Jenny's View
Dear Friends,
The Ballens have always regarded La Fonda as a community gathering place, and in the 1970s Sam and Ethel took significant strides in order to offer even more conveniences to both Santa Fe locals and hotel guests when they installed shops along Old Santa Fe Trail. One of the first shopkeepers, the eccentric French dress shop owner, Suzette, became a local icon. A photograph in our lobby pays tribute to the innovative and enthusiastic, Suzette, who brought the sophistication of the Paris catwalks to Santa Fe.
In some instances, our shop owners have been around just as long as some of our most loyal employees. Alan Van Pelt was a government worker with no retail experience when he opened Cutlery of Santa Fe in 1977. Forty-two years ago, Rob Pettus was a young entrepreneur who decided after having lunch at La Fonda one day to lease the space that would become
Things Finer. Other tenants of more recent vintage, like
Rocki Gorman and Wayne Smith (of the
Indian Shop), trace their family’s trading roots to the golden age of Fred Harvey.
Like the Ballens, I have always felt that La Fonda’s success is strengthened by honoring our dynamic community. The various shops at La Fonda contribute significantly to our unique character and charm, and offer some of the finest goods and services in town. As renovation scaffolding begins to obscure many of their entrances, I hope that you’ll step inside to let our shop owners know how much they contribute to our magic.
Just Wandering,
Jennifer Lea Kimball
