Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Shop owner undergoing multiple surgeries, family says
CLOVIS — Robert Vilandry, known widely in Clovis as “Bullet Bob” and for the city business he runs by the same name, was still recovering Monday from a weekend motorcycle accident in Raton.
“Bullet Bob Has It,” a collectibles store operating on Main Street, was open Monday but not buying new inventory until further notice. A family friend operating the business Monday evening confirmed Vilandry was injured Saturday evening in Raton while in town for a motorcycle gathering. She said the only information releasable currently was online through social media.
“He’s holding his own and is responding to commands,” his wife Donna Sossamon Vilandry wrote online of his ongoing stay at an Albuquerque hospital, undergoing multiple surgeries for injuries including broken bones.
Late Monday night, his wife wrote in a message to The News: "Bob has several more surgeries before he is actually on the road to recovery."
Throughout the latter part of the weekend and continuing through Monday, hundreds upon hundreds of comments and posts wishing well for Vilandry flooded social media. A post Saturday night from the New Mexico Motorcyclist Rights Organization announced Vilandry “was involved in a motorcycle crash. ... Prayer request please.”
That post, accompanied by the hashtag, “nmbikerdown” was shared over 700 times by Monday night.
“I’ve known Bob ... from a business perspective I’ve known him for quite some time, some 25 years,” Gene Porter told The News. “I’ve bought motorcycles and gear from him for a long time ... that’s actually how I met him.”
Porter said he knows Vilandry as a “lifetime” motorcyclist, previously running a motorcycle business under the name Bullet Bob. He added the sentiment expressed by many in recent days, along with wishes for Vilandry’s recovery: “He’s a fantastic guy and would give you the shirt off of his back.”
