In Vegas, you can drop a lot while shopping

By Bill Ordine
Knight Ridder Newspapers

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive

When Bugsy Siegel conceived of Vegas nearly 60 years ago as a resort destination, even the visionary gangster couldn't have imagined any lure beyond freewheeling casino gambling that would cause people to venture to the Nevada desert for a good time.

But since the late 1970s, as dozens of states have allowed casinos of some stripe, whether traditional (on land), riverboat or Native American, Vegas has found itself responding to the challenge of spreading legalized gambling. And serious shopping emerged as a way to keep drawing the crowds.

Almost half the visitors to Vegas shop. Considering that about 36 million visitors come to town annually, that's a lot of handbags and silk scarves.

When the Fashion Show opened in 1981, it was the first mall on the Strip. At the time, it stood apart, just north of Caesars Palace and across the street from the departed Desert Inn on what would now be considered a quaint streetscape, with stretches of open desert and the occasional tumbleweed blowing across the road.

Now the upgraded Fashion Show is part of a caravan of megaresorts lining the street. Like the other malls along the Strip, the Fashion Show has embraced a concept that, if it wasn't minted in Las Vegas, should have been — the notion of shopping as entertainment, or, as the retailers like to put it, "shoppertainment."

One of the features at the Fashion Show is an 80-foot fashion runway that emerges from beneath the floor of a great hall. On this stage, with light and audio effects, models strut the latest couture, and car manufacturers introduce new models with the pomp and drama of an Olympics opening ceremony.

The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace was the second major mall on the Strip, opening in 1992, and arguably has had the greatest impact.

For one thing, from the moment it opened its doors, it established that a full-blown casino mall could be both a major attraction and a financial success.

One measure of retail performance is how much revenue a mall's stores earn per square foot in a year. At the Forum Shops, according to a mall spokesperson, that figure is about $1,300 per square foot — roughly four times the national average.

With about 105 stores and an expansion ongoing, the Forum Shops has done it with a mix of:
 
• Kitschy entertainment. Disney-style animatronic figures of Roman gods and a noisy tableau of the sinking of Atlantis have tourists gaping daily.

• Themed decor. Shoppers wander through an Italian village where the sky changes hourly from dawn to dusk.

• Eye-popping retail. There's a veritable roll call of designer all-stars, including Gucci, Versace, Fendi, Bernini and Armani.

Two other malls anchored to casinos are the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian Resort Hotel-Casino and the Desert Passage at the Aladdin Hotel-Casino.

The Grand Canal Shoppes has its own version of St. Mark's Square, and a canal courses through the 85 to 90 stores. Street performers play out scenes from operas. Living statues mug for tourists' cameras. And, schmaltzy as it might seem, the bridge that crosses the canal is a favorite spot for wedding ceremonies and photos.

The Desert Passage has a Moroccan flavor, with 140 stores. Many have familiar names — GAP, Victoria's Secret, Crabtree & Evelyn — and there's the occasional surprise — Hilo Hattie, of Aloha-wear fame, and Tommy Bahama. And in the Merchants' Harbor, where the hull of a 155-foot steamer is moored, clouds roll in, thunder rumbles and rain falls from the painted heavens every hour on the hour Monday through Thursday and twice an hour Friday through Sunday.

And now there is a bargain-hunter's delight just west of downtown Vegas. Premium Outlets recently opened as a designer outlet mall with Ann Taylor, Eddie Bauer, Ralph Lauren and more famous names at discounted prices.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company