PALOMAS, Mexico — There is no mistaking The Pink Store, because it is very, very pink. As in Pepto Bismol, Barbie-accessory, Pink Panther, bubble-gum pink.
And that’s a good thing, because from the American side of the border, it’s comforting to be able to pick out your destination and make a beeline for it.
Not that the crossing from Columbus, N.M., to Palomas, Mexico, is unsafe, but you should be as aware and alert as you would be during any other travel experience. And let’s just say that you, gringo, will be asked a few times if you would like to buy something.
But it is all very friendly, although not nearly as friendly as the reception upon arrival at what really is the reason for being here: The Pink Store.
“Would you like a margarita?” someone will ask you upon entrance, and those are free and tasty, served in little plastic cups edged with salt, and the staff will keep ’em coming as long as you are shopping this vast, colorful emporium of handcrafted Mexican products.
Owned by Sergio and Ivonne Romero, who often can be found wandering among the merchandise or in the on-site restaurant, The Pink Store is in its second, much larger location. For 18 years, it has been a mecca for retirees and RVers from El Paso; Tucson; Deming, N.M.; and other Southwestern cities and towns, places where folks set up their second or retirement homes and then set about furnishing them with all things inexpensive and Mexican.
Which is exactly what The Pink Store specializes in, from carved-wood furniture to painted pottery, santos and statues, retablos, sombreros, crosses and pots, blankets, ornaments, dishware, glassware and jewelry, tortilla-warmers, Mexican vanilla extract, and a nice line of Dia de los Muertos figurines and dioramas.
The Pink Store has been so successful that the Romeros funded a dentistry and pharmacy across the plaza — there’s a large furniture store connected to The Pink Store, as well — and they are well known for their hospitality to folks from both sides of the border.
“We like to take care of people no matter where they are from,” Sergio said, after we invited him to sit down with us at lunch. “That’s what has been so wonderful about having a place like this, the meeting of cultures over food and cervezas and good conversation.”
Ivonne does a lot of the buying for the store — many of the items are made by people the couple have spent time with in their travels around Mexico, and they have stories about all of them — and she keeps a close eye on making sure customers’ needs are met, such as when she checked for me to see if I had time to shop while my lunch was being cooked.
The food in the restaurant is some of the best I’ve had on either side of the border: hand- mashed guacamole, spicy shredded pork, roasted chiles packed with cheese and deep- fried, chicken-stuffed enchiladas smothered in long- simmered red chile. Then take your margarita and shop a little more.
On my way back across the border, the customs officials took one look at my bulging plastic bags and laughed. Yep, I had a good time at The Pink Store.
The details
The Pink Store, Ave. 5 de Mayo 113, Palomas, Mexico, 505-531-7243. The Pink Store is just south of Columbus, N.M., on New Mexico 11. There is a parking lot on the U.S. side of the border and street parking next to the store. According to the U.S. Department of State, until June 1, 2009, U.S. citizens traveling over land into Mexico need a photo I.D. and proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate. After June 1, 2009, a passport will be required. Upon return to the United States, you must declare your purchases.
