4 El Paso Stores That Your Parents Shopped At But Are Gone Now
Back in the day, El Paso had some really great stores that our parents, and maybe your grandparents, shopped at. Things were different back then - we didn't just swing by Walmart or Target for a gallon of milk, a bottle of wine, a set of tires, a goldfish, and some summer clothes for the kids. We had to shop at a lot of different stores for all that stuff and more.
Over the holidays, I was on a phone call with a friend who no longer lives in El Paso and we got to talking about all the great stores that we used to shop at that have long since closed down. Here are some of the ones we remembered and why we loved them so much:
Beaujolais - Yeah, I'm starting this list with a wine store. This amazing little wine shop on Mesa near Kern was a real local gem. The employees knew a lot about their product and could help you pick out an amazing bottle for any occasion. It was also very old world but hip at the same time.
Cashway - This forerunner of home improvement stores was like a wonderland to me when I was a little kid. It had a huge slice of a tree with little tags that told of the events that were happening that corresponded to the rings in the tree. At Christmastime, they had the prettiest real trees for sale in the parking lot and gorgeous decorations. During the summer, it was the place to go for a backyard grill, wood chips for added flavor to your 'que, and a lawnmower to keep your yard looking good.
Tiny Tots - This kid's store was, if I remember correctly, on Montana, but I was a tiny tot when we used to go there, so I might be wrong. I do remember, however, that they used to have a big door for adults to go through and a little door for, well, tiny tots to walk through. Back before BabiesRUs, Tiny Tots was the ish for people with tiny tots.
Lomart - I've written about this grocery store before. You can read about it here. It was an old school grocery store with an authentic German/French bakery attached to it. I grew up going there with my mom when ladies wore rollers in their hair covered with a scarf, and then graduated to shopping there myself when I got a little older. It was amazing and people who live in Cielo Vista still talk about how much we wish it was right around the corner.
What were your favorite stores that are no longer around?