By Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register
El Rey, a market specializing in Mexican products that also was a restaurant and sold firearms, was destroyed by a fire days before Christmas.
El Rey Market, Restaurant & Guns, 210 Willis Ave. in Perry, sold Mexican products, had a meat counter, a bakery, a restaurant and sold firearms. The store has been in operation since 2016, according to filings with the Iowa Secretary of State.
The market’s owner, Antonio Sanchez, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
The fire started just before 10 p.m. Monday, Dec. 23. Surrounding fire departments from Bouton and Minburn worked with the Perry Volunteer Fire Department for seven hours to put out the fire.
The departments used a total of 700,000 gallons of water fighting the fire.
Perry Fire Chief Grason Hill said it was difficult to put it out because the building was primarily built of metal beams and had a metal roof. The roof had collapsed, making it difficult to reach the flames.
The fire leveled the store, leaving it a total loss, Hill said. It is not known what caused the fire, but the fire department will not investigate.
“If everything is on the ground, there’s nothing to investigate,” Hill said. “At that point, you decide that it’s undetermined because there’s no way to determine what caused the fire.”
GoFundMe fundraiser organized to help El Rey recover
El Rey has a GoFundMe asking for donations to help the family business recover. Organizer Pearl Sanchez could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
“Our family has proudly run a small, local grocery store in Perry for the past ten years,” the market said in the fundraiser post. “Our world was turned upside down when a devastating fire destroyed our business.
“The store was not just our livelihood — it was a place where we built memories, supported our neighbors, and stored many of our personal belongings. Among the losses were Christmas gifts and countless items that held deep meaning for us. The fire has left us with nothing, and the timing right before the holidays — makes it even more heartbreaking.”
According to the fundraiser, the market’s insurance lapsed, and additional funds are needed for cleanup, remediation, rebuilding and recovery. The fundraiser has a goal of $10,000 and raised more than $3,000 as of Wednesday evening.
“We have been part of the Perry community for a decade, and we are deeply grateful to everyone who has supported our business or helped us in any way over the years,” the post said. “As a 100% family-owned and oriented business, this loss is hitting us especially hard. We are unsure how to move forward, but we hold onto hope that, with your support, we can one day serve the Perry community again. Thank you for standing with us during this difficult time.”
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