3/19/09
Carole and Art Pruett have come a long way since Aug. 19, 2008.
That was the day law enforcement arrived early in the morning at the Pruett’s Medanales home and told them their Española store was on fire. A couple of hours later the state Fire Marshal finished inspecting the scene and gave the couple some more unexpected news, Carole Pruett said.
“They said, ‘Well, you’re the prime suspects,’” Carole Pruett said. “It made me feel so deflated and so hurt.”
Fortunately for the Pruetts, and unusually for an arson investigation in Rio Arriba County, two suspects were identified the same day as the fire was set. Johnathon Ortiz, 19, of Chimayó, and Raymond Lopez, 27, of Peñasco, allegedly admitted to the crime and have been charged with arson and two other felonies.
Ortiz allegedly bragged to a friend that he set fire to a FedEx store. He was apparently referring to Box Pack Mail, the combination packing, shipping and office supply store, gift shop and espresso bar the couple established in 1990, and which located at a Richard Cook-owned minimall at the intersection of Railroad Avenue and Fairview Drive.
Juury selection in their case is set for May 18, according to an online court records database. Ortiz and Lopez have been released from jail and are on electronic monitoring, according to court records.
“The police detective said the guy that did this is a real pyromaniac,” Carole Pruett said, referring to Ortiz.
The Box Pack Mail store was destroyed and none of the equipment or merchandise could be salvaged. But the couple got a break when the owners of a building on Riverview Lane offered to rent to the Pruetts.
The Pruetts have renovated the metal building, adding a loft area, sheetrock and upgraded lighting, among other improvements. The new space is about the same size as and wider than their old store .
“(But) this is so much more harmonious to me,” Carole Pruett said. “No matter where I’m at in the store, when customers come in I can be right there to help them and greet them.”
The store’s name has also changed to reflect its reinvention — it will be called Chili Line Express, the name of the couple’s online business, with the name Box Pack Mail also on the signs. The shipping, copying and faxing services — the Pruetts are authorized FedEx and UPS agents — are still available, along with office supplies and espresso drinks.
An insurance payment that arrived mid-December came after the couple stocked most of the new merchandise, using credit, Carole Pruett said. The Pruetts are still waiting for insurance money to cover the costs of new computers and, perhaps most importantly, new signs. The store is located in the same parking lot as DeVargas Funeral Home, off Railroad Avenue, but as of yet, no signs mark it from the road.
The Pruetts plan to throw a grand opening celebration in late summer or fall, and also plan to hold three or four arts and crafts fairs per year with live music.
But amidst the excitement of starting over, the couple hasn’t forgotten to make security a priority. An alarm system, outdoor lighting, and surveillance cameras will make the new store more secure than the old Box Pack Mail.
Carole Pruett noted that while the old store didn’t have surveillance cameras, an east-facing camera on Angelina’s Restaurant provided evidence against Ortiz and Lopez.
“It’s a shame you have to shield yourself from so many angles when you’re running a business,” Carole Pruett said.