Tepee or Tee Pee Curios?

Route 66 is lined with trading posts and souvenir shops selling trinkets from the road, authentic tribal wear, and vintage merchandise. Stores compete to stand out through roadside advertising, neon lights, or unique frontage. One of the most popular stops is Tee Pee Curios located in Tucumcari, New Mexico. By night, a large neon sign in front of the store catches the eyes of weary travelers who are searching for a motel room to lay their heads. By day, the teepee style building and hand painted murals draw the attention of travelers.

This location began in 1944 as a Gulf Oil service station. In 1948 the building became Leland Haynes Grocery, Meats and Curios. It was a one stop shop for travelers where they could refuel and buy essentials for their trip. The business again changed in 1959 becoming Jene Klaverweiden’s Texaco service station, but that operation only lasted a year. Back then this portion of Route 66 was only a two lane road. It expanded to its current four lanes (two lanes in each direction) around 1960. This widening took over the space where the pumps used to stand and inadvertently forced Klaverweiden to rethink his business.

Extensive renovations were made including the construction of the building’s iconic teepee entrance and the erecting of the now famous tepee neon sign. The site reopened as Tee Pee Curios focusing solely on souvenirs.

Tucumcari, like most towns along Route 66, was hit hard when Interstate 40 bypassed it. The Interstate heading east from Tucumcari was completed in 1981 and it dramatically decreased the flow of travelers and commerce. The neon city that was once known as “Little Las Vegas” began to decline.

Despite many similar shops and motels closing since then, Tee Pee Curios has managed to keep the lights on. In 2003 the Tepee Curios neon sign was restored as part of the New Mexico Route 66 Neon Sign Restoration Project.

Inside, travelers will find a dense assortment of 66 knick-knacks, clothing, gifts, tribal trinkets, and oddities. Bus tours stop here to give tourists a taste of classic Mother Road commerce and design. Photographers and influencers can be seen taking photos of the teepee storefront by day and the neons by night. Tourists can be overheard discussing the different spellings of teepee.

The Tucumcari skies are dark at night, but the warm neon glow from Tee Pee Curious continues to draw travelers like moths to a flame.