BOLD, BOOTYFUL & BRILLIANT
the owners: bob & val franzese
Their Shopping Outpost, the Blackbear Trading Company

Inspired by this ever-changing world we live in, a strong and vigorous person isn't afraid to go out-on-the-limb and sprout new branches that will ultimately create a well-balanced cache of lovely buds and blossoms that form a brilliant full-bodied structure viewed as the tree of life. Bob and Val Franzese, owners of Black Bear Trading Company, have a well-developed crown of foliage - so to speak. Their personas emit a healthy effervesce shaped by the success they've met in their professional, artistic, physical and personal lives. Balanced, yet rooted and always striving to bigger and bolder projects, the Franzeses engender the quintessential spirit that seemingly describes the personality of the town of Telluride itself. Brimming with creative juices, inspiration and physical, intellectual and artistic challenges, the Franzeses are a couple with panache.

Bob's and Val's love story parallels the Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan movie You've Got Mail. Val says, "We fell in love the old-fashioned way by writing each other letters" - albeit through the internet. In the 80s and 90s, Bob was a nationally known architecture photographer for such magazines as Architecture Digest, Better Homes & Gardens and BH&G's Log Homes special interest publication. On assignment, Bob came to Telluride in 1995 to photograph Val's unique whitewashed log home that rests on the banks of the San Miguel River . For the first time in 25 years, Log Home Magazine lost the film, so Bob had to reshoot Val's house. While there again, Bob asked Val to join him for a round of golf as well.

Socially, the two hit it off. Bob returned to southeastern Washington , but they continued getting to know each other by e-mail. Val has 182 pages of their correspondence from their You've Got Mail years. She says, "We chatted about everything - the way we do laundry, politics, music and life in general." Both Bob and Val are intricately drawn to the fine arts. Val is a professional cellist with the Telluride String Quartet. "It's rare for a town of 1,700 to have a quartet," she states. Bob was in the Cathedral Choir at St. John's Divine in New York City . He had the privilege of singing for the Queen of England way back when. His youth is also highlighted with the acclaimed "scholar athletic award" as he demonstrated outstanding skills in multiple sports though football was his favorite forté. Their e-mails touched on other lively pursuits such as photography, ceramics, golfing and business endeavors.

In August of 1997, Bob moved to Telluride, telling a friend that he was "going to marry this woman." His friend suggested that he should at least hold her hand before the wedding bells toll. In February of 2000, Bob and Val got married. Bob took Val's place at Zia Sun so she could have a year off to recharge her batteries and he could get to know the Telluride community more intimately. Since 1985 Val had owned and operated Zia Sun. In those 15 years, Telluride's favorite knick-knack shop had only been closed 15 days ... Christmas days. Val needed a change and Bob was inspired by the idea of a true western shop that would be filled with the timeless, classical mountain West goods, not "ya-hoo" western garb. Ironically, without being listed, a couple named Paul and Christine Reich happen-stanced into Zia Sun and put in an offer to buy the store. A new life passage was beginning to take hold and unfold.

Setting a classical theme, the Franezeses embarked on a new adventure in their lives: The Black Bear Trading Company. Located on main street, right next to Zia Sun, the Franezeses have orchestrated one of the most incredible, downright inspirational western paraphernalia shops in the intermountain West. Genuine leathers, authentic western designs in furniture, jewelry, clothing, hats, boots, belt-ware, mirrors and decorative accents. "For what they are, we are priced very reasonably," states Val. Admittedly, good, real stuff that is often hand-hewn does cost a bit more than "synthetics," but surprisingly not as much as some of the stuff does in cities. Not only is The Black Bear Trading Company classical, it is very "hip." Chic washable suede jeans, dramatic turquoise pieces and oodles of heritage furnishings that have earned the rites of passage due to their quality in construction, materials and timeless original appeals. By and large, The Black Bear Trading Company has a "booty-full" selection of wares that are bold and brilliant, reflective of the owners' personalities.