This month’s piece of Downtown fabric comes in the form of Victor Venegas, a barber for the last 47 years and owner of Victor’s Barbershop, located in the basement level of the Chase Bank Building. Walking into the barbershop is like taking a step into the past. All the necessary memorabilia is present– men’s magazines, pictures and posters– and you can sense that there has been almost a half century of conversations taking place between the barber and his clients. In the far corner, you’ll usually find the proprietor hard at work with a client while Joe, the shoe shine guy, waits patiently for the next pair of shoes in need of some loving care.

If you work Downtown and you’re a man, there’s a good chance that Victor has cut your hair. Victor has seen Downtown at its high points and at its low points, having worked Downtown since 1970. When Victor began his career as a barber, a haircut was $1.50. Of course that’s been a while now, and the cost of a good cut has gone up.

Victor hails from the “big city of Marfa, Texas.” He served in the Army from 1952 until 1955. He returned to Marfa with the military for a short time until he decided to look for a better job in El Paso. In March of 1960, he graduated from barber school. Victor worked for several different businesses in town, including the Paso del Norte Hotel barbershop, but says, “I always had my eyes on this shop.” In 1974, Victor received a phone call from the property manager asking him if he was interested in taking over the shop. He jumped at the chance. “I went over right after the phone call.”

Throughout his career, Victor has cut hair for some famous people— a governor of Texas, news celebrities, businessman Sam Young, different congressmen, mayors and the U.S. Attorney, to name a few. He also talks about his largest customer, El Paso Natural Gas. “I had 263 customers just from the gas company, 7 to 7, six days a week.” Reflecting on part of Downtown history, Victor talks about how business has declined since 1998 when the gas company left town; it’s the same story that many retail businesses will tell you. “El Paso was the main shopping center. Everyone came Downtown,” he recalls. “I remember a beautiful Downtown with all its well-dressed customers.”

Recently, Victor tried to call it quits, making this last Dec. 31 the day he would hang up his shears. But when he made the announcement, his customers convinced him to keep on cutting. So, Tuesday through Friday, you’ll still find Victor in the far corner of the shop, taking care of the hair needs of one of his many loyal customers.

Fast & Easy Business Loans

The El Paso Central Business Association hosted a seminar on Jan. 24 in conjunction with the U.S. Small Business Administration. The topic of the seminar was “Fast & Easy SBA Loans up to $35,000.” Twenty-four local business persons attended the seminar, during which they learned how to apply for this express SBA Loan from a SBA Certified Lender. The range of the loans is from $5,000 to $25,000 for businesses with rapid approval response. No collateral, business plan or tax returns are required. The express loan establishes low principal and interest payments and credit in the business’s name.

The SBA Community Express Loans will continue to be available until March by Superior Financial Group, a SBA Certified Lender, and additional information can be obtained by calling the CBA office at 915.533.2656.

Border Economy

Situated on the border of two countries and three states, El Paso’s location presents a unique mixture of opportunities. Some of the opportunities furnished by El Paso’s close proximity to Mexico are realized by local businesses, upon which they have successfully capitalized. Factors such as the growing Mexican economy and stable political environment contributed to the steadfast peso and strong market for Downtown retail. Such evidence was notable this past holiday season.

According to an El Paso Times article dated Dec. 21, 2006, the holiday shopping may have been the “best on record.” The article referenced statistics provided by the International Council of Shopping Centers that show that 22.2 million visitors traveled to Texas, of which 7.2 million traveled to El Paso County. A third of Texas visitors also visited El Paso County, where they spent $944.8 million.

Downtown was once known as the true core of the region, where department stores drew visitors and where people flocked to shop, socialize and take care of business. This holiday season showed once again that a thriving retail market still exists. Downtown continues to be very much alive with a healthy foot traffic fueled by Mexican shoppers. The legacy of Downtown remains with us, with promise that Downtown El Paso is moving toward that great core we once knew it to be.

New Hotel for El Paso

Congratulations to Downtown businessman Russell Vandenburg and his partner Chuck Garrett on their success in bringing a new hotel to El Paso. On Jan. 16, the ribbon was cut at the grand opening ceremony for the Hilton Garden Inn, adjacent to the UTEP campus at 111 W. University Ave. The ribbon cutting took the new hotel from construction to open for business. Many El Pasoans attended the event that highlighted the $14 million project with a ground lease from UTEP and a joint venture with the state of New Mexico. The hotel has 153 rooms, a full-service restaurant, 3,000 square feet of meeting space, a fully equipped exercise room and an outdoor swimming pool. The Bhutanese architectural style was used to complement the existing architecture on the UTEP campus, making this the first Hilton branch to be custom built to match its surroundings.

Plaza Hotel: Legend of the Past, Hope for the Future
by Mike Breitinger

One of the most obvious symbols and resting legends of the past in Downtown is the Plaza Hotel. Sitting at the intersection of Mills and Oregon, this Henry Trost-designed icon is the first hotel built from the ground up by Conrad Hilton. This architectural beauty was built in 1930 with financing assembled by local El Pasoans and businessmen the likes of Sam Young. In its heyday, the Plaza was a beehive of activity, visited by politicians, movie stars and dignitaries along with locals and visitors from the South.

Unfortunately, in 1990, the doors were closed due to a transition to airport hotels. The hotel remains closed today, seemingly expecting– or hoping– for another moment of greatness in the future. This expectation is echoed by the owners of the Plaza, Plaza Properties.

The challenges have been timing and providing the market a unique product to make the hotel successful. The Plaza is positioned to participate in the redevelopment of Downtown as a mixed-use development.

President of Plaza Properties Paul Dipp is never short on enthusiasm when talking about the hotel. Dipp reports that Plaza Properties is planning great things for its Downtown landmark in the next 30 months, including restoring the hotel to its former greatness or possibly into oversized luxury apartments with a full range of services available “in house.” The ground floor would play host to quality retail shops and connected parking available via a new parking deck built on the adjoining surface parking lot between the Plaza and the Camino Real Hotel. The parking deck would also have retail space on the ground floor. Plaza Properties is actively pursuing these plans and is currently working closely with the Texas Historical Commission to ensure the building maintains its character and detail.

“We see many positive indicators that show that Downtown El Paso is moving in the right direction. The creation of the Paso del Norte Group and the Downtown Plan endorsed by the City Council is the most significant contributing factor,” Dipp says. “The development of the Plaza Theatre, inherent growth in the business market, old businesses moving back and new companies moving into Downtown shows that interest is moving in the right direction. We feel we will be able to identify the ‘niche’ that will support what we plan to do.”

Pancho Villa in Downtown
by Stephanie Bertka
sponsored by Land America Lawyers of El Paso

El Paso and her sister city, Juárez, comprise the largest metropolitan area located on an international border in the world. Together, these two cities are joined by many factors, such as culture and economy. Naturally, by sharing proximity, there also exist many similarities with regards to both cities’ histories. One such similarity is evident when discussing Doroteo Arango Arámbula, the man better known as Pancho Villa. Pancho Villa was one of the foremost leaders and best known generals of the Mexican Revolution between 1911 and 1920. Though Villa spent most of his time in Mexico, he conducted a wide range of “business” activities in Downtown El Paso.

In 1914, Pancho Villa’s Consulado de Mexico (Mexican Consulate) was located on the corner of Oregon and San Antonio Street, where First National Bank is now located and where Fred Delgado, an El Paso private detective, worked out of room 418 as Pancho Villa’s secret agent. That all came to an end when Venustiano Carranza was elected as president of Mexico in 1915. Though Villa and Carranza were, at one time, allies, through Carranza’s election they had become rival enemies. For the next several years, Mexico continued to be embroiled in a civil war between the factions of Pancho Villa and Venustiano Carranza. Taking sides in the battle, the United States supported Carranza. Angered by the U.S.’s actions, Villa acted out by closing the Mexican Consulate. However, he still operated his offices and headquarters in the Mills and Toltec buildings. In total, Villa had accumulated a sum of $2 million, which he kept in banks in the United States. Much like El Paso’s Downtown, Juárez also served as an ideal location for Villa’s offices. There, he ran his offices in the Customs House downtown on Lerdo Street.

Of the many locations Villa visited, one of the most notable was the Paso del Norte Hotel, presently known as the Camino Real on South El Paso Street. During the Mexican Revolution, the Paso del Norte Hotel– or rather, its rooftop–earned a reputation as a gathering place to socialize and watch the progress of battles from across the river. It is reported that Villa didn’t care much for the Paso del Norte Hotel; instead, he preferred to board at the Roma Hotel, at Paisano and El Paso Street, where Villa and his wife, Luz Corral, stayed after he escaped from prison in Mexico City. Villa was frequently seen walking around, pampering pigeons in his arms, claiming that pigeon meat was one of few things he could eat because of his sensitive stomach. Truth is he used the pigeons to send messages to his friends in Chihuahua.

With a little imagination, one can still sense the aura left behind by Pancho Villa and his rich and colorful past in Downtown El Paso and Juárez. Long-time Central Business Association member Dave’s Pawn Shop claims to house the trigger finger of Pancho Villa. This claim has spurred much attention and has drawn numerous visitors from both sides of the border. This is just another example of how our history joins us together in many different ways.

Ambassador\’s Alley
by Carl E. English Sr.

This article begins by saluting our many businesses located within the district. While undergoing the growing pains of change and uncertainty, many are taking pride and striving to improve the appearance and quality of life inside the district. Business owners are being proactive by ensuring their store-front properties are neat and orderly. Commercial refuse containers are filling the alleys and are marked with the business address. Some contractors are labeling the names and addresses on the containers as they’re delivered. This provides inspectors and field supervisors a means of identifying which businesses are in compliance. We are concerned that some businesses are still using the sidewalk receptacles to dispose of waste. These receptacles are strictly for pedestrian use only.

In the district, there are many construction projects and street closures in progress. Street construction tends to disrupt our normal way of doing business, causing detours, delays and impatience. In addition, parking meter spaces are significantly and adversely affected when street closures are in effect. Persons issued handicap plates are exempt from parking meter fees. Persons fraudulently using a placard or vehicle for the purpose of having a convenient parking space or to avoid feeding the meters are in violation of the State of Texas Transportation Code 681.001 and 681.002. Any evidence of abuse of this privilege can cause the placard to be revoked by the Texas Department of Transportation or the local County Tax Assessor Collector. Violations can result in fines of at least $250 and up to $1000 and/or up to 50 hours of community service per violation. Call the Police Department if you see any abuse of this privilege.

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