EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – A retired Border Patrol supervisor’s love for collecting all things vintage led him to share his passion with the Borderland, and along with his wife, open a local business with a “big personality.”
Rasputin’s Curiosities, Vintage and More is a boutique located at 219 S. El Paso St. in Downtown El Paso.
Like you would expect with a name like that, you can find very special vintage pieces all around — from furniture, jewelry, vinyl, clothing, curiosities and everything in between.
The boutique also features and showcases original art from local artists such as Valeria Tejada, Blanca Estrada, and Ho Baron.
German Cisneros — one of the owners and the general manager of the boutique– shared the story behind his business.
Cisneros said that when he retired from his federal job with the Border Patrol, he was trying to find a “fun job” that he would enjoy doing after his career.
“I tried to get a fun job like a record store, but unfortunately, they wouldn’t hire me. They would just hire younger people. And then I tried to get another job like a cigar shop because I love cigars, and the same thing happened. They would just hire younger people. They would tell me, ‘Oh, you are overqualified. We can’t pay you what you should get paid.’ But I would tell them that it’s not about the pay. I just want something that I can enjoy in my retirement,” Cisneros said.
Cisneros said he felt very discouraged after he wasn’t hired, but his wife pointed out how he has a passion for collecting stuff and encouraged him to open his own business.
“It was like that inspiration that I needed, because I already had the passion to look for all these amazing treasures that I’ve been able to accumulate throughout my life. So, we made it happen. When you have the right person behind you, anything is possible,” Cisneros said.
Cisneros said his wife is a psychologist and just opened her practice last year, where she offers family counseling in El Paso. She is also about to retire this year from the federal government, and when that happens, she will transition full time to her practice.
Cisneros bought every artifact in the store with his hard-earned money, and it took him seven months to put it all together. In December of last year, the shop officially opened to the public.
“Seven months of hard work, acquiring stuff. I already had a lot of stuff, but I had to acquire more stuff. And then putting everything together brought the magic,” Cisneros said.
Cisneros said the shop reflects his personality, saying, “It’s a little weird.”
“Everything you see here, I find a connection with, and I hope that some of the customers enjoy and also have that connection with some of the items,” Cisneros said.
Cisneros said his goal is for customers to have a great experience when going to the shop.
And while Cisneros said his business is “a work in progress,” a few celebrities passing through the city have visited the vintage shop already.
“The first celebrity that came in is a politician (Beto O’Rourke); he even played the guitar here, and it was very fun. He was running for president, and he’s from the El Paso area,” Cisneros said.
Cisneros said other celebrities visiting his shop include members of the music band Urban Heat, Emmy winner Bill Diamond — who’s one of the producers for the movie “Terrifier” — and New York-based singer-songwriter Kira McSpice.
“Kira McSpice came in and fell in love with the shop. She loved the raw vibe, the sexy vibe in here, and connected with it. She said, ‘I would love for you to carry my record,’ and we made it happen. She sent me some autographed copies of her vinyl record, and they pretty much immediately sold out,” Cisneros said.
Cisneros said life is about liking what you do, adding that he’s grateful and happy for having the opportunity to enjoy his “retirement gig.” He encourages people to follow their dreams and not to be afraid of failing, because perseverance is what gets you where you want to be.
The shop is open from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
You can follow them on Facebook or Instagram to see some of their vintage artifacts.
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