What should we name the store?
Yeah, I’ve been thinking about this. How about … “VALLEY SUPERMARKET”?
SUPERmarket?? It’s not a supermarket. Smith’s in Taos is a supermarket. Albertsons in Santa Fe is a supermarket.
No, no, no, wait a second. This is big, man, this is huge. Our store is gonna be the biggest one this town has seen. It’s a supermarket, man.
Dude, truth in advertising. We can’t call it something it’s not!
Oh, and what do you think it is… a mini-mart??
Exactly! “Valley Mini-Mart.”
Give me a break! We’re gonna stock, what?, six brands of bread! Circle K doesn’t stock six brands of bread…7/11 probably carries two.
Well, I’m not gonna call it a supermarket. Just ain’t gonna happen.
Well, it ain’t no mini-mart, that’s for sure.
OK, wait, we can make this work. Come on, we’ve gotten this far, haven’t we? Surely we can come up with something that satisfies both of us.
Yeah, you’re right. We’ll figure it out. We always do. Come on, man, I’ll buy you a Coke at the Gas-A-Mat and we can think about it some more.
Super-ettes and other Oxymorons, grocery store sign in Española, NM, photos © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
Fun post, ybonesy. I like the title, too, and the way the puzzle is solved with the last photo. 8)
I laughed when I read it because when I was reading the Louise Erdrich book yesterday – Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country – she talks about how she is supposed to meet her friends in a small town (I think it was way up on the northern tip of MN or else a bit into Canada – part of the story takes place in Canada) at a Super-something gas station. And when she got there, the stations all had similar names and looked alike, and she didn’t have the address. So she just kept driving by all of them, trying to find her friends.
I also have fond memories of Smith’s in Taos, because they had everything I forgot to bring with me to Taos on writing retreats. It was fun to remember Smith’s.
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QM, I thought you might appreciate the mention of Smiths in Taos 8) . BTW, Taos also has an Albertsons and a WalMart, but they did strike down the planned Super WalMart on the South end of town.
I love the names of gas stations and grocery stores in small towns. The idea of multiple Super-something gas stations rings so true. We were smiling at all the names of places yesterday. I love Gas-A-Mats, for some reason. It’s one of those words I can say again and again.
BTW, some made-up names I absolutely can’t stand. For example, the word “webinar” — which is a web-based seminar. I even have the word scribbled on a piece of paper in my purse. I’ve been meaning to do a post about made-up words. Well, I guess I’ll just blow my post in comments. Compared to “webinar,” “Superette” is superior, don’t you think?
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LOL! I always wondered where the word “superette” came from.
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I like the word Gas-A-Mat, too. When I was at the Walker at the beginning of May, they had this artist’s photography up in one of the galleries — he had taken giant photographs of Circle K’s that had been turned into other things – tattoo parlors, tailor shops, etc. It was so dramatic to see the ways that the buildings were reused. I wish I could remember his name. I’ll look it up later.
Yes, I miss Smith’s in Taos. I bought a couple of refrigerator magnets from there that remind me of Taos. 8) Albertson’s is okay. Aren’t they still family owned? We used to have them when I lived in Montana. But WalMart – I don’t like to go there. I did make an exception on a December retreat in Taos when I didn’t have enough room to pack a good pair of boots on the plane, and later found out I needed them. I still have them.
Webinar is a strange word. I agree. Something more original is in order, don’t you think?
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Smith’s! The store that wouldn’t sell me beer — because my 36-year-old *** forgot my ID — then threw my friend out because she was wearing my shoes! Yes! I LOVE Smith’s!
Superette: noun. Backwoods version of a cheap motel chain.
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So many Smith’s fans among us ; – ). It’s a wonder these superettes survive (although I hope they continue to).
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I also love any story that ends with -rama.
You gotta wonder . . . after all that work to come up with Superette, does anyone in town NOT call it simply “the store?”
Brian
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The town has grown a lot in the past five or so years, so now there are “big box” stores and supermarkets. Those are on the other end of town, however, so for people over on this side of town, yup, I bet the Valley Superette is known as “the store.” Or, “the store across from Mustang Gas.”
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QM, I’m not sure if Albertsons is family owned still. All I know is that in our family we call them “Albert’s daughters” (silly, I know).
A couple of the converted Circle Ks that I’ve seen around these parts: a head shop (smoking paraphernalia) and a swim school (that Em got kicked out of when she was 2).
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Great dialogue. Gave me a laugh.
I was just trying to come up with dialogue of my own, but wasn’t near as successful. You’d probably do better,
k, imagine you have three girl m&m’s and three boy m&m’s….
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Funny stuff yb. I’d like to have a look around the Superette
There’s a Walmart in Taos? Ah geez…
First Dennis Hopper…now Walmart!
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LOL, amuirin. I’m not so good at M&M dialogue. But I have always had a fascination with these mom & pop businesses and how they come up with their names. In fact, a long time ago we had a local donut shop called “Bosa Donuts.” We loved saying it, number one, and we loved imagining where the name came from. I made up a whole story about this couple, Bob and Sally Baca and how they considered the name “Baca Donuts,” and then “Bob & Sally Donuts.” How they liked the way Baca Donuts was short and easy to remember. Then Sally suggests Bosa as a shortened version of Bob & Sally.
I don’t even know if the donut shop is still around, but we convinced a whole bunch of people that it was owned by a guy named Bob and his wife Sally. 8)
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No, Heather, the order is this:
First Dennis Hopper
…then that guy whose name is something like Val Kimer (sorry, senior moment)
…then Donald Rumsfield
…then Julia Roberts
and *then* WalMart… 8) 8)
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I love the dialogue – you must have been eavesdropping. 🙂 I haven’t been to Taos in 10 years – it’s on my travel route this fall, a 3 week extravaganza to take photos and camp. Sounds like I won’t recognize it – too bad.
I love little towns, especially when they call their groceries super-ettes!
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I enjoyed that. I read slowly, savoring the dialogue, waiting for the punch line and then, boom, there was the picture that said it all. I travel to Florida several times a year and one of the gas station chains I stop at is called El Cheapo. My ex used to call me that back in the day. Just because I was tight with a dollar.
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I bet it’s not El Cheapo these days (the gas station, not you 8) ). I’m cheapo, too, Jackie.
That is a great name, though. There’s one in Santa Fe called El Ice Plant, or something like that. It makes you chuckle when you see the trucks on the road.
Bo, cool that you’ll hit Taos on your 3-week extravaganza. It’s still gorgeous and wonderful and not nearly as celebrity-tainted as Santa Fe. Lots of Taosenos and hippies and regular folk.
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If a super-ette is a small supermarket, is a majorette a small major or a brunette a small brun?
My favorite “stop & rob” (aka inconvenient convenience store) in this area is “Kum & Go” which seems somehow obscene.
My favorite local moving company is “Two Men & a Truck.” And that’s what you get when you hire them, 2 men and a truck.
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People around me are probably wondering why I’m laughing. The name on that inconvenient convenience store is just hilarious. It does seem obscene, but maybe it was started back in the days before the word in question entered the lexicon.
Now you’ve got me curious about the origins of the word “brunette.”
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ybonesy,
The internet (you have to love it) says that “brunette” is the French feminine form of the masculine word “brunet” with is a diminutive form of the word “brune” or “brun” for brown. So in a way a brunette is a small version of a brun.
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Interesting. I wonder if the name Bruno also derives from brun. But yes, little bruns.
Hey, maybe a superette is a female supermarket. 8) In which case, it could have been named Gigi Superette.
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Hey YB! I haven’t stopped by in way too long. Loved! this one, especially the way you wrapped it up with the photo. Too fun!
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Hey, jules, good to hear from you. Glad you liked it. Stop in more often!! I’ll check in at your place more often, too.
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[…] are highlights from our “trip-ette” and some of the ways we cut […]
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[…] painter pants, and feathered hair transformed me into a Farrah-Fawcetted flannelette superette.) View […]
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I know Valley Superette has been around since 1962 and was owned by a WW2 Veteran. He often was heard whistling down isles as he dusted and faced his items. It is a family friendly store and donates to Schools,police and sports leagues. I love the cold beer and Rib eye steaks. Ok I love the t-bones n mama loves the Rib eye . It is one of if not the number one Budweiser seller in New Mexico as far as Bud employees have bragged about but miller and coors are actually colder.
Gotta love the store or as we call it “Valley”. I have often offered to buy it but its a gold mine that is out of my field so far.
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Hey, john, thanks for stopping by and giving some real history about the store. I’m glad to hear it’s still doing a strong business and hasn’t been run out by the big chains. It’s a real landmark for Espanola, a mile marker that tells you where you are when you’re coming in from Santa Fe.
Also, it seems like the community grocery stores always give back, like you said, to the schools and police and sports leagues.
There are a couple of landmark stores and restaurants here in Albuquerque that I’d love to own. A place on the old Camino Rael (aka 4th Street) called El Camino. It’s a fabulous restaurant, recently bought by a new owner. She must have had a lot of money, because I’m sure it’s a profitable business. The locals are very loyal to it.
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In response to Robin. Superette means a small version of a super store. I know wally world is building these so it may be called Valley Wallette.
Which is what I walk out with after leaving wallyworld, a empty wallet. Everything is strategically placed so you buy what is not really needed and can’t we all relate to that occurrence?
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lol i like your analogy on wally world Mr Naranjo!I recently went down the street to wal mart cuz i needed trash bags!After about an hour i left with 120 dollars worth of random stuff including a movie i could have rented,a second iron,picture frame,smell good stix etc….Wish i would have just stoped at Valley Superette!I would trade all the junk i bought for some truely fresh cut steaks instead of the crapy Hamburger Helper i had that night!
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This is exactly the reason I haven’t yet signed up for a membership at Cost Co. And Walmart is exactly the same—another Wal-ette eater. 8)
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I agree with you ybonesy!I think we should stick to the local friendly get to know them they get to know you superettes in our communities!A trip to wally world on occasion with a list n maybe some blinders may just bring this good old economy back from the bottom!I know i would rather give my money to the cool local grocer on the corner that could share a good joke or story than add to an economic empire!You know how was your weekend ybonesy? type talk!We as americans do need to save thus back to basic theory is really not so bad as to say even beter for us socially. Back to the valley superette topic>I know for a fact that this is one of those home owned,hey hows it going businesses!I stop there when going from Rio Rancho to Taos sking or just on occasion for meat and to talk with the friendly people!It is a great place n i hope it lasts forever!
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Yeah, Espanola wouldn’t be the same without the Valley Superette, RJ. In Rio Rancho, no superettes, so when I’m there I go to Smiths on 528 and Sara. I like their sushi station, which I was surprised to see in a Smiths. But man, that place is always so crowded; the parking is a mess.
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Valley Superette is my hometown store sung to the albert son jingle. Lol
So on my way to Santa Fe I stopped in and grabbed a bottled water and wanted a fresh lemon. The cashier ran to the grocery section as I went in the liquor store, and brought me a Large lemon. I would have left without it but without asking the cashier quickly had one in my hand. That would never happen at the other stores in Espanola. The next person behind me said it was the store for great lemons and I usually get steaks and beer there but the produce was fresh and so good. My enamel is good so I didn’t worry about a one time lemon. So thumbs up for the nice lady who reached thru the air and brought back a lemon.
One day that store will be mine and every employee will stay especially that cashier.
All I need is to find that rainbow with the pot of gold. Another place that makes you right at home is Sierra taxidermy where I take my trophies to get mounted. The owners really down to Earth and has eben opened the door on a Sunday for me. What a life saver.
Espanola is full of great small businesses and its so cool to help a Home owned biz. It may or may not cost as much as a box store but I wouldn’t change a thing. There should be a Places to go Book for Espanola
. The Paragua Restraunt is top notch also as far as taste and atmosphere. For fast food the good old Stop n Eat is a landmark which I hope will be around for ever.
Well let’s find other great spots people cuz it all began with the “Ette” phrase and has grown quite a bit. Hats off to the initial blogger
. I wonder if the Chamber of Commerce has already done this.. Till next time.
Adíos amigos.
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