounds of River Trading Post.
River Trading Post proudly belongs to the leading
professional Indian Art associations including:
IACA -
Indian Arts and Crafts
Association
SWAIA - Southwestern Association for Indian Arts
ATADA - Antique Tribal Art Dealers Association
SAIAA - Scottsdale American Indian Art Association
We abide by the bylaws of each to assure our
collectors of our product integrity. Click below to visit the websites of
each association to learn more.
Visit Joe Zeller's
Native
American Images
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