Verkamp's Curios Store

The Verkamps outlasted almost everyone on the rim. John Verkamp first tried selling Indian arts and crafts from a tent here in 1898, gave up when profits were thin, and returned in 1905 to build the store that still bears the family name. It was his only venture to survive the Depression. He raised his children in the apartment above it, and the family ran the shop for three generations until it finally closed in 2008, the last of the canyon's pioneer businesses. Its long survival is a small history of independent enterprise beside the corporate rim.

What the plaque says

Verkamp's Curios Store. Inspired by Grand Canyon's burgeoning tourism trade, in 1898, John Verkamp established a small tent shop on the South Rim, selling American Indian arts and crafts. Profits proved meager, so John sold his inventory to the Bright Angel Hotel and closed his shop. Returning in 1905, John built the permanent store you see today. His business prospered; indeed, it was his only business to survive the Great Depression. In 1936, John, his wife, and their four children moved into the apartment above the store. John managed the store until his death in 1944. His children, and eventually his grandchildren, operated the store. When it closed in 2008, it was the last echo of the canyon's pioneer businesses.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Grand Canyon (South Rim) — 0.4 mi
  A mile down through two billion years — and eleven nations' ground

More markers nearby

• Grand Canyon Village — steps away
• Hopi House — steps away
• El Tovar Hotel — steps away
• Building One — steps away