“Montana Colors is a symbol that distinguishes those who choose it as high-level creators.” Interview with MTN Shop Querétaro

Just a few months ago, the latest MTN Shop opened its doors in Querétaro, Mexico. Through an interview with the team at this new official point of sale, we delve into the city’s interesting scene and the role the Montana Colors brand now plays in this new arena.

Who is in the MTN Shop Querétaro team? 

Montana Shop Querétaro is part of Incusa, our parent company.

From here, we have created Nueve Arte Urbano, the team in charge of communication and art production, especially mural art. The 5 of us are part of the Montana Shop, along with 3 people focused on running the store on a day-to-day basis and 50 others throughout the company. 

Within Nueve: Edgar is in charge of audiovisual creation, Isabel is responsible for design and materials for networks, Estefania supports us with cultural and operational management, Ivonne deals with marketing and image, and Eduardo handles writing, translation and social networks. 

On the operational side: Alan and Miguel are in charge of the sales counter and the daily actions in the Montana Shop. Pablo, as store manager, oversees day-to-day operations and takes care of inventories.

Where did the idea of opening an MTN Shop in this city come from? 

For over a decade, Querétaro has experienced exponential growth, attracting people looking for a city with greater opportunities. The quiet streets of Querétaro filled with new people, and with them came an explosion of graffiti. With walls painted, covered and re-painted, our founder Édgar Sánchez took the decision to transform Incusa’s marketing department into Nueve Arte Urbana, with the aim of connecting with the world of urban art. 

Over the next 13 years, Nueve and Incusa have sponsored, promoted, produced and created art in the city’s streets, all with the intention of bringing together the worlds of the company and the artists who use its products. Since then, we have forged solid relationships with emerging artists, creating a unique synergy with the graffiti, artistic and cultural community in the city. This focus on connecting with the urban art world has allowed us to establish ourselves as an active player on Querétaro’s creative scene, and now that experience underpins an operating branch focused purely on that world. 

The Montana Shop was born as an idea from our founder, for our first store focused entirely on urban expression and its market.

What is the graffiti and urban art scene like in Querétaro? What do you think sets it apart from other Mexican cities? 

Querétaro’s graffiti and urban art scene has seen substantial growth over three decades, with iconic and emerging crews spreading throughout the city, even in rural communities. That said, graffiti in Querétaro has also been stigmatized, even being considered a crime. It was thanks to the constant cultural enrichment of a growing city that the paradigm began to shift, decriminalizing this expression with the support of the government, galleries, museums and private initiative, as well as the inclusion of urban artists in projects to transform public spaces. 

Although it was initially complicated for society to understand graffiti as valid artistic expression, urban art has garnered recognition and respect in the city. The creation of significant landmarks, like the Museum of Urban Art of Mexico, have driven this change, creating meeting points for national and international artists, further enriching the local scene. 

Querétaro’s urban writers and artists have followed global trends and have developed in tune with their generation. Compared to other Mexican cities, Querétaro stands out for the presence of various self-managed and institutional projects that have kept the community of urban and graffiti artists active, allowing for their professionalization as producers of art and transformers of spaces. This has all led to a real explosion in bombing and urban art in Querétaro.

How has the store’s opening been received on the scene? 

It’s been great! Opening day was a success. We welcomed graffiti writers mainly from the city of Querétaro and its surroundings, we offered a special opening-day discount attracting Montana customers and new prospects, there was music thanks to Diego Afro’s DJing, and BBoys from the city also came, and we made a collaborative painting where all the attendees could try the range of Montana aerosols. 

We were joined by Jonathan Sanchez who created an activation with different products from the brand. Everyone who came to the event was happy and excited about the arrival of the Montana Shop to Querétaro, and today we have active participation on social medial with people tagging us when they test their products and visit the store.

What do you think will be the most popular products? 

There has been a secondary market for Montana products in the city of Querétaro and surrounding areas for some time. These re-sellers get their products from many different places, bring them to the city, and sell them at highly inflated prices. The products sold in this way include, from most to least popular: caps, blacks, whites, primaries, chrome colors, sketchbooks, followed by alternate presentations such as Alien, MADMAXXX and the like. 

Since opening day of Montana Shop Querétaro, we have noticed interest in merchandise and apparel as well as special products that occupy the brand image. 

Plus, when it comes to results, most customers come in groups to mainly buy Montana 94 or Hardcore (the anniversary version especially), and inevitably they get a variety of caps that they can now be sure are the real deal. 

From this information it is our perception that the flow of customers is attracted by the most exclusive products to Montana as a brand, but once in store and surrounded by options they invest most of their money in the most balanced offers of the catalog. Going forward, our inventories will likely consist mostly of 94, followed by Hardcore, backed by a variety of specialty products that may attract interest in addition to the full caps catalog.

There are several works by graffiti artists in the store. What can you tell us about them? 

The main murals, on the store façade and ceiling, were created by our talented friends Goal Maya and Ryper One, renowned artists on the Querétaro scene. Along with us, they have left their mark at the Museum of Urban Art in Mexico and have sold pieces at Sotheby’s in New York, among other outstanding achievements. 

The exterior mural adorning the entire façade skillfully combines spray cans with feathered snakes, tags and bombs, alongside elements of nature and engraved stone, to create a fusion of identity symbols on the wall. It looks as though the tlacuilos—the ancient painters—used sprays to transform the store, intertwining original Mexican identities with the urban modernity of graffiti. 

When you walk through the main doors, covered with a wild collage of stickers from all over the city, you are greeted by four impressive guardian dragons who preside over a starry sky, covering the ceiling of the entire store. Between them, there is a graffiti-covered train flying in a spiral around what appears to be a sun, a cosmic impact or great eye. This piece is inspired by the impact of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet, which occurred in 1994, the year both Montana and Incusa were founded.

What contact do you have with the rest of the MTN Shops in Mexico? 

We have sent messages introducing ourselves as the most recent Montana Shop to our colleagues in the mountains of Monterrey, CDMX and Puebla. We hope to connect with them and maybe collaborate on future projects.

What do you think MTN products offer to the Mexican scene that other spray brands do not?

Quality, technology, reputation and affinity. 

Montana offers high-quality products that are relatively accessible for both urban artists and the general public, which sets it apart from more specialized brands that are heavily limited to professional niches. This puts it in a strong position in Querétaro, a fast-growing city recently recognized as a UNESCO City of Design, with an ever-growing graffiti scene. 

With 13 years of experience in the creation of urban art in the city, Montana Colors is the brand that best synchronizes with our knowledge and experience. Its variety of products focused on aerosol technology allows us to offer unparalleled options in the city. In particular, its PRO line opens up potential opportunities in the professional maintenance market, a sector that Incusa serves extensively. 

In addition to its quality and variety, Montana Colors is a universally recognized brand in the aerosol world for the excellence of its products and the diversity of uses they offer. However, what distinguishes it even more is its affinity with graffiti, its closeness to its history and its ability to convey a sense of professionalism and creativity to those who use it. Montana Colors is a symbol that distinguishes those who choose it as high-level creators.