By Rodd Cayton
There are no trains stopping at The Station Corrales, but it’s still a destination.
The long-vacant Corrales property, which includes some historic Santa Fe Railway buildings, recently hosted a grand opening celebrating its first tenants. Those business owners and one of the project founders spoke with the Corrales Comment about what visitors can expect now and in the future.
Lauren Wenderoth, owner of The Village Refillery, said she was astonished by the number of people who attended a Sept. 19 grand opening event. Wenderoth said it’s likely community members were drawn to the center partly out of curiosity, but also because they support the businesses there. The Village Refillery, she said, offers locally made, refillable bath and body products created with ethically and sustainably sourced ingredients. Wenderoth said the location, across the street from Corrales K-8 School, is convenient for parents, who buy more cleaning products than anyone else.
Photo by Roberto E. Rosales for the Paper
Yulissa Arce founded Moonflower Botanicals about eight months ago. The shop is designed as a destination for plant and flower lovers, whether they’re experts at nurturing things that grow or just starting out. Moonflower Botanicals’ inventory includes everything from cut flowers and natural herbicides to plant-themed books and gifts. Arce said she has known the property owners, the Kilcup family, and the other tenants, for a long time. “It just felt like a really good fit for the type of business I want to run,” she said. “I love that they are oriented around (creating) a good space for families and have a good time.” Arce is a Master Gardener and plans to eventually offer workshops at The Station.
Candace Swindle, founder of The Enchanted Boxcar, a toy store in a renovated 19th century railroad boxcar. She said the shop specializes in durable wooden toys and other kids’ items, including books, costumes and construction sets. “I tried to find stuff that sparks the imagination, let kids just play,” Swindle said. She said the playground area at The Station is one factor that helped her decide to locate there. “There was no other spot,” she said. “(This space) was meant for me.”
Cailyn Kilcup, one of the main founders of The Station, said her family wanted to build a “love letter” to Corrales. She said they knew that proximity to the school meant they wouldn’t get a liquor license, which presented an opportunity to build a family friendly project. Kilcup said the project is also intended to help with a shortage of places for young children outside of parks.
Kilcup said she was surprised by the amount of work it took to create a novel community space, but is glad to see how well Corraleños are responding to it. She said she’s expecting The Station to become even more popular with the 2027 opening of a restaurant there.
The Station Corrales is at 4765 Corrales Road.