Welcome to R&R Supermarket, which lies in the historic town of San Luis Colorado. Opened in 1857, this fully functioning grocery story is the oldest continually functioning business in the entire state. And did I mention that it’s still run by the same family?
Photo courtesy of Sanluispreservation.com
In 1850, Dario Gallegos and Maria Eulogia married, and seven years later, they opened up R&R Supermarket together. Three years later, they had their first and only child, Genoveva Gallegos.
Since it was the 1800s, they could not give ownership of the store to their daughter, but when she married Antonio Alcario at the age of fourteen (again, it was the 1800s), he became a partner in the store.
From there, the family tree goes dark for awhile, but it is clear that the store remained within the hands of the family. In the present, the store is still being run like a good old-fashioned mom and pop shop.
Photo courtesy of Sanluispreservation.com
R&R Supermarket, which still only has a single location in Colorado, is currently owned and run by the founder’s great-grandson Felix Romero and his wife Claudia. In fact, in 2007, the AFI Stockholders presented Claudia, Felix, and his mother Joyce Gallegos-Romero with an award for the store’s 150th anniversary.
Although R&R supermarket lies within a historic town, it’s more than just a tourist stop. It still acts as a fully-functional store where you can get all of your groceries as well as a cold drink at the old-timey soda fountain.
Photo courtesy of Sanluispreservation.com
Like any good mom and pop shop, the store has no website and a barely used Facebook page. To see what it is all about, you’ll just have to take an actual visit. Trader Joe’s may be great for college students and Whole Foods may be opening cheaper stores, but they will never be as cute as R&R Supermarket.