Frank Ortiz was the proprietor of the Ortiz grocery store at the corner of Paseo de Peralta and Galisteo Street where Cafe Martin is located today. Ortiz operated the store from the late 1930s through the 1960s. He was also the mayor of Santa Fe from 1948 to 1952. His son Don worked at the store until it closed. He then went to work as a stock broker in 1964 for Quinn & Company. That led to a banking career and in 1975 where he became the chairman of United Southwest National Bank. In 1981 Ortiz began Fidelity Realty and the Don Juan Gallery & Gift shop at Sena Plaza. Don Ortiz never forgot the sage advice he received from his father, “Santa Fe is a tough town, if you can make a million dollars here you could make $100 million someplace else.”
The Armijo Family Grocery Store
Johnny Armijo, who was born in 1929, is the proprietor of the longest family-run grocery store in Santa Fe. Located at 420 Camino Don Miguel, the store was opened in 1946 by his father, Orlando Armijo. Since then, seven generations of families have traded with the Armijo family. Situated on a small side street off of posh Canyon Road, Johnnie’s Cash store has been written about in The Washington Post Magazine. The article stated that the quaint little store was a living museum with its antique freezers still humming along where you can buy a soda, pack of gum, or laundry detergent. Best of all, patrons in search of a quick, affordable lunch can buy warm, fresh tamales.