Shopping in Southwest
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Forum Shops
Franklins fly out of Fendi bags faster here than in the high-roller casinos. Caesars’ fanciful homage to an ancient Roman marketplace houses 160 designer emporia, including one-name catwalk wonders such as Armani and Versace; specialty boutiques like fashionable Intermix and Agent Provocateur for lingerie; Kiehl’s old-world apothecary and modern MAC cosmetics; and Max Brenner’s haute designer chocolates.
reviewed
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B
Miracle Mile Shops
Measuring an incredible 1.5 miles long, this sleekly redesigned mall harbors 170 retailers and 15 restaurants. The focus is contemporary chains, especially urban apparel. Stand-out shops include Bettie Page for mid-20th-century vintage and pin-up styles, imports H&M and Ben Sherman, the LA denim king True Religion, and Stash, Vegas’ own rock-star boutique.
reviewed
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C
Grand Canal Shoppes
Wandering minstrels, jugglers and laughable living statues perform at St Mark’s Sq inside this Italianate mall. Cobblestone walkways wind past bebe, Godiva, Kenneth Cole, Movado, Sephora and 80 other luxury shops. The doors are thrown open for early-bird window shopping at 7am. Don’t want to walk? Take a leisurely gondola ride.
reviewed
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D
Wynn Esplanade
Steve Wynn’s eponymous resort showcases 75,000 sq ft of consumer bliss, with top-of-the-line retailers such as Alexander McQueen, Cartier, Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Manolo Blahnik and Oscar de la Renta. After you hit the jackpot, take a test drive at the Penske Wynn Ferrari/Maserati dealership.
reviewed
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E
M&M’s World
Dedicated to the famous candy, it sells a rainbow of candy colors, along with truckloads of souvenirs, plus a free 3-D movie shown upstairs.
reviewed
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Virgin Trading Post
Fourteen miles west of Springdale, you can’t help but pass a Virgin. The town, named after the river (what else?), has an odd claim to fame – in 2000 the council passed a law requiring every resident to own a gun. Locals are fined $500 if they don’t. Kolob Terrace Rd takes off north from here to Lava Point in Zion National Park. The huge store at the Virgin Trading Post sells homemade fudge, ice cream and every Western knickknack known to the free world. But it’s the hard-to-miss Old West Village (admission $1) that’s the real reason to stop. Have your picture taken inside the ‘Virgin Jail’ or ‘Wild Ass Saloon’ before you feed the deer, donkey and llama in the pet…
reviewed
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Center for the New Age
You can’t miss the New Age stores in Sedona – many of them have the word ‘crystal’ in their names. The oldest and best of them is the Center for the New Age, which is full of friendly, enlightened people and a good place to start dipping into metaphysical waters. It’s truly a one-stop esoteric supermarket with a huge selection of books, crystals, healing stones, angels and other paraphernalia, along with an extensive menu of services, including palmistry, reflexology and crystal healing, plus all those mentioned at the start of this box. It also offers vortex tours.
reviewed
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Ellis Tanner Trading Company
Just south of town is one of Gallup's most interesting shops. The Ellis Tanner Trading Company is one of the Southwest’s largest, functional traditional Indian trading posts. Owned by the same family, the Tanners, for four generations, it serves as a sort of combination of shop, bank and community meeting center for the local Navajo community – Gallup is just outside the Navajo Reservation. The parking lot of the huge complex is always packed with pick-up trucks out of which spill entire families who’ve driven hundreds of miles to sell, pawn or trade their wares.
reviewed
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F
Serge’s Showgirl Wigs
In a trashy strip mall east of the Sahara casino hotel, Serge’s friendly staff of stylists readily help Vegas showgirls and drag queens (and even little ol’ you) find their inner glamour girl. One of America’s largest wig showrooms, Serge’s has been around for decades. Also recommended: The Basement Underground, Goth and fetish fashions, from custom corsets and bondage gear to silver jewelry fit for a vampire’s coven. The Rack Gay-oriented retailer for leather and latex addicts, not to mention fans of sexy undies.
reviewed
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G
Nob Hill Shopping Center
If you're feeling like some exercise, head to Nob Hill; it's a good spot to stroll and lacks the touristy feel of Old Town. Walk east from UNM along Central Ave to find an eclectic mix of shops (everything from a tattoo parlor to an herbal medicine shop to a toy store) until you reach the Nob Hill Shopping Center at Carlisle. Within this shopping center, look for Beeps, which has cards and wacky novelty items; Terra Firma, which has great clogs and sandals; and Papers, which sells you-can-guess-what.
reviewed
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Reading Room
Started by an Iowa Writers’ Workshop graduate, Vegas’ best independent bookshop is placed conveniently on the Strip. Bookworms will be hypnotized by the selection of local-interest titles, from hot-off-the-press regional guidebooks and maps to contemporary nonfiction, historical essays, pulp biographies and photographic essays. Thoughtfully chosen art and design titles are displayed in glass-fronted cases at the back. Author readings and book signings take place regularly.
reviewed
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Van Gogh’s Ear
There’s still plenty of drinkin’ and dancin’ going on in Whiskey Row’s fine historic saloons, but more recently the infamous strip has taken on a second life as Gallery Row. Deep pockets are required at Van Gogh’s Ear, where you can snap up John Lutes’ ethereal glass bowls, Dale O’Dell’s stunning photographs or works by three dozen other nationally known artists making their home in the Prescott area.
reviewed
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I
Morning Star Gallery
Of all the Canyon Rd shops dealing Indian antiquities, this remains the best: weavings, jewelry, beadwork, kachina dolls and even a few original ledger drawings are just some of the stars at this stunning gallery, which specializes in pre-WWII Plains Indian ephemera. Some artifacts here are finer than those in most museums – like the 1775 Powhoge ceramic storage jar that sold for $225,000 and the 1860 Nez Perce war shirt that went for $220,000.
reviewed
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Hart & Huntington Tattoo Company
Rock stars and Hollywood celebs attended the grand opening of H&H, the notorious lovechild of a freestyle motocross legend and a nightclub promoter. Turntablists perform inside this plush, leather-walled tattoo parlor (incidentally, Vegas’ first ever inside a casino) while you get pierced or needled. Still undecided about whether or not to get inked? Ask the psychic in the velvet-curtained booth outside to tell you what your future holds.
reviewed
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Not Just Antiques Mart
At this one-stop antique-shopping extravaganza positioned in the lowly shadow of the interstate, keep a sharp eye out for art-deco estate jewelry, casino memorabilia and vintage tiki-ware. This mini-mall gathers dozens of dealers into a 12,000 sq ft warehouse. Upstairs is a quaint tearoom serving civilized cucumber sandwiches. It’s tricky to get here: by car, take Wyoming Ave west across the railroad tracks, then turn right onto Western Ave.
reviewed
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Fashion Outlets Las Vegas
A 40-minute drive southwest of the city, Primm’s outlet mall sits beside the California state line. There’s a decent mix of more than 100 high-end (Burberry, Coach, Ralph Lauren, Versace, Neiman Marcus Last Call) and everyday (Guess, Nike) brands. However, you can find many of them at outlet malls near the Strip and downtown. Discount coupons for the shoppers’ shuttle bus are available on the website; call for reservations.
reviewed
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Deep Space Nine Promenade
It’s no accident that the exit of Star Trek: The Experience beams aspiring Starfleet cadets right onto the Deep Space Nine Promenade, where Trekkers may think they’ve died and gone to Sto-vo-kor. Authentic TV and movie props, stuffed tribbles, Klingon ale and autographed collectibles found nowhere else in the Alpha or even Delta quadrants cost from just a few Earth dollars up to several hundred bars of gold-pressed latinum.
reviewed
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M
Valentino’s Zootsuit Connection
Lots of timeless outfits get cast off in this ahistorical town. Some end up at this upscale resale boutique, which specializes in men’s and women’s clothing from the turn of the 20th century right through to the 1970s. A sweet (and stylish!) husband-and-wife team outfits party-goers with custom swinging zootsuits, cocktail dresses, Old Hollywood glamour gowns, fringed Western wear and felt fedoras.
reviewed
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Arts Prescott Gallery
There’s still plenty of drinkin’ and dancin’ going on in Whiskey Row’s fine historic saloons, but more recently the infamous strip has taken on a second life as Gallery Row. Standouts include Arts Prescott Gallery, a collective of 22 local artists working in all media, including painting, pottery, illustration and jewelry. Prices are quite reasonable.
reviewed
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N
The Attic
At this fantastic vintage emporium, easily spotted by its pink zebra-striped exterior, be mesmerized by fabulous hats, outrageous wigs, hippie-chic clubwear and lounge-lizard furnishings. Bling-bling costume jewelry, zany shoes and disco-inferno and glam-rock outfits are part of the way-out-there collections. Be prepared for the sky-high prices, attitudinous staff and oddball customers.
reviewed
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Shoppes at the Palazzo
Towered over by three-story Barneys New York department store, this casino mall is a glittering galaxy of fashion stars such as Diane von Furstenberg and Cole Haan; London trendsetters Chloé and Thomas Pink; Canali for tailor-made Italian apparel; Annie Creamcheese for glam 20th-century mod fashions; Anya Hindmarch for handbags and accessories; and Jimmy Choo for divine shoes.
reviewed
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Gerald Peters Gallery
Santa Fe’s preeminent restaurant and real-estate tycoon Gerald Peters’ gallery, two blocks from Canyon Rd, carries a collection of fine art that few museums can touch, with all the Southwest masters: Nicolai Fechin, Charles Russell, Edward Borein, Woody Gwyn and many, many more. The back room has treasures the Museum of Fine Arts can’t even afford.
reviewed
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Q
Robert Nichols Gallery
Contemporary Native American ceramicists with a serious sense of humor meld old-school techniques with modern sensibilities: Bruce Gilbert's languid pots, Kathleen Nez' interpretations of classic pottery designs and Diego Romero's unique combination of Liechtenstein-style cartoon irony with hand-built pueblo pottery are just some of the appealing offerings.
reviewed
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Seret & Sons
Feel like you’ve stepped into an Asian or Arabian bazaar at this giant art and sculpture warehouse. It offers a vast and fascinating collection of fine carpets, giant stone elephants, Tibetan furniture, pillars and solid teak doors – of course getting all this home take a bit of effort (or shipping money), but it’s fun just to browse.
reviewed
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Las Vegas Premium Outlets
Vegas’ biggest-ticket outlet mall features 120 mostly high-end names like Armani Exchange, BCBG, Max Azaria, Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana, Kenneth Cole and Max Studio, alongside casual brands such as Banana Republic and Billabong. The CAT Downtown Shoppers Express bus serves the mall every 20 minutes from 10am until 5:15pm.
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