Month: September 2022

There’s no doubt that the pandemic has changed the way we grocery shop. For some, ordering both perishable and non perishable items online has become the way to go. Perhaps you’re a big fan of Amazon subscribe and save. If you do go to the grocery store, you’d best be prepared to play hide and seek with the items on your list. In fact, if you really want to know where to find something, ask the nearest employee pushing an online ordering cart in front of them. Personal shoppers are now a staple of the grocery industry and chances are, they’ve already had to seek and find everything you’d ever want to locate!

Nowadays, local Los Alamos grocery shopping is limited to either the Smith’s in White Rock, or the one in Los Alamos. Our Los Alamos Smith’s has been expanded to include retail that resembles a super Walmart, which is actually a pretty nice perk. But if you haven’t been in the area for long, you might be surprised to discover that there used to be more than one grocery store chain in town.

Piggly Wiggly

Before the Black Hole or the current plans for beautiful new housing at Arkansas Place, there was a grocery store. If any of you can remember exactly when this market opened, please feel free to comment. If asked, most long time residents who recall the Piggly Wiggly at 4015 Arkansas Avenue can’t actually remember it not being there. Some folks called it the Tom & Jerry Market because of the mural painted on the Arkansas facing side of the building depicting the famous cartoon cat and mouse. It’s possible that the store was operated independently for a short time after Piggly Wiggly pulled the franchise, but that hasn’t been confirmed. Whatever its name, the grocery store was still around in the 80’s before closing and eventually becoming the Black Hole. If you live at that “end” of town, you can imagine just how handy it was to have a small grocery store option in the area.

Ed’s Market

If you ask Yelp, Ed’s Food Market at 1183 Diamond Drive is still open for business. Considering the space is primarily occupied by Gracie Barra Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Los Alamos Social Services, you’re probably not going to be able to swing by for a gallon of milk after work. Not long after the Smith’s Marketplace opened, Ed’s Food Market closed its doors. Back when the store was still operating, it certainly made a handy place for high schoolers to pool their funds and pick up snacks or meals. The mom and pop grocery store was owned and operated by a local Los Alamos family, the Kindsfathers. With kids in the local school district playing sports and participating in activities, Ed’s was a great example of a small business involved in the community.

Safeway

Before the big Smith’s Marketplace, the “main” grocery chain in Los Alamos was located over in the MariMac Plaza. The space is vacant now, although it is still owned by Kroger. Most of us are marginally aware of this as it becomes a hot topic off and on in regards to what amenities might possibly go into the enormous space.

Back in the early days of the Mari Mac Plaza when Revco and TG&Y occupied the other storefronts, more about that HERE, the grocery store anchor was Safeway. Sometime in the nineties the store was absorbed into the Furr’s Supermarket chain before Kroger took the store in hand and opened the second Smith’s in Los Alamos County. Interestingly enough, even while the store in Los Alamos was changing names, signage, and being remodeled, the White Rock Smith’s was pretty much exactly as it is today.

Los Alamos now hosts both the Co-op Market and Natural Grocers along with Smith’s. When we’re bemoaning the loss of some of our smaller grocery options, it’s important to remember that our small town isn’t the only one going through these ups and downs with the merchandise industry. Towns all over America are changing with the times. Perhaps its time for all of us to get involved at the local level and get excited about things to come! And when you’re ready to talk Real Estate in Los Alamos, give me a call. I’m your hometown real estate broker!

No matter where you live, shopping for a car is always a significant experience. It can be positive or negative, but for many it’s a rite of passage. And here in Los Alamos, a good number of locals remember starting to shop for their first ride on the Lemon Lot.

For anyone who doesn’t know, the Lemon Lot is the portion of the Sullivan Field parking lot situated on the corner of Trinity and Diamond Drives. For quite a long time, this southern section of the parking lot was just overflow parking for the football field. At some point in Los Alamos history, local folks began to park cars there when it was time to look for a buyer. Because the lot is somewhat located in front of the Methodist Church, some locals have been known to refer to this setup as “Methodist Motors”.

Why a lot full of used cars? As we all know, Los Alamos doesn’t have the population numbers to support a full scale car dealership. At various points in our town’s evolution, there have been one or two used car lots in town. In the eighties there was a small lot operating out of what is now Chiliworks. For a very short period of time another small outfit ran a lot down on DP Road. There have probably been more than a few that are outside my memory. But the Lemon Lot has been the only consistent place to car shop in Los Alamos.

The Lemon Lot was so well known that it made a notable appearance in Judy Blume’s 1981 novel, Tiger Eyes, where the author reports, “Anyone who wants to sell a car in Los Alamos parks it here and potential buyers come to see what’s available.” If you’ve never read the book, it was targeted to a young adult audience and set almost entirely in Los Alamos. While the descriptions of town are rather outdated now, it was pretty accurate back in the day.

In the early days of the Lemon Lot there was no permit required. At some point Los Alamos County assumed management of the operation. Permits began to be required. First just to keep the number of vehicles from being overwhelming. Then the county began to require proof of ownership in order to park a car on the lot. I’m sure you can imagine why that rule went into effect!

Beginning in August 2021, permits can now be obtained online! This is great news for anyone wanting to sell a car. It’s a rather interesting shift in our culture that parking, getting out of your vehicle, and actually going inside our stylish County Municipal Building in order to speak with customer care and get your permit is such a hassle.

And by the way, while the name Lemon Lot is rather self explanatory, the origin probably isn’t what you think. It has nothing to do with a yellow fruit looking good on the outside and being sour on the inside. The word “lemon” in this context comes from the Middle English lymon, which meant “something that proves to be defective”.

Of course, buying a used car is always a bit of a gamble. To be honest, buying a new vehicle can be a gamble too. Historically, the Lemon Lot has hosted a variety of cars, trucks, motorcycles, and RVs. Prices tend to be extremely reasonable or rather outrageous. But when shopping, you’ll want to keep in mind that the value of any vehicle is directly related to what someone is willing to pay for it. Maybe not you, but somebody. And the Lemon Lot is a fantastic place to discover unusual or hard to find vehicles that have likely been sitting in someone’s garage for decades or more.

If you’re a local looking for a car, I’ll probably see you around the Lemon Lot. After all, I’ve got some kiddos getting ready to get behind the wheel altogether too soon! And when you’re ready to talk buying and selling real estate in Los Alamos, I’m your hometown real estate broker! Give me a call! I’d love to chat with you.