BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The space industry moving to Brownsville has provided local entrepreneurs an opportunity to launch space-themed businesses.

Rebecca Rodriguez, the owner of The Space Dog Station, said she started her business five months ago, and incorporating a space concept is helping her out.

“The logo, people love it. They come to take pictures, they post it on Instagram, and it has brought a lot of attention,” she said.

Rodriguez explained that she was excited when she heard of Elon Musk bringing Space X to Brownsville.

“In 2014 when Elon Musk announced that he was going to get Star Base out here, I thought that was awesome. Of course, at that time I didn’t think of a business, but then it ended up happening during the pandemic and here we are. We did go based on that. I thought how awesome it is to have out here,” she said.

Rodriguez’s menu items range from Flaming Hot Cheeto burgers to Tijuana Hot Dogs, but the community is also interested in her Space Dog-themed merchandise.

“I had somebody message us that they wanted to see if we would be able to give them one of our logo emblem stickers,” she said.

Rodriguez has other items with the space theme including pins and is working on t-shirts.

Another local business named The Rocket Bar is scheduled to open in March.

Michael Perez, the co-founder of The Rocket Bar, said after throwing around several names, he and his business partner decided on their new business name.

“What better way to commemorate Elon Musk and the great things that he’s doing for the community than naming it The Rocket Bar,” said Perez.

Perez explained that their goal is to provide more than just a bar, but an experience.

“As soon as you come into the space you have the lighting, what do you smell, what do you see. I can’t give away too many of the details but for sure we’re going to set ourselves apart from the rest,” said Perez.

He said one way the bar will set itself apart with their unique concept called, Rocket Lockers.

 “The concept behind it is you pay an annual fee, and that fee allows you to have a locker, and that locker will allow you to store unfinished or new bottles,” he said.

Rodriguez and Perez both expressed excitement for the opportunities provided for their business and also their gratitude to the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation (BCIC) for providing support.

Josh Mejia, BCIC’s president & CEO, said their E-Bridge Center will be opening soon and will provide additional resources for aspiring entrepreneurs such as Rodriguez and Perez.

“We’re seeing a lot of folks just thinking outside the box, which is good it drives the culture change and we’re all for it. We are here constantly working to provide resources to help these entrepreneurs become successful, not only in this market but to think outside, state markets, international markets, you name it. That’s what we’re here for,” said Mejia.