Meet Mark Schrader.

Q: Tell us exactly what you do and what your stores are all about.

A: I sell vintage art, books and records. My collections are also available online. We have two stores in Tlaquepaque and West Sedona. I am working towards my goal of having our West Sedona location be transformed into solely, particularly rare works and collections. I am also an authorized dealer for the artwork of Dr. Seuss, which I house at our gallery. We are open 363 days of the year, and closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Q: What’s the name of the stores?

A: Our stores are ALT Books and Records in Tlaquepaque, as well as the ALT Gallery in West Sedona. We like having our Tlaquepaque storefront be incognito, there is no phone number, website or social media and it’s located above Spirits & Spice. Our West Sedona location is across from Safeway at Chimney Rock Square.

Q: How long have you lived in Sedona? And what brought you here?

A: 13 years. I came to the area in the early eighties and lived in Flagstaff. That’s how I came to discover Sedona. I hiked West Fork, camped, and biked all over the place. I knew Sedona was the place to live.

Q: What do you do for fun?

A: I buy books and records, ha-ha. I also enjoy watching gold mining shows and reality TV, barbecuing, hiking, staying happy, and reading up on current events.

Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in our community?

A: Mark Round. Mark is a good friend and fellow art collector. He is really an art historian. I’ve always enjoyed our discussions about the art history of Sedona.

Q: What one piece of advice changed your life?

A: While in my twenties I traveled a lot. On one trip, it had taken so long to get there because we did it the extra cheap and long way, but I observed how differently people lived. A man I met on that trip started talking to me about the importance of travel, and he said to me, “do it while you’re young”. So I did. I traveled so much in my life when I was young. I have no regrets or feelings of missing out. It was great advice for me.

Q: What song that never gets old? Do you have a song that you like you could listen to over and over again?

A: There’s a lot of them. I like the Acoustic Blues, Know You Rider by Hot Tuna and their whole debut album. I like a lot of music that reminds me of the formative years in high school during the 70s.

Q: What movie could you watch over and over again?

A: Vanishing Point. A counterculture film I saw in the early 70s when I was a kid that was an eye-opening experience. Cinema can be so powerful. It doesn’t ever hit quite as hard as an adult though, as it did when I watched it for the first time.

Q: What is your favorite restaurant in Sedona?

A: Dellepiane and The Hudson are my favorites. I watched Tomas put Dellepiane together in Hillside. Their hamburgers are awesome.

Q: Anything that I haven’t asked you that you would like someone to know about you?

A: Well, if they want to know something about me, they can just come and ask, ha-ha.