Palomas and the Pink Store

  Palomas is just across the border from Columbus, NM. It’s a small town without all of the traffic and visitors that the larger border towns receive. Many of the buildings are empty, the result of years of fights for dominance by drug cartels. Things have calmed down over the last few years and the town has recovered somewhat. Our friend, Shane, who has been visiting Palomas since he was a teenager, was a great tour guide. We ate lunch at Taqueria Gamez, a spotless family run restaurant, where everyone speaks Spanish so Shane did all of the translating. We heard gringos mentioned in there somewhere. :– D The main attraction in Palomas is the Pink Store but we also stopped to see a little stone church and the statue of Poncho Villa.

   

   The Pink Store, one of the first buildings after crossing the border, is a bright spot, figuratively and literally. Opened almost 30 years ago by Ivonne and Sergio Romero, the Pink Store is stocked with colorful ceramics, silver, jewelry, and folk art from Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Queretaro and other areas of Mexico. A very popular restaurant is located at the far end of the store. Dentists, optometrists, drug stores, and larger pieces of merchandise can be found in Pink Store Plaza, around the corner from the main store.

   The border crossing is under construction so the walking route  is rough but should be completely accessible when it’s finished.  The Pink Store is accessible and the employees are quick to offer help if it is needed. The sidewalks in the rest of the town are very rough with missing curb cuts. Visitors using wheelchairs or scooters will have a hard time.

     

   Any RV will fit in the large dirt parking lot on the right just before the border crossing. There’s a $5.00 fee but the collection box is missing so for now there’s no charge. The port of entry is opened 24/7. Don’t forget your passport! Store  31.78663, -107.62927