Usually, convenience stores are great for sodas and snacks. But if you’re looking for shiny lenticular stickers of bootleg Freddy Krueger, sorry.
Then I was introduced to La Huasteca, named for the vibrant region of Mexico near the Gulf of America Mexico. Located at 1621 N. MacArthur, it’s got all the drinks and snacks you could ever want, but it also has a built-in taqueria, a toy store, a boot shop, a hair salon, and, of course, all the bootleg Freddy stickers you could dream about.
Though La Huasteca opened its doors in 2019, I only noticed them recently, as I was coming back from the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic. At first, I thought it was a small convenience store populated with dusty cans of soda and heat-blasted hot dogs, nothing out of the ordinary.
But later that evening I looked them up on social media and saw that over the holidays they provided the less fortunate children in the area with Christmas presents—a beautiful act that sadly went unreported by the local news. It really touched me, and I realized I had to patronize them.
So, last week I stopped in there and, man, I gotta say, it’s the best convenience store in Oklahoma...and probably Mexico too!
From the opening salvo of sweet treats rarely seen around here – only a tiny fraction of the store’s full inventory, I would soon learn – to the plaster statue of Mexican comedian Cantinflas greeting customers at the door, it was immediately clear this convenience store had far more going on than meets the eye.
Walking past the ornate cavern of tables and chairs off to the side where people ate their hot lunches, I passed scads of cartoon character lanyards, non-American sports team hats, and grande plush dolls—only to discover another aisle filled with the dreams of the youth: tasty cookies and tastier candies, the coolest semi-legal toy brands and, why not, leftover Santa dolls riding up that North Pole.
Mouth agape, moving toward the jewelry shop(!) in the back corner, there was also a beauty shop and a boot shop. Sadly, they were on break and the shops were closed up, but looking over their deals, I know where my next boots are coming from.
Going down the next aisle, there were many non-FDA-approved herbs that could be made into refreshing teas. Looking to improve some performance issues, ahem, I bought some Sexosterona XL Ultra, hoping it will transform me into the sexy man that any woman (and probably some men) would actually want.
Turning the corner on the last full aisle, I came upon the most sacred of items, the Novena candles, as well as the profane, including mugs of a woman's derriere that I purchased for my wife for next Christmas.
Turning around to the refrigerated cases, among the American drinks, the Mexican sodas and the different bottles of mucha cerveza, I found a whole row of bottled grape Kool-Aid sodas, factory sealed, and I had to try it.
Coming back to the front of the store, there was a small table that had 50% off Rosca de Reyes bread that, though the holiday has passed for this year, I had to buy because when are you going to find them at such a steal in esta economía?
Of course, there were also bagged and fresh pan dulce, as well as fresh fruit juices, many whipped desserts, and, why not, a whole case of hot and fresh tamales—don’t mind if I do. Even though I didn’t try their wide array of tortas and other lunches, I’ll probably come back next week to sample their hot plates.
Completely fried on this first visit, I got a few more pan dulce for the road and stepped up to the whimsical counter, where new electronic gadgets took over the space behind the cashier. As he was ringing me up, I looked to the side and saw it—shiny lenticular stickers of bootleg Freddy Kruegers.
Órale, La Huasteca, you’ve got everything I could ever want and need!
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Follow Louis Fowler on Instagram at @louisfowler78.
