Owner Of Legendary East El Paso Grocery Store And Bakery, Lomart, Dies

A gentleman who brought a lot of joy to the Cielo Vista neighborhood, and later the westside, has passed away. Mr. Carl Lorey, who owned Lomart on McRae and then later on N. Mesa, has died.

I grew up in Cielo Vista and going to Lomart was a huge treat. The grocery store was straight out of Ozzie and Harriet with ladies from the neighborhood going there to shop in full-on 70s regalia like rollers in their hair with diaphanous scarves tied around their heads to cover them up. Kids knew not to run around and cause problems because someone else's mom would scold them and tell them to behave. The cashiers knew your mom by sight and usually by name. And Mr. Lorey would be standing in his little office area by the registers, looking over the short walls to make sure everything was running smoothly, or opening the door to walk over to a register to approve a check and smile at a customer.

I didn't know him, but I knew his smile and his wonderful way with customers. My mom loved that place, and I did too. When I got old enough to drive, I always felt very grown up when I would run to Lomart to pick something up for my mom. And when Mr. Lorey put in the bakery, well, that changed the whole game! There were exotic offerings like pate and croissants, amazing breads, and the smell of delicious pastries wafting through air. At Christmas, stollen and other European delights tempted us to go in as often as we could to sit down and indulge. I will always treasure the memories of meeting my Seti at Lomart for coffee and roll, or a beautifully prepared deli sandwich. I would give my right arm to be able to do that just one more time.

Lomart and the bakery were magical places, and not having them around makes the world a sadder place. Thank you, Mr. Lorey for your lovely grocery store and bakery, and for your ability to make such a mundane task as grocery shopping something that my family still reminisces about.

We will never see the likes of Lomart again, nor the likes of the kindly Mr. Lorey. Rest in peace, sir, and thanks for the memories.