7 small El Paso businesses offering exclusive discounts on Small Business Saturday 2022
There are over 18,000 local businesses, how do you know where to visit? How about some award winning ones from Best of El Paso that are offering discounts.
There are over 18,000 local businesses, how do you know where to visit? How about some award winning ones from Best of El Paso.
Most of these are restaurants, but hey, we all enjoy eating, especially if they are award winning, you have little to lose. They are family friendly with great staff, and great products, and even better, they are offering discounts exclusive to us at Versal.
Weirdoughs
Our favorite doughnut place EVER! I can’t believe they are in El Paso. We have visited another largely popular doughnut place, Voodoo Doughnut, in Portland, Oregon. This place has them beat! The “Normie” which is their regular glazed, has such a great flavor in the bread alone. But our favorite is the Trixie, with pink strawberry icing and sprinkles. Classic Homer doughnut.
And exclusive through Versal, they are offering a SWEET discount 😉
J&M Creations
You haven’t seen candles like these! They not only do the job of making it smell nice, but they look amazing! They are molded into different shapes like flowers, skulls, and characters. AND have recently made the candle ALL El Pasoan have been waiting for. Especially those that don’t live here anymore. El Paso RAIN!
They also have events like candle making classes.
And exclusive through Versal, they are offering a SCENTsational discount 🤦🏻♂️
The Hen House
Our favorite wing place! Great alternative to chain wing restaurants. Unique flavors that are created for us, El Pasoans. This is where you take your out-of-town friends and family. Our favorite is the Enchilada wings 🤤. And as weird as it may sound, don’t pass up the peanut butter jelly wings. Peanut butter flavored wings, with a spicy jelly sauce for dipping 👌
And exclusive through Versal, they are offering a SPICY deal (4 more to go 😅)
The Dripping Cauldron
El Paso's newestc offee and tea shop with a gothic theme located in northeast right next door to Sinister Kustoms. Featuring over 30 different Bones Coffee flavors. Over 15 Specialty coffee items including Lattes, Frappe's, iced coffee blends and of course fresh brewed and ground espressos.
And exclusive through Versal, they are offering a SPOOKtacular deal 😅
Doc’s Unique Collectibles
“We love toys!” Collecting things can be a stress releiver, mood enhancer, and a relaxing activity. Think back to that time you finally got that toy you had want SO BADLY! How you felt to finally hold it, touch it, and that new toy smell ❤️. Everything from Marvel, to Star Wars, Jurassic Park, FUNKO Pops! Great selection!
You don’t have to rely on your parents now, you’re a full grown adult and you can buy what you want 😜. Either way, look for it at the best collectibles shop in El Paso. They have great knowledgeable staff that can get you what you want.
And exclusive through Versal, they are offering a SUPER deal 🦸🏻♂️
Cereal Killers
Did you know 50% of Americans start their day with cereal? I guess it's hard to resist the sweet crunch swimming in cold milk 🤤. Imagine the look on your friends faces when they see you with cereal in a cup, like shake. This is a cereal lover’s DREAM! Bowls of cereal with flavored milks, and fruit 🤤. And the name of this place… killed it! 🗡
And exclusive through Versal, they are offering a special TREAT 🍡
Tiara Del Sol
Last but not least, this isn’t an El Paso one, but a local one.
Ruidoso has 1.9 million tourists every year. 60% of the homes are vacation homes. If you haven’t been, this is a great incentive to get away and just be with nature. Great view! This quaint collection of condos really takes you up to the top of the mountains. At the summit you have great views of Inn of the Mountain Gods resort, Grindstone Lake, Sierra Blanca, and the Ruidoso community.
Think of the pictures 📸
And exclusive through Versal, they are offering a reason to GETAWAY 🧳
Weirdoughs and Hen House did receive awards and recognition, including Top 5 in Best New Restaurant. The Best of El Paso list for 2022 was hard to find, but I do know these businesses posted on social media about it.
We hope you enjoy these places as much as we have. They are run by great people, and truly represent El Paso and surrounding communities. Remember that when you shop local, our money stays here. They pay taxes here which help our community, and infrastructure. You were’ going to get this stuff anyway, make it count for more by shopping local.
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Full List of El Paso Businesses offering discounts
Upcoming El Paso Events
El Paso Comic Con 2022. Pros and Cons and how we can continue to have other great events!
What was a pleasant surprise was the talent of local artists. I’m not surprised at the talent, but it was cool to see them all in one place back-to-back from one booth to the next.
Experience El Paso Comic Con 2022
It has been a while since we attended El Paso Comic Con. Maybe since 2016. We figured it was about to time we check it out again. It was no disappointment.
Summary
Comic Conventions are for all things geeky and nerdy and fun.
Great guests, including William Shatner.
Extremely talented local & regional artists.
Non-regional artist companies.
El Paso’s communication struggles.
Artists contact info
What is a comic convention?
If you don’t know what a comic convention is… it is pretty much a convention for a bunch of geeky and nerdy fun things. It’s not just about comic books and super heroes. It can range from pretty much anything that gets a really hyped up fanbase. Movies such as Jurassic Park, Ghostbusters, Disney (including Marvel and Star Wars), and TV shows such as anime, The Office, Breaking Bad, etc. Across all genres. If there was a show that has very recognizable characters that may inspire you to dress up, you may find it at a comic con.
Pros: Great guests and local/regional artists.
Fun stuff of this magnitude is hard to come by for El Paso. They had great guests. William Shatner (Star Trek) and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad & The Mandalorian) to name a few. Of course to meet them comes at additional costs. I imagine putting an event like this is hard work.
But what was a pleasant surprise was the talent of local artists. I’m not surprised at the talent, but it was cool to see them all in one place back-to-back from one booth to the next. The art is not just pretty pictures. They are very skilled drawings and paintings, but they have a lot of meaning.
Chuco Chamuco
One in particular that stands out is Chuco Chamuco. He can take a lot of familiar characters and places and turn them into representations of many things to tell a new, yet familiar story.
Bloonmac
Bloonmac is another one that does something similar, taking popular characters and placing them with local landmarks. They also have some original characters, and also offer social painting classes. Check out their contact info for more information.
Louie Diaz - Black Blood Artistry
One of our other favorites is Louie Diaz, Black Blood Artistry. He is an incredibly talented artist that specializes in photo-realism. It is unreal how real it looks… if that makes any sense. He can be frequently found at Kaleidoscope Art Market. Louie was also one of our featured Versal Artists. You can check it out here.
There were also some very talented semi-local/regional artists, from Austin and New Mexico, and even California. We heard a lot of compliments on the turn out, and the people from El Paso which is always good to hear.
There were also some non-local, artist companies. Much better resources, set-up, and mass production. It is good to have a diverse selection, but it does tend to take away a little bit from the “El Paso” Comic Con. I have mixed feelings about this. There was some really great stuff there too, but I dislike that it can take away from the local artists. Most artists, especially getting into it as a business, understand what they’re getting themselves into. Competition and resources, etc. I assume the sign-up is open to everybody and it is the local artists job to sign-up and sell along with the other art companies. In the end, we definitely had a stronger connection to the local artists because they are catering to us. they know what we like and how to put their artistic touch to still make it theirs. (I have attached contact info to most of the artists we encountered below)
Cons: El Paso’s communication struggles…
Like we have mentioned, this was a really fun event and I recommend going to it if you have the faintest interest. However, our city struggles with communication. From freeway lanes being closed and not being notified until it is too late. Finding out an event sounds fun to attend, then finding out it already happened. O dimply displaying signs to get a simple message across.
Allowances into the venue - I have a DSLR camera, aka a “fancy” camera with removable lens. It was not allowed into the venue, but the last time we came it was not an issue. Allowing the camera in or not is not the issue. Policies change, I understand that. But there were no signs.
Meet & greet section - We were vlogging the event. (Video link above). I understand if we are not allowed to film in a certain area, but we were confronted by security to delete a video I caught of Giancarlo Esposito. I am not upset about this. I understand if it is a stipulation the guest had or the event…BUT this is the first I hear about it. It was little surprising to be approached somewhat aggressively about filming. Luckily, the security guard was understanding. I explained that I did not know, I had not seen any signs or warnings. We complied and got rid of it. No harm no foul. On another occasion, a similar thing happened to somebody else. A different security guard was loudly informing that there is no video allowed in this section. The person, to us appeared to be complying, but the security guard continued to reiterate that the was no video in this section. To me… this is what can escalate situations. It feels like when your mom would nag at you about something you are already doing. “Ok mom ig et it!” 😜. So I think a simple sign could solve some problems I understand also here in El Paso we also have another tendency to think, “That sign doesn’t apply to me.” 😑. But I think a sign could do more good than harm.
Getting the word out - We bumped into an old colleague at the event, and said he had just found out it was going to be that weekend. Luckily we knew from a little longer ago that the event was occurring. But it happens countless times, that I see something about an event, and it either already happened, or it is happening as I’m discovering it. I honestly don’t know where the communication breakdown happens, but it happens quite frequently in our city. Our people sometimes complain that there isn’t anything to do. I disagree. I just think that nobody knows what is happening. They don’t know there options. Maybe using a common hashtag. Especially for local events. #supportelpaso #supportelpasobusinesses #elpasoevents or create a new one that we ALL use. Consensus.
The pros clearly outweigh the cons. But the cons still need to be addressed because it is a common issue at other El Paso events. We would like for El Paso to continue having great events like this with as few hiccups as possible, so here are a few things that can help:
Signs
Directing to parking for the event
Parking signs for cash/card/which floors or areas of parking facility.
Allowances into the venue
Areas of the event guests can access
Promotion & Marketing & Timing
2 weeks to a month and more frequently as it nears.
More exposure in more places as it nears.
Social media networking and getting different bubbles to post your stuff. Your bubble already knows. Find a way to break into other bubbles.
We are working on putting together a calendar where these events can be placed for everyone to see with easy access and visibility. They can be sent in to us to be put on the calendar. Our calendar is not ready, but if the event is far enough in advance, you can send it to us and hopefully by that time, our calendar will be live. We look forward to having great events and #supportelpaso 😉
Artist contact info
Louie Diaz/Black Blood Artistry - https://www.instagram.com/black.blood.artistry/
Imperial Border Squad - https://www.instagram.com/imperialbordersquad/
Blackened Art - https://www.etsy.com/shop/BlackenedArtDesign
Alex Grey Illustrations - https://bluehippopress.com/?v=e748b7c8fd06
Kim Trails Designs - https://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/kim_trails?sub_action=designs
Our favorite doughnut place EVER! I can’t believe they are in El Paso.