City To Revitalize Cincinnati Street To Help With Business Loss

Cincinnati Street used to be full of restaurants, shops and people enjoying all the area had to offer. Now, business has slumped and the city wants to fix that.

When I first moved to El Paso, Cincinnati Street was a place that all the college kids, locals  and even young business professionals used to congregate at. The local watering holes were always full and I met most of my close friends at the bars there.

The Palomino Tavern was my favorite place to go, followed closely by the best little dive bar in town Black Market. When you wanted to grab dinner and some pre-party drinks, G2 was the place to go to meet up with friends and potentially make new ones. The bartenders knew you by name and exactly what drink or shot you were looking for. There were always a friend's band playing on a Friday or Saturday night down at the Lowbrow Palace and the Poe brothers were there to make you feel welcome. And after all the fun and festivities of the night, you stopped by the Star City Kitchen to grab some of their amazing macaroni and cheese with the candied bacon on top. I only got to experience the greatness of Cincinnati Street for a few years, and I know everyone has their own memories and great times at all the establishments that are gone but never forgotten.

Since this time, we have seen many businesses come and go, including Hemingway's, Luka 7, Great American, Homework, Star Canyon Winery, the cigar shop, Stela Rose boutique, Cincinnati Bar ad Grill, Everyday Gyro, Corner Tavern, O2 Lounge, Marc Polo Dive Bar, Spice Lounge, Liquor Dick's, Fellini Film Cafe, Magic Pan, Agave Restaurant and probably many others we can't remember.

Now the street is quiet, with bars opening up with great potential but missing the patrons needed to make them successful. The City of El Paso is now working to try and help revitalize the area with new ideas, new traffic solutions, new design concepts and fresh new businesses.

Some of the new businesses being brought to the area include The W bar, a new wine focused establishment that emits class and entices the female crowd. The Legendary Tipsy Tiger is just that- legendary. And owner Dickie Williams is looking to bring that same party vibe from the Eastside back to Cincinnati Street. If there is anyone that can bring back the party vibe that has been missing from Cinci Street, it would be Dickie Williams. When his new bar Ditzy Duck opens at 207 Cincinnati, I can't wait to see what he's come up with.

You can't talk about successful business ventures in El Paso without thinking of the men behind Pan y Agua. From Crave Kitchen and Bar, Cantina Malolam, Hillside Coffee and Doughnut, Independent Burger and more, Octavio Gomez, Nick Salgado and Rudy Valdes do business right. The three are getting ready to open up a fourth Crave location in the city, plus a new bar on Cincinnati Street. The casual, patio bar will be called Fool's Gold and is located where the old Corner Tavern used to be. Already from the landscaping changes in the front, you can see the building is being given new life for new opportunities.

There are also three new proposals being discussed that would help redesign Cincinnati Street itself, as well as adding new outdoor seating, sidewalks and landscaping. There will be a public meeting held this Saturday so people can give their input on all the exciting new changes coming to Cincinnati Street.

The Cincinnati District public meeting will be held from 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. this Saturday, July 9th at the Scenic View Ballroon, 1340 Murchison.

From everything that I have seen and the rumors milling around about Cincinnati Street, I'm excited for what the future holds for the iconic nightlife spot.