If you've walked around Downtown recently, and ventured up to the Artspace Lofts you've probably realized that there is a new coffee shop open. This coffee shop is called Nomu and it is located next to the Fab Lab at the Art Space. 

Now before anything else you might be wondering: What does Nomu mean? Don't worry we asked ourselves the same thing! The cafe was created by a group of partners who wanted to provide service to people in Downtown  El Paso, especially the residents at Artspace. Two of the partners lived in Tokyo for a while and this is where the idea came from. The word Nomu means to drink in Japanese, and they thought the name seemed fitting.

The owners realized that Downtown lacks cool places to just hang out and have a good time. They want to make sure they provide a super relaxed space that is not pretentious.  and trying to just give options. Having a coffee shop next to the Fab Lab really influenced the place. Some of the owners of Nomu are from the Fab Lab and this inspired them to have a DIY  space made from scratch. Overall Nomy is very minimal looking with all the benches, tables, and even the Downtown map all hand made by the Fab Lab. 

Nomu is implementing an environmentally conscious brand that focuses on leaving the least amount of waste possible. They use paper straws and try to package everything in paper or cardboard to use the least amount of plastic possible. Not only do they reduce the use of plastic, but they try to use local resources to serve their community.

The coffee that they use is local, and therefore short distance, and still great quality. They use local bakers, like Sweet Addiction, and have vegan options from Savage Foods. All their food is prepackaged, but it is made either the day it is used or the night before, so everything is always fresh.
Not only does Nomu serve the El Paso community great coffee and tea selections, you can now also consume alcohol! Nomu now serves nine different craft beers as well as a selection of wines from Chile and France.

If you still haven't visited, we urge you to go take a look and have a drink, or two, while enjoying the cool atmosphere Downtown!

If you are ever driving down I-10 going west, then you will notice a black house with white palm trees painted on the outside of it, next to a a gas station. Many people wonder what it is. I get asked all the time. Well, it's The Outpost and, no, it's not a bar. That house is owned and created by a company in New York called The Participation Agency. I recently caught up with one of the managers of The Outpost and here is some of the insight he provided. 

This is a sophisticated road stop for musicians who are touring. Musicians use this space however they want, whether it is recording something, hanging out, chilling or even doing their laundry. This, by no means, means that it is a hotel or a place to stay over, rather it is a "cool hub" and El Paso was chosen for The Outpost because bands are constantly passing through here. 

The inspiration for this place came from a lot of different places. The creative director behind this is Jessica R., and she created the aesthetic and visuals of this place. There is a lot of creative freedom in the Outpost. Lots of brands have donated things for this and the bands. It's just meant to be high-end.

There is a lot of local art and things throughout the Outpost. While trying to set up the amazing decoration for this place, this agency went ahead and tried to pin-point the best people for this project. Lots of local musicians and business owners are part of this project.It's all about reaching  out to the local community.

The Outpost has had local musicians and traveling bands that have been there as well. Not only do musicians go use the space for themselves, but there are some musicians that go there to preform. The Outpost hopes to have some parties soon and an open house, which they want to extend to the local community, yet keep somewhat exclusive. Some artists themselves will invite people there via their social media. For example JMSN was at The Outpost about two months ago and he invited the first thirty people that rsvp'd. It was a hit and The Participation Agency hopes to continue doing this.  

I asked the manager to touch on a certain confusion that there was regarding whether bands could stay over. He said that the confusion comes from the fact that they have other places in different cities like The Outpost yet they are called The Patch and there they can stay over. This agency wants to help bands out as much as they can while touring, especially smaller bands and artists. Touring and lodging can get very expensive, and this is a way to help out with that. 

Any band is welcome to stop by The Outpost, it is actually encouraged. There is no set requirement per say, but they do look for bands that are coming through El Paso and are heading somewhere for a show. A lot of the times The Participation Agency reaches out to the bands themselves and they want to make it clear that there is no catch. It's all part of bringing an "authentic and organic experience". 

Just last month, Julio Pizana (DotDotJulio) was featured as one of the artists of the month at Dream Chasers Club for the Niños de la Tierra exhibition. I remember seeing the paintings and they immediately caught my eye. I have always had a fascination with water color and the presence of some abstract representation of demons. His illustrations and fine lines were extraordinary. 

Julio is a shy guy, an anime junkie with lots of talent, funny, and unconventional. He was born in Juarez and he initially started drawing Dragonball Z characters during second grade. Later on in high school he started drawing other creatures. He didn't consider himself the artsy kid and because he was in punk-hardcore bands during college, he stopped drawing for a while. He eventually started drawing again, but it took him a while to start showing people his work again. It helped that the art scene in El Paso started growing as well. 

Julio has so much imagination that he struggles sleeping and for him art is the perfect outlet. His process usually begins by drawing an eye and it just takes off from there. Julio explained that he constantly has images in his head. He never had a precise influence growing up, but lowbrow art, anime, and abstract art happen to be his favorites. He also has an appreciation for Frida Khalo, which did not happen until he was in high school. 

He also mentioned that his friend Skip influences him a lot since he always draws creatures as well. However, Julio had to change his style to stop being compared to Skip's and Portugal the Man's art because he did not like that all. 

If you ask Julio, he will tell you that he never did "art-art" when he was growing up, he considers his art a sort of "print-art". He considers his art affordable compared to other prices because he firmly believes it is important to have fair pricing. He would like for people to be able to afford his art. Because of that, Julio has even done stuff for free, like artwork for the band Miijas, trying to do what he can just to help out people with his art. His main goal being to spread the art, believing it is useless to keep it to himself. 

His last piece of advice for anyone chasing their dream is "Just do it. Don't think about it, just do it."

A big thank you to Julio. Go follow him on Instagram under DotDotJulio
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​There's something about people whose dreams are translated into their work that inspires you to chase your own, and Mustang Jane is one of those individuals. So, prepare to be inspired! 

If you've never heard about Mustang Jane, I will let you know that she is a very inspiring artist who looks to make a change through her art and fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. Mustang Jane describes herself as a "multidisciplinary political artist" and she does a lot of work in "arte de denuncia." This means that for her art is a way to talk about injustices and violence, especially regarding women. 

For Mustang Jane, living in the border really influenced her decision to go into this type of art. Ciudad Juarez has a lot of history regarding femicides and other violence against women and this motivated Mustang Jane to speak out about it through her art. For her, a well articulated community process has the potential for social change because though education and organization the younger generations can be reached. 

Having left Ciudad Juarez, her hometown, for ten years made her realize that if she was going to come back, she needed to create something meaningful that would create an impact. Mustang Jane decided to make a change and start by doing something, no matter how small. Little by little her "small grain of salt" in the community has began to expand with the help of her collaborators. 

Not only is Mustang Jane committed to making a change on her community, but she also embraces change herself.  Her process and her projects have changed because she believes that you always learn something new. She explains that you constantly need to be making connections to your surroundings, including politics, your environment, books, and other individuals. All of your experiences begin to grow and add up, making you into who you are.

Mustang Jane is very dedicated to her community, and her art speaks about the many issues she is passionate about. You can see this through her work with embroidery, textiles, knitting, drawing, and painting. Mustang Jane is an artist to watch and following her work feels like you are growing right along side her and I think this is one of the many things that makes her so special. 

You can follow Mustang Jane's work on her Instagram, mustangjane

All pictures are courtesy of Mustang Jane (go check out more of her work on her Instagram!):

This skate shop is like no other, especially in the city of El Paso. You walk in and you immediately notice the  black floor and walls. It makes all the colorful boards and shirts stand out. Not only that but upon entering Barrio Skateshop there is a large black couch and behind it there are many plants including Bougainvilleas, which remained me of Guadalajara. Although entering a legitimate skateshop can be intimidating at first, especially for someone like me who knows how to skate a little, here is not the case. Mago, manager at Barrio (pictured below), is always ready to greet. 

This establishment was started by Emmanuel Urbina around 2007 where it's old location is a few blocks down the new one. The concept behind barrio skate shop was to open up a local store with solely skateboards, skate apparel, and skate equipment unlike other stores that digress from the main concept. 

The only downside of having a store in downtown El Paso, is that there was a law that was passed forbidding this. However, Barrio has kept their great attitude up and encourages people to not get discouraged and show how united the skate community is. 

This store is special because not only are they there to sell you quality material, but also help. Mago mentioned, "sometimes guys come in without being able to afford a skateboard and what we do is collect old boards that people don't need and we take them to Juarez and give them to those that need it the most. We want to help out with what we can." There is satisfaction in seeing these guys receive boards and being so grateful. 

Barrio Skateshop also does video collaborations, for example they recently did a video with one of the compound guys called Still Ill. It can be found on Youtube. Barrio is always ready to help. 

Something that Mago mentioned is the changing skate scene. In which, "it is no longer desired to have the biggest brand name, but rather an "underground" brand. The downside to this is that a lot of people are wanting to skate again because of a trend. It is important to have passion while doing this and stay true to it."

It is evident that this shop has a lot of heart and the employees and owner are so caring. They love the sport, so much that they accommodate to people's needs, which is so thoughtful and so unique. There is no other shop like this in El Paso or Juarez. They want the skate community to grow. This is an authentic skate shop. If you are looking to invest in a skateboard or get more involved in the skate community, this is the place to go.  


Follow them on Instagram: barrioskateshop

Located: 110 S Oregon 79901
                Noche Triste #238 locales

Thank you so much guys!