The Goat House, a café and sandwich shop,  opened Jan. 6 at 820 N. Mesa in the same building as The Red Door Vintage, Boogie Woogie Boutique and West Texas Tattoo.

The café has been open for two weeks and the owner said it has been doing well so far.

“We’ve been seeing some students, but it will probably pick up more when classes start,” said Jesse Maynes, owner of The Goat House.

He said business will bloom even more once they put a proper sign up to advertise The Goat House.

“The only downfall is we don’t have any signs yet, so as of now, people hear of us through word of mouth,” he said.

Kelli Stauffer, junior accounting major, shops at The Red Door Vintage, but has not eaten at The Goat House. She said she would like to.

“I’m friends with the person who sells them their tea and shop at The Red Door, so I would like to go,” Stauffer said “I’ll eat anything, really, I’m not picky. As long as it’s vegan.”

Maynes said some of the items on the menu include turkey wraps with chipotle jam and red chicken pizza, which helps keep up with the vibe that was previously set by the tattoo parlor and store.

“I wanted to be consistent with the weird vibe–something fitting,” he said.

Although his food is suited for the atmosphere of the building, Maynes  said the current establishment of The Goat House is not what he had previously imagined.

“Honestly, it’s not even close to the restaurant I had in mind,” Maynes said. “I’m friends with the tattoo people and I thought it was the best place for a sandwich shop.”

Being friends with the artists from the tattoo shop also helped him choose his location.

“It used to be a small coffee shop, but it wasn’t running too well, so the owner closed it and left and they needed someone as soon as possible,” Maynes said.

Before Maynes opened The Goat House, he owned a music venue under the same name.

“I got the name from the TV show ‘Blue Mountain State,” he said. “The jocks (in the show) had a frat house called The Goat House.”

On Jan. 16, The Goat House featured the bands Blessed Be Man and Eric & The Romeros for a small concert. Maynes said it went well and he hopes to have similar concerts in the future.

“We’re trying for every Friday to have acoustic artists come and perform around 10:30, so you still have time to do your thing,” he said.

Along with concerts, he wants to have other regular events, such as horror movie screenings and other sources of live music.

“I’m talking to some people from Mother of Pearl, the record store, to come spin on Sundays,” Maynes said. “We are also thinking of doing a speed-dating event for Valentine’s Day and are talking to some people from the El Paso Horror Society to come down and do screenings of B-rated horror films here.”

Other regular events include palm and tarot card readings.

Maynes said he wants to attract students and customers with these events to help both The Goat House and the other businesses flourish.

Brittany Huerta, junior health promotions major, said she has been to the establishment and likes how it’s a combination of a store, a tattoo parlor and a café.

“My first impression was that it was a vintage shop with a twist of being a tattoo shop and café,” Huerta said. “I thought it was pretty awesome that they had so much to look at for such a small place.”

Huerta enjoys the vibe that The Goat House and its fellow businesses give off.

“The vibe is pretty mellow and comfortable. I feel like I am back in Berkley, California,” Huerta said.

The Goat House is open Tuesday though Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 915-922-7055.

Julia Hettiger may be reached at [email protected].