The last ten years have seen a dramatic turnaround in the profile of shopping in Las Vegas. Before the unveiling of the mind-boggling Forum at Caesars Palace in 1992, none of the casinos had its own shopping mall, and the city's stores catered almost exclusively to locals. Since then, malls and arcades have been opening everywhere, and the shopping craze has reached the point where an amazing two-thirds of visitors to Las Vegas in one survey cited the shops as the main reason to come.
Sales tax in Nevada is set at 7.25 percent.
Not that Las Vegas is a great destination for
bargain hunters
; apart from the odd souvenir store, it's not tacky, and it's not cheap. Instead, tourists can expect to encounter jazzed-up outlets of all the usual chains to be found in any US suburban mall, plus a leavening of high-end international names. What's really generating all the excitement is that the big casinos have started to bring Las Vegas's traditional flair for display and presentation to these shopping malls, turning them into must-see attractions. As for what makes the malls the
most profitable
in the nation, it would be nice to imagine that the city is full of successful gamblers who can't wait to flaunt their new-found wealth. However, the truth is more likely that visitors find themselves losing so much on the tables and slots, with nothing to show for it, that getting something in return for their money - however expensive - suddenly seems a miraculous alternative.
Along the Strip in particular, the shopping boom shows no signs of faltering. The arrival of the exquisite but very small
Via Bellagio
at
Bellagio
in 1998 did little to rock the Forum's throne, but things hotted up in 1999, when the
Venetian
unveiled its gloriously over-the-top
Grand Canal Shoppes
. Since then, the
Desert Passage
at the revamped
Aladdin
has appeared, on much the same extravagant scale, while Mandalay Resort Group has been pressing ahead with the construction of a huge new mall between
Luxor
and
Mandalay Bay
; negotiations for Harrod's of London to be its anchor have fallen through, but something spectacular is certainly in the offing. Not to be outdone, the Strip's veteran
Fashion Show Mall
is in the throes of a massive expansion.
Not every casino has succumbed to the mall-building craze, however. Both the
MGM Grand
and the
Mirage
devote a tiny proportion of their space to shopping, while others among their neighbors stick to the traditional formula of offering only souvenir-type stores, such as
Luxor
's enjoyable selection of Egyptian-themed outlets.
Neither is there all that much variety between one major Strip mall and the next, in terms of actual stores. Thus Ann Taylor and bebe have four outlets each within half a mile, at the Forum, the Grand Canal Shoppes, the Desert Passage, and the Fashion Show Mall, while several others are represented three times over.
Bellagio
may have won a much-publicized tussle to secure the Armani store that the
Venetian
wanted, but there was already one at the
Mirage
, and an Armani Exchange in the Forum.
As a city of over a million inhabitants, Las Vegas has of course its fair share of busy shopping districts - most notably along
South Decatur Boulevard
and
South Maryland Parkway
, a couple of miles west and east of the Strip respectively - as well as the kind of malls you'd find anywhere in the United States. Once again, however, few visitors bother to stray far from the Strip.
Malls on the Strip
Desert Passage
The Aladdin
, 3663 Las Vegas Blvd S tel 1-888/800-8284,
. Sun-Thurs 10am-11pm, Fri & Sat 10am-midnight.
Although the Desert Passage mall has yet to attract the same volume of customers as either...
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Malls elsewhere
The Boulevard
3528 S Maryland Parkway at Desert Inn Blvd tel 732-8949,
. Mon-Fri 10am-9pm, Sat 10am-8pm, Sun 11am-6pm.
Nevada's largest shopping mall has stood a couple of miles east of the Strip for over thirty years, but...
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Factory outlets
Belz Factory World
7400 Las Vegas Blvd S tel 896-5599. Mon-Sat 10am-9pm, Sun 10am-6pm.
Roughly two miles south of
Mandalay Bay
, on the east side of Las Vegas Blvd (which by this point is no longer called the Strip), Belz...
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Fashion and accessories
French Connection
Desert Passage,
The Aladdin
, 3663 Las Vegas Blvd S tel 733-6420. Sun-Thurs 10am-11pm, Fri & Sat 10am-midnight.
Sleek UK chain, introducing Las Vegans to its capsule range of affordable, sexy urban basics...
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Vintage clothing
The Attic
1018 S Main St tel 388-4088. Mon-Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 11am-5pm.
Located in an insalubrious area south of downtown (just a little too far to walk), this shrine to vintage Americana both chic and kitsch charges customers a dollar...
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Shoes
Jimmy Choo
Grand Canal Shoppes,
The Venetian
, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd S tel 733-1802. Sun-Thurs 10am-11pm, Fri & Sat 10am-midnight.
The last word in elegant female footwear, brought to you by the aptly named Malaysian...
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Health and beauty
Sephora
The Venetian
, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd S tel 735-3896,
. Daily 10am-midnight.
Extremely glamorous perfume and cosmetics store, located right on the Strip beneath Madame Tussaud's and stocking a phenomenal...
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Gifts and souvenirs
Ancient Creations
Grand Canal Shoppes,
The Venetian
, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd S tel 414-3701. Sun-Thurs 10am-11pm, Fri & Sat 10am-midnight.
An antiques store with a fascinating difference; these are real antiques, dating back...
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Books
Albion Book Company
2466 E Desert Inn Rd tel 792-9554. Daily 10am-6pm.
The valley's best stock of secondhand books, with 150,000 titles including large sections on Las Vegas and the West, plus a big collection of used audio books at...
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Music
Big B's
4761 S Maryland Parkway tel 732-4433,
. Mon-Sat 11am-9pm, Sun noon-6pm.
University District music store, with well-informed staff and a large stock of CDs and vinyl, both new and used.
Tower Records at...
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Electronic equipment and cameras
The Good Guys
4580 W Sahara Ave at Decatur tel 364-2500,
. Daily 9am-midnight.
The best source in Las Vegas for electronic goods of all kinds, from computers to TVs and audio equipment. Also at Boulevard Mall.
...
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