RATON, NM—I rattled into Raton and immediately headed for the old downtown area looking for a hotel in the historic district. The historic district is not that big, and it quickly became obvious that there were no hotels in the area at all, so I did what a good many travelers do, headed for the McDonald’s for a cup of coffee and the free wifi.
TripAdvisor has become the Go-To search engine for lodging and restaurants…especially lodging. Hmmmm….top three motels in Raton according to customer ratings: 1. Best Western – $126. 2. Holiday Inn Express – $137. 3. Budget Host Melody Lane Motel – $64.
I don’t know about you, but I went to check out the Budget Host Melody Lane. It was only two blocks from the downtown area. The rooms had been recently remodeled, re-furnished, re-carpeted, and they were spotless. The bathroom was brand new. Nice bed. Okay, I’ll take it.
The motel owner/manager Sam Bhatt gets it. Maybe because he is only 23 years old. The days of driving into town and stopping at several motels to find the right room and price are gone. Travelers are using TripAdvisor…either on their smart phones or a computer. Motels are rated according to customer satisfaction…and it matters!
When he bought this place it was rated the #1 independent motel in town. He aims to keep it that way. By the way, some of the rooms come with a “ThemaSol Steam Bath.” He says 20 minutes of that and a tourist sleeps like a baby.
That settled, I drove downtown. The main drag, 2nd St., didn’t seem to have much going on so I went over to 1st St., next to the railroad tracks. This used to be the most exciting place in Raton. However, the coffee shop was closed. Through a window next door I saw a saddle maker at work and decided that at the moment he was the most exciting development around. A sign in the shape of a boot hung above the door. “Solano Shoe Shop,” it read. I went in.
It was more than a shoe repair shop. It was sort of like Dan’s Boots and Saddles up on 4th St. in Albuquerque’s north valley. Lots of work clothes. Lots of fancy clothes. I decided I needed a hat and asked for assistance. I got assistance and advice about everything to do with cowboy hats. Eventually I ended up with a straw hat. It’s made out of palm leaf. My salesperson Mariann Waddell said it was very durable.
There’s quite a bit to fitting a cowboy hat correctly. It’s not just the size, it’s also the shape of the oval as well as how high the crown is. Otherwise it may sit down on your head all the way, but still not be pulled far enough down on your head to keep the wind from blowing it off. I have a feeling that the cowboys of this northeastern part of New Mexico know a thing or two about wind.
Sandy Solano-Langan runs the store. She is the daughter of the man I had seen through the window, Andy Solano. Between Sandy and Mariann they steamed and shaped, dried and tweaked, pulled and scrunched and finally that hat fit perfectly. Mariann showed me how to put it on and take it off. She showed my how to set it upside down, not right side up. Sandy said that if I got it wet in the rain or sweat too much to just wear it until it dried and it would stay in its perfect shape.
I love that hat. I think it makes me look boss. She asked me if I wanted a discount. I couldn’t hear exactly what it was for. Meanwhile Sandy Solano-Langan was waiting on a young man who was buying boots. He was with his fiance. Their names were Elise and Ryan and are getting married in September.
“Let me give you the Bride & Groom discount,” said Sandy.
I wandered into the repair shop where Andy Solano was working. He opened this store in 1956, that’s 59 years ago. He’s 83 years old.
He fought in Korea, and said that after the war he learned his trade as part of the G.I. Bill. It was on-the-job training and the government paid another leather repair man to take Andy as an apprentice. “It didn’t take too long to learn it—it’s kind of common sense,” he said.
A local rancher named Bob was hanging out in the shop. Andy has lots of friends. He said most of his customers live on ranches away from the town. “There were four repair shops when I bought the place. I’m the only one now.”
What Andy said might be the theme of this trip to the northeast corner of New Mexico. Times have indeed changed. Where there were four shops, there now is one. Where there were 100 high school seniors, there now are 39. It is a new reality. But some, like Sam Bhatt with his refurbished motel and high online rating, may thrive.
People still live in this country. Others love to visit. Let’s get busy.
