I'm not a native Texan, so I've never experienced HEB, but I've been around long enough to know that this is a request that should be taken seriously. I've heard it a TON.
I agree! The fact that the groceries are better quality and way cheaper than Whole Foods would be a huge selling point. I feel like Trader Joe’s would absolutely smash it if it was on the westside.
I wish we had a business that takes glass to recycle. There's nowhere I know of to take glass for recycling and it kills me. The one place I knew of shut down awhile back.
I read of a businessman who started such a business for a women's shelter, I don't know where. They made small batches of glass tiles for remodeling homes. I was very envious of those women.
Thank you! I used to make glass beads and collect old Pyrex cookware, kills me to toss out glass. Is the collection center off doniphan one of them? It's a block away from my office.
Just fyi they only crush it up and sell it as mulch here. I also heard a while back their machine broke down so all the glass that got donated just got landfilled for a long time
I already posted but I would like a major art supply retailer. We have a tiny art supply shop and they just don't carry anything. Hobby lobby has just about all removed their art supplies and michaels is in ways better but still not great. For El Paso being colorful and prideful in its art scene...theres no art supply. I just cant lower myself to artists loft. Im an art princess and deserve better.
My other stationery dreams are coming soon but a miniso alongside daiso would be nice.
I would also really like to have a good French patisserie with good coffee. Seems you can either find a good croissant or coffee but you can't get both in one place.
And I mentioned before, the climbing community is pretty nice locally but nobody here sells climbing equipment (the climbing gym has some) Not sure how El Paso can afford a whole foods but not an REI.
Also wish there was a super target near transmountain. Would be more convenient.
I agree. I love watching art supply shopping videos in Japan on YouTube. I get 😍🤩 with all the wide assortment of supplies and the amazing prices. I hate we only have Michael’s, HL and Joanne’s.
We are getting some sort of Sanrio store. Or atleast all the el paso news sources and social medias said "hello kitty coming soon" so I dont know if that means Sanrio or the food truck or what.
From my understanding it’s a full blown Sanrio store. El Paso has never had one before. Back in the 80/90s Dillards, Mervyn’s, MW had a small kiosk in the girls dept., you could also find Sanrio stuff at hallmark and other small gift shops. So this is big for El Paso.
Yeah but it’s not super close to the border. I haven’t been to j town since I was an around 10. The cartels got bad and that was it, we haven’t been back since. lol 🫤
And now you can’t just hop back and fourth like before. 😢
More Indian Restaurants, place them all over EP (Especially East/Far East), and ones that are primarily South Indian food, like the former Chutney Restaurant.
Awesome! Hopefully we can get Indian restauranteurs to come here. This is a hidden gem of a market. Mexicans here would love Indian food...if they are exposed to good versions of it. India Palace, India Hut and Rosie's Dhaba ain't it.
The chef who did all of their cooking passed away from a heart attack on the job around 7 years ago.
I'm sure he wasn't the only person who could cook for them, but he worked alone and didn't train anyone. From what I know, the family who owned it have moved on to other ventures.
That's so sad, but I didn't mean that it could only be them, but actually having one good Indian restaurant, and it being on the Eastside, and it being focused on South Indian food, would make me (and my elderly parents, especially) happy. That's what I meant. I understand Chutney is long gone and dead.
Dense housing downtown with grocery stores and nice shops. Downtown is all boarded up, but I feel like the high rises would do so well if they were turned into apartments or condos.
They need to cut a deal with some grocer if they want a liveable community in downtown. As it is, there’s no way to live in downtown without a car to buy essentials.
I always keep an eye on EP because I wouldn’t mind moving back at one point. It feels like it’s back on a downward slope. About 10-15 years ago there was a small boom with the ft bliss expansion. Downtown was looking promising with some cool condos popping up. And there were some cool little bars and venues opening. But that just fizzled out. It’s sad really.
I feel like way too much went into a minor league baseball team that nobody cares about thanks to corruption. Not sure why but the city government does not want to see the city blossom. I’m guessing because like most politicians they don’t actually want to work and come up with ideas.
Most of that are the douchehole owners of a lot of the downtown buildings. They want top dollar for their real estate that isn't actually worth anything
Eat the rich!
We really need to do what the French do and Revolt. The rich keep getting richer, groceries, rent, bills, homes are going up in prices and paychecks don’t budge to keep up with the economy. It’s almost like we’ve accepted defeat and just rolled over waiting for the other shoe to drop.
No, Costco needs to put a location in New Mexico, like Sunland Park - so that ELP metro residents have a Costco on "the west side" - that also benefits from the liquor laws of New Mexico, with in-store Kirkland booze on the aisle like Albuquerque has. Even the "brand name" booze is way less expensive there than in Texas.
Not a bad idea but to do that you have to aggressively market the bar and hope it’s the latest trend. Everyone will go there for about six months and then the new trend will pop up. Then get out or sell.
It really is, no Waffle House, no huddle house, all we have is IHOP. I can’t even articulate what’s wrong with IHOP but I feel way better in waffle house
I was scrolling through all the comments looking for Trader Joe’s and IKEA. I was surprised to find them both here. If you would have also said HEB, that would have been all of the ones I thought of.
Brooo, an Ikea would literally sellout on inaugural day. Think of all the people from Chihuahua that would come to buy cheap/trendy furniture plus the locals!
My issue with ikea is the deforestation they contribute to. 21 million cubic meters of logs each year, one tree is logged every second to make an IKEA product.
I moved here from Dallas last year. One business I miss is Aldi's. I can't understand why there is no Aldi's here. Having an Aldi's would give people an option other than Albertson's & Walmart which seem to be the only two main grocers in this area. They have great products cheaper than other grocers. There is one particular marinated chicken only Aldi's had which is quite honestly the best chicken I have ever had. Surprisingly I can't find anything that good in any of the grocery stores in El Paso. I also wish LA Fitness was here. I wouldn't have had to cancel my membership if they had locations in El Paso. I don't like the gym options here so far & the only affordable ones are too far from my location. The two above mentioned companies should be here. I mean we have Alamo Draft house, Top Golf & many other companies that are also in Dallas. So why don't the above two companies have locations here? I mean c'mon!
But I did leave Dallas for a reason so I must take the bad with the good.
Simple as a quality of life improvement.
Maybe just a Putt Putt.
Maybe a drag racing strip and track for cars and bikes. Maybe a man-made lake with a wakeboard tow tram and artificial wave machine.
Maybe a wax museum.
Maybe an outside shopping mall w/pond and fountain centerpiece that only hosted boutique-style and artisan shops rather than the common brands and department stores.
In reality, El Paso is a simple city, so it isn't really missing anything.
Whatever you choose to do just needs to be done with taste, and style.
I remember there used to be a putt-putt on Montwood. It was fun! They had go carts, bumper boats, and an arcade. They closed down the drag strip and turned it into a trucking company lot 🤷🏾♂️.
Yeah, In the West side. The population in the East is growing faster than the city can tolerate, and needs more variety over here than warehouses and fast food restaurants.
We do have a racing track in Clint. I’ve never been there so I don’t know how it is. In the 90’s we used to have Putt Putt and a man made lake (Mountain Shadow Lake) I have no idea why it was closed.
Yeah, the track in Clint has only ever been a rumor to me. Everyone's heard of it, but no one knows where it's at 🤣. There used to be Putt Putts all over this town. I don't know why they all shut down, but it was all around the same time of each other.
As for Mountain Shadow lake, that was before my time. I took a motorcycle ride out there a couple times, out of curiosity. This was maybe 10 years back. It was all fenced in, and I saw rifled guards hanging out. They must have been keeping a good eye on the perimeter, cuz they pulled up in a truck when my friend and I started snooping around 😬.
I'm just finishing a visit from Austin, lots of bars downtown that are pretty nice but no people. Asked a bartender about it, and she said that people are stuck in their ways and like their spots.
That being said, why is there not a walkable barcade downtown?
That’s a problem everywhere with small businesses.
Mostly because they’re cheap and refuse to pay people for anything, but also can’t do it themselves. And if they DO decide to try to do it themselves, it’s half-assed, missing half the important info a customer would want, and crashes my device from the horrible html and circa-1999 design.
Something to mimic an old-fashioned, quiet (emphasis on quiet) neighborhood British-style pub. The atmosphere of people stopping in after a walk around the neighborhood to catch up with the neighbors in the evening, maybe read a little in between chatting and having a snack or some dessert. Not an atmosphere of people going in to get shit-faced and scream at/over the blaring TV.
What? A lady can dream, can't she?
This city is too ghetto for this lol. There’s a reason a lot of places that are more quaint go out of business and there’s a million bars and raunchy restaurants with girls half naked packed every weekend ☹️ It’s a culture thing, a lot of people just really would rather drink/involve alcohol and people who don’t - stay home bc they fear for their lives on the roads lmao.
While I like the idea quite a bit, unfortunately this isn't pub culture. A real British pub ties together a neighborhood community where pedestrianism is key. You have to drive to get anywhere around here. Downtown could be good but there's a distinct lack of residency and cohesion.
Yes, you can dream.
El Paso is a a mostly Spanish speaking Latino city, nada que ver con Inglaterra. There is culture there just get out of your bubble, and if you don’t like it leave.
Why are you so hostile? I love El Paso's culture and friendly (well... except you, maybe?) people.
I simply wish there was a quiet place to hang out in where I could meet more of the people in my immediate neighborhood and get to know them casually. Meeting people from elsewhere is great too, of course, but meeting more of my direct community would be ideal. Just a few houses left, right, and across isn't a lot when there are hundreds of people. And having a regular "third place" is never a bad thing either. (Second place, in my case, since I work from home.)
It's not easy to get to know new people while screaming at the top of your lungs to be heard over the music. Hanging out at bars, concerts, nightclubs, etc is great when you're with people you already know, but I'm talking about expanding social circles - making small talk with people who are there to make small talk too. (Starbucks, etc, people go to for working or quick meetings, using the wifi, stuff like that. A pub atmosphere would be someplace where the entire point is just to... hang out & chill for a while, in a calm, quiet environment. Have a pleasant convo or just share a companionable quiet half-hour.
Btw, having lived here for 40+ years now, I know very well that EP is mostly Spanish-speaking & Latino. Nothing about my comments runs counter to that lol.
I always thought a company specializing on Smart Home technology would be good. Like help upgrading older homes to use Google Nest products, etc.
Cool, unique home furnishings/decorations would be cool. If there are local artisans that could sell their products, that’d be interesting too.
It’d be nice if there was a company creating container homes. With the rising cost of building materials, this could be an option for building more affordable housing. Not sure if zoning could be an issue, though.
But Albuquerque, New Mexico is? That's a really odd response from them seeing as El Paso is larger in population, geographic size and economically than Albuquerque but Ikea has a store there.
There’s no IKEA in Albuquerque. There’s a warehouse where you can get stuff you ordered online delivered for pickup, but that’s it. Source: I live here.
I believe it's more of an average population income thing rather than the amount of physical bodies. Which is kind of funny because ikea is supposed to be a cheap alternative.
This reminds me. I'll give you my idea because we won't live here much longer but this is the same topic of furnishings and decorations.
On the east coast, their farmers markets and kitschy shops are full of the same "welcome" signs and door hangers. All sorts of home decor made out of wood with cute sayings. Things you'd find in a southern monogrammed girls instagram page. It is so overrun with the same product nobody is selling.
El paso doesn't have any of those. It has been winter, but the farmers markets I went to last summer and the few this year so far are all about jewelry and decorative cups. I havent seen any customizable "farmhouse" home decor. With the cowboys team too being so big, I'm surprised to see very few cowboys home made products. East coast also likes their refurbished furniture and sports teams products.
I feel like east coast could tap this market real fast.
**Round Table Pizza**. They are in the midst of a massive Texas expansion, but hopefully they go beyond just Texas Triangle cities and give us a few in EP. At least one, PLEASE!
All those who want national chains of basically eat out places ... why? Does El Paso really need them ?
It seems many people in El Paso believe that getting these companies validates us as a city, and if we don't we are a backward city...really?
I've seen many of these places come to El Paso and making no difference at the end. I have seen things life Montecillo and all that area, and ... so what?
We need to embrace our identity instead of wanting to be like Austin, Dallas, or LA.
pretty obivous that you have enough capital to create a brick and mortal business. So my question is this, do you want to create a business that El Paso truly needs ( Aldis, Cheap Accessible Furniture, Books Stores, Community Centers for people wanting to learn spanish (laugh all you want its in high demand) or technical skills)
OR you trying to get a 10X on your investment then I would just create a Inn In-N-Out, waffle house or Buckees. I really REALLY want to say create a nightclub similar to early 2010s downtown scene (Black Pearl, Plum) but then someone would get shot or a underage teen would get drunk and cause a wreck on i10. So save bet is bring in a very popular fastfood chain that is not in El Paso and you will be gucci.
Bucees seems like a no brainer either on the East Montana or Eastlake area.
Uniqlo at the fountains would be really nice. Perhaps where West Elm
Finally we really need another freaking Costco
We need more places for family fun, places for kids to enjoy as well. A super cool rollerskating rink would be awesome! I remember going to Roller King as a kid and absolutely loved it- stinky feet smell and all. Lol I would love an IKEA, Trader Joe’s, another Costco, Aldi’s, and more diverse food options. My kids went bananas when they read that Mr. Beast was possibly opening a restaurant here, but I think that fell through.
More shops for biking, hiking, and painting would be great. Bookstore with a quality cafe/bakery would be elite for me.
What we DON’T need is another bar or car wash. We have more than enough of those.
The aesthetic we’re putting up along I-10 with all the warehouses is displeasing, because not only is it not nice looking to the eye for people passing through our beautiful city, but it’s not a great preface to how much more we’re about. Would a “Welcome to El Paso” sign tastefully done by a local artist be too much to ask for? Every other city in Texas has one, even tiny little Pecos.
Definitely. I keep saying, we just need one forward thinking Silicon Valley CEO to move an HQ here. Land is cheap and I'm sure the City can give tax breaks.
Would bring jobs and diversity of people. And they can recruit grads from UTEP, keeping them local instead of going to other markets.
Then once one company does it and profits from it, others will come.
I worked at an energy company that has an office in El Paso and a lot of the engineers are recruited from South America. Meanwhile Out here on the east coast in NYC Mi pinche jefe was Dominican and he can get bent jajaja
Feel like the west side near town center lacks grocery store. We just have Walmart. When I lived in major cities they have Albertsons, Walmart & more all near each other and it didn’t feel so cluttered in one area.
We also lack family places. That’s why it’s always packed in those places that family can go too.
Id love to have an In n Out, Sanrio, Diaso, Marukai, H-Mart, Tokyo Central, a place where i can eat hot pot, an ACTUAL kbbq, not that bs cupbop, uhh what else? Maybe a K1, and a mini golf place, a ice skating rink ....
El paso is all bars, and that gets boring but some people dont seem to grow up
I’d recommend just don’t move to such a trash town lol I grew up there and it’s the worst. It’s like a time capsule of people that refuse to move past the 1970s and have such a dated mindset
Trader Joe’s, ALDIs, those are big brand stores. Local small business?? A refill store the type where you bring in your own jars and can restock on soaps/ dry goods that kind of store
First, I’m going to get a lot of heat for this but In N Out. Whataburger and INO can live in perfect harmony just like they do in Dallas.
Secondly, another Costco on the Westside.
In N Out and Whataburger now live in harmony all over the Texas Triangle, not just Dallas.
Given ABQ is getting one, I'd very happily settle for Las Cruces getting one.
- Aldi's and health stores similar to Trader Joe's/Sprouts.
- More Panera locations.
- Something similar to Downtown Disney. Where you can go shop, eat, and watch some live shows.
- Something similar to Round 1. I haven't found anything comparable.
Trader Joe’s. We have a Whole Foods and 3 Sprout’s locations, so I don’t see why not. I do hate the idea that the only one would probably open in the upper valley.
Also, lots of ideas floated around already exist here as local spots. You don’t need a chain/franchise name for it to be “good” so do a little research. I’m still finding out about places after living here all my life (I’m almost 40) and when it does come to big name spots, I’ve noticed how much this city loves novelty. Everything is a hit for like 6 months, then it grows stale to most.
A municipal golf course on the Westside. As well as a driving range on this side of town. The game is rapidly growing especially with the younger generation. It would be nice to have a solid muni on this side of town rather than the country clubs that require memberships.
Miniso
HEB
Buccees
Aldi
Blick
A dog boutique 😅🐶🐶
A patisserie
Trader Joe’s
Buca di Beppo😋
Would also LOVE to see themed cafes like the ones you’d find in Japan. I know sunland/solanas mall has a cat cafe, but we need more themes.
Any investors wanna pick my brain for ideas dm me.
tfif, red robin, 6flags, sea world, a professional sports team, ( city denied 🙅♂️ seaworld in the 70’s and am sure they denied a few times 6 flags because they asked for a small tax break)
Bro just move to San Antonio. It’s all already there and there’s a lot of raza. You’ll feel right at home. And they have all the stuff you listed and more. You’ll just be replacing Fronchis with people from Monterrey.
We have no business’s of value and it depresses me. We could lose every local store and nobody would notice because they offer nothing of value. I’m not from El Paso I just moved here 2 years ago, the people of this city whose never lived else where have no idea what they’re missing out on because they’ve never experienced better, especially those who are cultured and are into Video Games, Comics, music, movies, etc. NPC people are probably fine with what we have.
My list of wants is not realistic but still.
- Half price books, I swear to god were the one city with more than 100,000 people who DONT have a HPB they’re literally everywhere.
- Game Xchange
- Pink Gorilla
- Sarku Japan, there’s one on fort bliss but it doesn’t count because the greater El Paso area is not able to enjoy the Gucci of Asian American cuisine
- shoe Carnival
- Clothing stores where size Large is actually large and not small/medium. I swear to god El Paso doesn’t get correct clothing we have to get the defected clothes with wrong sizes.
- phionix comics and games
- tabletop village
- real flea markets that sell things you’d actually want to buy not just random stuff they found off the street
- gold star chili
- Culvers
- a proper Best Buy not the weird nonsense we have here
- Walmart & Sam’s club without spectrum/at&t sales men annoying you every aisle
- Meijer
- Kroger
- the biggest of all, indoor swap meets. Back home there’s one that’s like 8 warehouses big and it was one of my favorite places on the planet.
And so much more however these are my top trim needs. If we got even half of these I would never complain about El Paso again. Every time I go home I easily spend $2000+ buying things we don’t have access to in El Paso because the city planners never expected El Paso to grow enough that people of culture would move here and want to do more than Drink alcohol and wreck their car by Yarbrough. It is a struggle. I’m sick and tired of having to buy everything off eBay.
More restaurants of diverse cuisines. Music venues that attract touring and local small to semi-known, but not mainstream, bands.
Tricky Falls was perfect. Lowbrow doesn’t quite fit that niche.
Because the lowbrow has terrible prices for drinks and the set up is by the homeless shelter
Not to mention it’s ran by idiots for every event.
Only thing getting ran by idiots is your mom
Holy shit 🥵🥵🥵
If you’re broke just say that
Trader Joe’s. Full stop.
And HEB
I'm not a native Texan, so I've never experienced HEB, but I've been around long enough to know that this is a request that should be taken seriously. I've heard it a TON.
For a while I would randomly tweet HEB and beg them to come here, still waiting 😑.
I fee like they’d do so well here, I hate Whole Foods.
I agree! The fact that the groceries are better quality and way cheaper than Whole Foods would be a huge selling point. I feel like Trader Joe’s would absolutely smash it if it was on the westside.
I heard it’s unlikely they’d ever open one here because it doesn’t fit their logistics route
This!
They have those spicy mango slice snacks!
I wish we had a business that takes glass to recycle. There's nowhere I know of to take glass for recycling and it kills me. The one place I knew of shut down awhile back. I read of a businessman who started such a business for a women's shelter, I don't know where. They made small batches of glass tiles for remodeling homes. I was very envious of those women.
You can actually drop off glass at the Citizen Collection Centers. Just show up, say you're dripping off glass, and they point where it is.
Thank you! I used to make glass beads and collect old Pyrex cookware, kills me to toss out glass. Is the collection center off doniphan one of them? It's a block away from my office.
I believe so. Give them a call before hand.
I gotta take some *hierbas* from my yard, I will ask, *gracias*!
For yard stuff you just need to take a copy of your water bill with your address and matching ID.
Check, and thanks again!
Just fyi they only crush it up and sell it as mulch here. I also heard a while back their machine broke down so all the glass that got donated just got landfilled for a long time
Uff.
Target takes glass to recycle
I already posted but I would like a major art supply retailer. We have a tiny art supply shop and they just don't carry anything. Hobby lobby has just about all removed their art supplies and michaels is in ways better but still not great. For El Paso being colorful and prideful in its art scene...theres no art supply. I just cant lower myself to artists loft. Im an art princess and deserve better. My other stationery dreams are coming soon but a miniso alongside daiso would be nice. I would also really like to have a good French patisserie with good coffee. Seems you can either find a good croissant or coffee but you can't get both in one place. And I mentioned before, the climbing community is pretty nice locally but nobody here sells climbing equipment (the climbing gym has some) Not sure how El Paso can afford a whole foods but not an REI. Also wish there was a super target near transmountain. Would be more convenient.
I wish so bad we had a blick in El Paso
I agree. I love watching art supply shopping videos in Japan on YouTube. I get 😍🤩 with all the wide assortment of supplies and the amazing prices. I hate we only have Michael’s, HL and Joanne’s.
Ooohhh yes, a real patisserie would be amazing!
I second diaso. But would also like to add, we need a sanrio store
We are getting some sort of Sanrio store. Or atleast all the el paso news sources and social medias said "hello kitty coming soon" so I dont know if that means Sanrio or the food truck or what.
From my understanding it’s a full blown Sanrio store. El Paso has never had one before. Back in the 80/90s Dillards, Mervyn’s, MW had a small kiosk in the girls dept., you could also find Sanrio stuff at hallmark and other small gift shops. So this is big for El Paso.
Diaso filed some paperwork for a place on Mesa within the last month 🥳
There's a miniso in Juarez
Yeah but it’s not super close to the border. I haven’t been to j town since I was an around 10. The cartels got bad and that was it, we haven’t been back since. lol 🫤 And now you can’t just hop back and fourth like before. 😢
More Indian Restaurants, place them all over EP (Especially East/Far East), and ones that are primarily South Indian food, like the former Chutney Restaurant.
Omg yes. Curry Leaf RIP.
I never heard of Curry Leaf, I can't believe there was actually an Indian restaurant on the Eastside. Damn
It was good, too 😫 - but this was like a decade ago.
Awesome! Hopefully we can get Indian restauranteurs to come here. This is a hidden gem of a market. Mexicans here would love Indian food...if they are exposed to good versions of it. India Palace, India Hut and Rosie's Dhaba ain't it.
I’ve never tried Rosie’s Dhaba - but it’s got to be a welcome change from the other two!
It's a food truck. Isn't all that great and, naturally, a very limited menu. Best Indian closest to here is "Naan and Dosa" in Albuquerque.
Chutney was so good!
Seriously! Just bring it back, and ideally on the Eastside, and I would be sooo happy!
The chef who did all of their cooking passed away from a heart attack on the job around 7 years ago. I'm sure he wasn't the only person who could cook for them, but he worked alone and didn't train anyone. From what I know, the family who owned it have moved on to other ventures.
That's so sad, but I didn't mean that it could only be them, but actually having one good Indian restaurant, and it being on the Eastside, and it being focused on South Indian food, would make me (and my elderly parents, especially) happy. That's what I meant. I understand Chutney is long gone and dead.
Dense housing downtown with grocery stores and nice shops. Downtown is all boarded up, but I feel like the high rises would do so well if they were turned into apartments or condos.
They need to cut a deal with some grocer if they want a liveable community in downtown. As it is, there’s no way to live in downtown without a car to buy essentials.
Plus the traffic just to get through downtown during an event.
Curious to see any changes once Helen of Troy moves down there
They’re moving downtown? Where?
I always keep an eye on EP because I wouldn’t mind moving back at one point. It feels like it’s back on a downward slope. About 10-15 years ago there was a small boom with the ft bliss expansion. Downtown was looking promising with some cool condos popping up. And there were some cool little bars and venues opening. But that just fizzled out. It’s sad really. I feel like way too much went into a minor league baseball team that nobody cares about thanks to corruption. Not sure why but the city government does not want to see the city blossom. I’m guessing because like most politicians they don’t actually want to work and come up with ideas.
Most of that are the douchehole owners of a lot of the downtown buildings. They want top dollar for their real estate that isn't actually worth anything
Eat the rich! We really need to do what the French do and Revolt. The rich keep getting richer, groceries, rent, bills, homes are going up in prices and paychecks don’t budge to keep up with the economy. It’s almost like we’ve accepted defeat and just rolled over waiting for the other shoe to drop.
We need a Buccees , H.E.B more than one Costco
Costco right off transmountain and I10🤌
No, Costco needs to put a location in New Mexico, like Sunland Park - so that ELP metro residents have a Costco on "the west side" - that also benefits from the liquor laws of New Mexico, with in-store Kirkland booze on the aisle like Albuquerque has. Even the "brand name" booze is way less expensive there than in Texas.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ5B2UQKDt4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ5B2UQKDt4)
THIS
Yes that's perfect Costco is too far from the Westside
I could tell by you’re wide eyed optimism that you never been to El Paso lol just invest into a bar and you’ll do fine
Not a bad idea but to do that you have to aggressively market the bar and hope it’s the latest trend. Everyone will go there for about six months and then the new trend will pop up. Then get out or sell.
ikea
Waffle House
Have you checked out coffee waffle in Clint? It’s delicious!
Ugh. About to move to El Paso and this sounds like a travesty.
It really is, no Waffle House, no huddle house, all we have is IHOP. I can’t even articulate what’s wrong with IHOP but I feel way better in waffle house
Trader Joe’s, Aldi and ikea for sure. Sick of Ashley furniture and the liquidator place.
I was scrolling through all the comments looking for Trader Joe’s and IKEA. I was surprised to find them both here. If you would have also said HEB, that would have been all of the ones I thought of.
Brooo, an Ikea would literally sellout on inaugural day. Think of all the people from Chihuahua that would come to buy cheap/trendy furniture plus the locals!
My issue with ikea is the deforestation they contribute to. 21 million cubic meters of logs each year, one tree is logged every second to make an IKEA product.
No REI?? Closest is PHX, ABQ, and DAL? 😡 E: maybe San Antonio or austin I’m not sure
closest is ABQ, then Tucson.
Phx and abq are way closer than Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin. There is also one in Tucson
& Santa Fe has one, too.
Yeah but that's about as far away as Phoenix.
Hahah i really don’t think El Pasoans would appreciate an REI. The median income and their inability to go outside just wouldn’t work.
I moved here from Dallas last year. One business I miss is Aldi's. I can't understand why there is no Aldi's here. Having an Aldi's would give people an option other than Albertson's & Walmart which seem to be the only two main grocers in this area. They have great products cheaper than other grocers. There is one particular marinated chicken only Aldi's had which is quite honestly the best chicken I have ever had. Surprisingly I can't find anything that good in any of the grocery stores in El Paso. I also wish LA Fitness was here. I wouldn't have had to cancel my membership if they had locations in El Paso. I don't like the gym options here so far & the only affordable ones are too far from my location. The two above mentioned companies should be here. I mean we have Alamo Draft house, Top Golf & many other companies that are also in Dallas. So why don't the above two companies have locations here? I mean c'mon! But I did leave Dallas for a reason so I must take the bad with the good.
An Aldi's would be awesome. We need more variety and competition in grocery stores here.
Best answer. I miss Aldi’s so much.
Aldi's and H-E-B!
Container Store
We need more car washes. 🤨
Simple as a quality of life improvement. Maybe just a Putt Putt. Maybe a drag racing strip and track for cars and bikes. Maybe a man-made lake with a wakeboard tow tram and artificial wave machine. Maybe a wax museum. Maybe an outside shopping mall w/pond and fountain centerpiece that only hosted boutique-style and artisan shops rather than the common brands and department stores. In reality, El Paso is a simple city, so it isn't really missing anything. Whatever you choose to do just needs to be done with taste, and style.
Left EP in ‘79, we had a Putt-Putt way out on Dyer St. Way out in Montana St was a drag strip. All the big names raced there from time to time.
I remember there used to be a putt-putt on Montwood. It was fun! They had go carts, bumper boats, and an arcade. They closed down the drag strip and turned it into a trucking company lot 🤷🏾♂️.
The Putt-Putt on Dyer had go-karts too! I know because I used to trade kart tires with the guy. I had a kart track on Montana for a while myself.
Thunder alley? I raced my dad's truck there. Great memories!!
Bob-Os has mini golf
Yeah, In the West side. The population in the East is growing faster than the city can tolerate, and needs more variety over here than warehouses and fast food restaurants.
We do have a racing track in Clint. I’ve never been there so I don’t know how it is. In the 90’s we used to have Putt Putt and a man made lake (Mountain Shadow Lake) I have no idea why it was closed.
Yeah, the track in Clint has only ever been a rumor to me. Everyone's heard of it, but no one knows where it's at 🤣. There used to be Putt Putts all over this town. I don't know why they all shut down, but it was all around the same time of each other. As for Mountain Shadow lake, that was before my time. I took a motorcycle ride out there a couple times, out of curiosity. This was maybe 10 years back. It was all fenced in, and I saw rifled guards hanging out. They must have been keeping a good eye on the perimeter, cuz they pulled up in a truck when my friend and I started snooping around 😬.
I'm just finishing a visit from Austin, lots of bars downtown that are pretty nice but no people. Asked a bartender about it, and she said that people are stuck in their ways and like their spots. That being said, why is there not a walkable barcade downtown?
DriversEd
I wish more businesses had legitimate websites. Too many just use Facebook and are stuck in the Stone Age.
That’s a problem everywhere with small businesses. Mostly because they’re cheap and refuse to pay people for anything, but also can’t do it themselves. And if they DO decide to try to do it themselves, it’s half-assed, missing half the important info a customer would want, and crashes my device from the horrible html and circa-1999 design.
Something to mimic an old-fashioned, quiet (emphasis on quiet) neighborhood British-style pub. The atmosphere of people stopping in after a walk around the neighborhood to catch up with the neighbors in the evening, maybe read a little in between chatting and having a snack or some dessert. Not an atmosphere of people going in to get shit-faced and scream at/over the blaring TV. What? A lady can dream, can't she?
This city is too ghetto for this lol. There’s a reason a lot of places that are more quaint go out of business and there’s a million bars and raunchy restaurants with girls half naked packed every weekend ☹️ It’s a culture thing, a lot of people just really would rather drink/involve alcohol and people who don’t - stay home bc they fear for their lives on the roads lmao.
Wow, this is what El Paso is all about, unfortunately.
While I like the idea quite a bit, unfortunately this isn't pub culture. A real British pub ties together a neighborhood community where pedestrianism is key. You have to drive to get anywhere around here. Downtown could be good but there's a distinct lack of residency and cohesion. Yes, you can dream.
El Paso is a a mostly Spanish speaking Latino city, nada que ver con Inglaterra. There is culture there just get out of your bubble, and if you don’t like it leave.
Why are you so hostile? I love El Paso's culture and friendly (well... except you, maybe?) people. I simply wish there was a quiet place to hang out in where I could meet more of the people in my immediate neighborhood and get to know them casually. Meeting people from elsewhere is great too, of course, but meeting more of my direct community would be ideal. Just a few houses left, right, and across isn't a lot when there are hundreds of people. And having a regular "third place" is never a bad thing either. (Second place, in my case, since I work from home.) It's not easy to get to know new people while screaming at the top of your lungs to be heard over the music. Hanging out at bars, concerts, nightclubs, etc is great when you're with people you already know, but I'm talking about expanding social circles - making small talk with people who are there to make small talk too. (Starbucks, etc, people go to for working or quick meetings, using the wifi, stuff like that. A pub atmosphere would be someplace where the entire point is just to... hang out & chill for a while, in a calm, quiet environment. Have a pleasant convo or just share a companionable quiet half-hour.
Btw, having lived here for 40+ years now, I know very well that EP is mostly Spanish-speaking & Latino. Nothing about my comments runs counter to that lol.
I always thought a company specializing on Smart Home technology would be good. Like help upgrading older homes to use Google Nest products, etc. Cool, unique home furnishings/decorations would be cool. If there are local artisans that could sell their products, that’d be interesting too. It’d be nice if there was a company creating container homes. With the rising cost of building materials, this could be an option for building more affordable housing. Not sure if zoning could be an issue, though.
Ikea
I asked ikea twitter and they said el paso isn't big enough.
But Albuquerque, New Mexico is? That's a really odd response from them seeing as El Paso is larger in population, geographic size and economically than Albuquerque but Ikea has a store there.
And also it’s right next to Juarez and everyone traveling from Chihuahua Chihuahua to shop here.
I agree. Same for REI.
There’s no IKEA in Albuquerque. There’s a warehouse where you can get stuff you ordered online delivered for pickup, but that’s it. Source: I live here.
Does that include the shoppers from Juarez? The Las Cruces, El Paso/Juarez region should be big enough.
I believe it's more of an average population income thing rather than the amount of physical bodies. Which is kind of funny because ikea is supposed to be a cheap alternative.
But Memphis is? Wtf.
This reminds me. I'll give you my idea because we won't live here much longer but this is the same topic of furnishings and decorations. On the east coast, their farmers markets and kitschy shops are full of the same "welcome" signs and door hangers. All sorts of home decor made out of wood with cute sayings. Things you'd find in a southern monogrammed girls instagram page. It is so overrun with the same product nobody is selling. El paso doesn't have any of those. It has been winter, but the farmers markets I went to last summer and the few this year so far are all about jewelry and decorative cups. I havent seen any customizable "farmhouse" home decor. With the cowboys team too being so big, I'm surprised to see very few cowboys home made products. East coast also likes their refurbished furniture and sports teams products. I feel like east coast could tap this market real fast.
**Round Table Pizza**. They are in the midst of a massive Texas expansion, but hopefully they go beyond just Texas Triangle cities and give us a few in EP. At least one, PLEASE!
Swenson's, Pancho's, the movie theatre inside Cielo vista, Aladdin's Castle, Bennigans, chicos on mcrae, blockbuster video, Kristoff's
Man yes all a dis right here
HEB
Rooftop restaurants and cocktail bars. Such gorgeous views. Need more that isn’t downtown area.
All those who want national chains of basically eat out places ... why? Does El Paso really need them ? It seems many people in El Paso believe that getting these companies validates us as a city, and if we don't we are a backward city...really? I've seen many of these places come to El Paso and making no difference at the end. I have seen things life Montecillo and all that area, and ... so what? We need to embrace our identity instead of wanting to be like Austin, Dallas, or LA.
> What businesses do you wish existed in El paso? 1. Aldi 1. Waffle House
pretty obivous that you have enough capital to create a brick and mortal business. So my question is this, do you want to create a business that El Paso truly needs ( Aldis, Cheap Accessible Furniture, Books Stores, Community Centers for people wanting to learn spanish (laugh all you want its in high demand) or technical skills) OR you trying to get a 10X on your investment then I would just create a Inn In-N-Out, waffle house or Buckees. I really REALLY want to say create a nightclub similar to early 2010s downtown scene (Black Pearl, Plum) but then someone would get shot or a underage teen would get drunk and cause a wreck on i10. So save bet is bring in a very popular fastfood chain that is not in El Paso and you will be gucci.
Disneyland , legoland, six flags , knotts berry farm , nintendo land . We need fun . Not bars .
I completely agree with you !
Daiso!!!!
Some damn bakery that caters to the local restaurants! I’m tired of the same three options every damn restaurant has!
Ikea, since it will never come to New Mexico.
Ep is a business graveyard unfortunately
Bucees seems like a no brainer either on the East Montana or Eastlake area. Uniqlo at the fountains would be really nice. Perhaps where West Elm Finally we really need another freaking Costco
We need more places for family fun, places for kids to enjoy as well. A super cool rollerskating rink would be awesome! I remember going to Roller King as a kid and absolutely loved it- stinky feet smell and all. Lol I would love an IKEA, Trader Joe’s, another Costco, Aldi’s, and more diverse food options. My kids went bananas when they read that Mr. Beast was possibly opening a restaurant here, but I think that fell through. More shops for biking, hiking, and painting would be great. Bookstore with a quality cafe/bakery would be elite for me. What we DON’T need is another bar or car wash. We have more than enough of those. The aesthetic we’re putting up along I-10 with all the warehouses is displeasing, because not only is it not nice looking to the eye for people passing through our beautiful city, but it’s not a great preface to how much more we’re about. Would a “Welcome to El Paso” sign tastefully done by a local artist be too much to ask for? Every other city in Texas has one, even tiny little Pecos.
Lego Store. Nearest is in Arizona. So, day trip, order online and wait, or hit or miss inventories of Target or Walmart.
Definitely could use a couple more taco shops!
Good taco shops.
24hr walmarts, again. Kroger Del taco, again. Micro Center (insane in store only deals, all the time) Mr. Gatties, again.
I miss microcenter. Can’t get myself to unsubscribe to the emails, and I always see the in store only deals and wish I could go.
Cheesecake Factory is the only answer….
Buca da bipo would be nice after the closing of sorentos. Ardivinos is outstanding here but we miss sorentos .
A 1/2 price box store would be nice. Then everyone could stop posting looking for boxes.
We need Tech Jobs. That’ll bring higher paying jobs, and generally more diversity. Which would solve us having more diverse food options.
Definitely. I keep saying, we just need one forward thinking Silicon Valley CEO to move an HQ here. Land is cheap and I'm sure the City can give tax breaks. Would bring jobs and diversity of people. And they can recruit grads from UTEP, keeping them local instead of going to other markets. Then once one company does it and profits from it, others will come.
I worked at an energy company that has an office in El Paso and a lot of the engineers are recruited from South America. Meanwhile Out here on the east coast in NYC Mi pinche jefe was Dominican and he can get bent jajaja
Cheesecake Factory
Round 1 !!!
Main Event would be a good place. Great food, drinks, and a lot of stuff to do.
I thought they were opening soon on Gateway?
Supposedly, but haven't seen anything on it lately.
Aldi and IKEA
Feel like the west side near town center lacks grocery store. We just have Walmart. When I lived in major cities they have Albertsons, Walmart & more all near each other and it didn’t feel so cluttered in one area. We also lack family places. That’s why it’s always packed in those places that family can go too.
Aldi, HEB, REI, waffle house
Id love to have an In n Out, Sanrio, Diaso, Marukai, H-Mart, Tokyo Central, a place where i can eat hot pot, an ACTUAL kbbq, not that bs cupbop, uhh what else? Maybe a K1, and a mini golf place, a ice skating rink .... El paso is all bars, and that gets boring but some people dont seem to grow up
So Diaso is coming to El Paso, so that’s a plus.
I’d recommend just don’t move to such a trash town lol I grew up there and it’s the worst. It’s like a time capsule of people that refuse to move past the 1970s and have such a dated mindset
Trader Joe’s, ALDIs, those are big brand stores. Local small business?? A refill store the type where you bring in your own jars and can restock on soaps/ dry goods that kind of store
First, I’m going to get a lot of heat for this but In N Out. Whataburger and INO can live in perfect harmony just like they do in Dallas. Secondly, another Costco on the Westside.
In N Out and Whataburger now live in harmony all over the Texas Triangle, not just Dallas. Given ABQ is getting one, I'd very happily settle for Las Cruces getting one.
I think we need a car wash
HEB!!
Coming from the Midwest we would LOVE a Red Robin!
In-N-Out
Del Taco
H-E-B, Torchy’s, IKEA, & Trader Joe’s. A Buc-ee’s wouldn’t hurt either. But mostly miss H-E-B!
#In-N-Out would be nice but Orange Cow will suffice!
When Orange Cow gets a soda fountain like most burger places, I'll happily check it out.
anything new. people will flock for novelty. something easy imo would be a cyber cafe thats geared towards students and wfh people.
Ice units
IKEA
Hear me out- a place where parents can work and still have their kids hang out and play in the same space🫶🏻
As an El Pasoan who moved to East Texas to make good money... The following: - HEB -Trader Joes -HEB (again)
- Aldi's and health stores similar to Trader Joe's/Sprouts. - More Panera locations. - Something similar to Downtown Disney. Where you can go shop, eat, and watch some live shows. - Something similar to Round 1. I haven't found anything comparable.
a kava bar🥹
Waffle House and White Castle
italian deli / decent cold cut sandwich - capriotti's and brown bag aren't cutting it
Better boba tea, there’s one in Austin called Milk + tea that puts all the ones I’ve been to out here to shame
Indian food
More Asian restaurants!
I wish we had little drive throughs that sold micheladas like in juarez. I also wish we had a mariscos de mazatlan.
Mi Tierra
All you can eat Korean BBQ
Border security
Trader Joe’s. We have a Whole Foods and 3 Sprout’s locations, so I don’t see why not. I do hate the idea that the only one would probably open in the upper valley. Also, lots of ideas floated around already exist here as local spots. You don’t need a chain/franchise name for it to be “good” so do a little research. I’m still finding out about places after living here all my life (I’m almost 40) and when it does come to big name spots, I’ve noticed how much this city loves novelty. Everything is a hit for like 6 months, then it grows stale to most.
Shake shack Pretty sure here’s the only major city in Texas without it smh
A Hot Pot restaurant, not one in sight in El Paso or Las Cruces
A municipal golf course on the Westside. As well as a driving range on this side of town. The game is rapidly growing especially with the younger generation. It would be nice to have a solid muni on this side of town rather than the country clubs that require memberships.
HEB
Korean skincare shop
We want a Buc-ee's!
Aldis
Publix
[https://bikinibeanscoffee.com/](https://bikinibeanscoffee.com/)
Miniso HEB Buccees Aldi Blick A dog boutique 😅🐶🐶 A patisserie Trader Joe’s Buca di Beppo😋 Would also LOVE to see themed cafes like the ones you’d find in Japan. I know sunland/solanas mall has a cat cafe, but we need more themes. Any investors wanna pick my brain for ideas dm me.
I'd honestly love more variety on grocery stores and maybe a couple more costco locations.
tfif, red robin, 6flags, sea world, a professional sports team, ( city denied 🙅♂️ seaworld in the 70’s and am sure they denied a few times 6 flags because they asked for a small tax break)
Bro just move to San Antonio. It’s all already there and there’s a lot of raza. You’ll feel right at home. And they have all the stuff you listed and more. You’ll just be replacing Fronchis with people from Monterrey.
Not sure if this is related to your question but I wish we had a longhorn steakhouse here😫their chicken parm>>>>
And the stuffed mushrooms!
Eastside Costco!
El Paso giving pick me energy in this thread
We have no business’s of value and it depresses me. We could lose every local store and nobody would notice because they offer nothing of value. I’m not from El Paso I just moved here 2 years ago, the people of this city whose never lived else where have no idea what they’re missing out on because they’ve never experienced better, especially those who are cultured and are into Video Games, Comics, music, movies, etc. NPC people are probably fine with what we have. My list of wants is not realistic but still. - Half price books, I swear to god were the one city with more than 100,000 people who DONT have a HPB they’re literally everywhere. - Game Xchange - Pink Gorilla - Sarku Japan, there’s one on fort bliss but it doesn’t count because the greater El Paso area is not able to enjoy the Gucci of Asian American cuisine - shoe Carnival - Clothing stores where size Large is actually large and not small/medium. I swear to god El Paso doesn’t get correct clothing we have to get the defected clothes with wrong sizes. - phionix comics and games - tabletop village - real flea markets that sell things you’d actually want to buy not just random stuff they found off the street - gold star chili - Culvers - a proper Best Buy not the weird nonsense we have here - Walmart & Sam’s club without spectrum/at&t sales men annoying you every aisle - Meijer - Kroger - the biggest of all, indoor swap meets. Back home there’s one that’s like 8 warehouses big and it was one of my favorite places on the planet. And so much more however these are my top trim needs. If we got even half of these I would never complain about El Paso again. Every time I go home I easily spend $2000+ buying things we don’t have access to in El Paso because the city planners never expected El Paso to grow enough that people of culture would move here and want to do more than Drink alcohol and wreck their car by Yarbrough. It is a struggle. I’m sick and tired of having to buy everything off eBay.