Laundromat being turned into cantina near Ballpark
El Paso’s new ballpark continues to bring new businesses Downtown.
The latest addition involves the transformation of an old laundromat into a cantina that’s scheduled to open late next month.
The Blackbird Cantina Deluxe is located at 533 West Franklin, within a block of the main entrance at Southwest University Park.
“The spark that the ballpark created for Downtown El Paso was a no-brainer for us before it happened,” said TJ Karam, one of several investors in Downtown’s new Blackbird Cantina, located so close to El Paso’s new $75 million ballpark, a foul ball could land in its beer garden. “Our thoughts from the very beginning were, if they put the ballpark there, it’s going to be a huge success.”
After half a million flocked to the ballpark during the inaugural season, Karam said it was evident they’d made the right decision to purchase the property.
“Once the decision of the ballpark was made, we saw a lot of things change in the neighborhood,” he said. “A lot of buildings that might have been for sale, not for sale anymore. We wanted to give people in this area something walk-able as well as the fans for the baseball team to enjoy either before or after the game.”
Karam said it’s also a bit of a green project. They took three 40-foot long steel shipping containers and cut them into six 20-foot long containers to form the offices, the freezer and the bathrooms.
“We continue to see additional development in Downtown,” said City Rep. Cortney Niland, pointing to more than $30 million in new investment Downtown since completion of the ballpark. “I sure hoped it would (happen this quick). I hoped and prayed! I’ll tell you that! And it’s working and that’s just great.”
Karam said the Blackbird Cantina Deluxe originally included a residential component, but that’s on hold for now. He says he’s heard of other residential projects moving forward in the area. He hopes for a grand opening of the cantina on Halloween.
