Welcome to my web site!
This is a web site on my business
Highway 518 MM12
Sapello, NM 87745
9-6 on Sunday’s
8 to 7 Monday thru Saturday
505-425-8094
Midway Service
Station in Sapello, NM has been a family owned business since 1926. It was not
only a grocery and liquor store it also had a dance hall. Leopoldo (Leo)
Archuleta and Maria Valdez-Archuleta, from Rociada, first started the station in
1926 and operated it until 1949. Jose Aniceto Archuleta, Leo’s father purchased
the property for them. The business started as a 1 room house. This was during
the depression and money and resources were very scarce, Leo and Mary would go
to Ledoux, El Carmen, and Murphy Canyon to trade groceries, powder, and
lipsticks etc. for chickens, apples, and other farm products. Leo and Mary were
blessed with four children, Corina, Josephine, Estella “Viola”, and Leo, Jr.,
only one survived the others died from pneumonia, spinal meningitis, and Leo,
Jr. died from inhalation of fumes from a fire. Only Estella “Viola”
Archuleta-Martinez survived and is still living. A garden was made yearly; the
produce sweet corn, apples, peas, and wood were sold in Las Vegas house to house
to supplement the stores income. Viola as a child had to help hoe the garden,
sell the produce, and bring the milk cow named “Bossie” from across the road to
have fresh milk, and for making butter and cream. When Viola wanted ice cream
she had to go get the ice from the creek, now known as the Sapello River. The
Sapello River also supplied the water that they used. When the winter months
arrived wood was used to heat the business and to cook, meaning that wood had to
be cut, chopped, and brought in. Viola recalls when they would have dances
they would have to charge the Delco Plant batteries, 16 batteries with carbide
that had to be filled with distilled water for an hour, to have light. There
was no electricity in those days, no electrical appliances such as toasters,
refrigerators, etc. Food was preserved by using salt, canning it, or drying
it. The gas was pumped by hand, no electrical pumps.
In 1949, Viola had
grown into a lovely lady and was married to Frutoso “Tito” Martinez; they now
bought the business from Leo and Maria, with a $4,000 inventory they operated
the business until 1978. Times were still difficult and money was scarce, they
also would travel to the country to buy animal furs and sell them in Las Vegas
at Taichert’s Fur. Tito and Viola were blessed with three children, Josephine,
Carlos, and Orlando. Viola would make fiesta dresses and sell them at the store
to make additional money. The groceries for the store were purchased in Las
Vegas from Gross Kelly’s warehouse. Viola’s dad, Leo, co-signed for them to
receive credit to purchase the groceries for the store. Things did get easier
than before with electricity, as time traveled forward we had lights, freezers,
cash registers, electric pumps for the gas, inside facilities. Tito passed
away in 1984.
In 1979 to the
present, Carlos and Orlando, bought the store from their parents and have
continued to operate the business. The majority of the old timers have passed on
and we are now serving their children and grandchildren. Things have changed
drastically, the inventory has increased, and the technology has improved. The
regulations have become so bureaucratic that it makes it difficult for a small
business to survive. Chevron is our gas supplier, and we have to keep up with
the environmental regulations concerning gas and tanks, we have satellite dishes
in order to sell lottery, we still sell fresh produce when it is available, we
do most of our grocery purchasing in Santa Fe and Albuquerque at Sam’s and Price
Club, making it difficult because we have to haul our own inventory since we are
not large enough, and GDI, Creamland, Pepsi, Coke, Coors, and Bud also supply us
with groceries and liquor. We would like for our business to continue to grow,
prosper, and be family owned and operated.
We
support educational scholarships by selling lottery, we sponsors several
projects-fundraisers throughout the year for Sapello, Mora, East and West Las
Vegas Schools, and other community events.
Since we are a
general convenience store we sell a little of everything. We carry
Wolverine work boots,
Chevron Gas and oil products,
NM Lottery, we also sell
fishing and hunting license and
supplies, red chile ristras and powder, habas, chicos, blow guns, and cross
bows, and those items you forgot to buy in town like milk, ice, eggs, and
cigarettes.
by
for a soda or some jerky when you are in the neighborhood, we are open from 8 to
7
Monday thru Saturday, 9-6 on Sunday’s. We appreciate your patronage.
Hablamos espanol.
E-Mail me anytime with comments
sapello2003@yahoo.com
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This page was last updated on 11/24/03.
