Las Vegas didn't use to be a place to come for shopping. In its old days, you could only find the traditional gift shops at the hotels; independent shops were really addressing to locals.
But things changed radically in the 90's, as many resorts opened the so called “casino shops”. The first in line was Caesars Palace with its Forum Shops (1992). It was a real hit. Bellagio followed (in 1998) with a smaller but luxurious handful of shops, on Via Bellagio. In 1999, Venitian dethroned Caesars' Forum with its Grand Canal shopping complex. Also, Desert Passage at Aladdin has gained a lot of “fans”.
Overview
- Gift shops and liquor stores are available in every hotel, in the reception area, and provide mostly consumer goods
- The casino shops: “The Forum Shops” at Caesars, “Deserts Passage” at Aladdin, Via Bellagio, “Grand Canal Shops” at the Venitian, “Le Boulevard” at Paris Las Vegas, “The Tower Shops” at Stratosphere
- The self standing shops: The Fashion Show mall, The Boulevard Mall, The Meadows Mall, Las Vegas Outlet Center
- Theme & oddity shops: “Wizard's Archade” at Excalibur, “Memorabilia” at Hard Rock Hotel, “Giza Galleria” at Luxor, “Hart & Huntington Tattoo Company” at The Palms
The Fashion Show Mall
- Address: 3200 Las Vegas Blvd. S, Las Vegas, NV
- Features 145 shops, on more than 800,000 square feet.
- Currently, Fashion Show mall is expanding; it will feature 1,9 million square feet.
- The Cloud will be the architectural signature of Fashion Show — a canopy resembling a cloud, suspended at 180 feet from the floor.
- The expansion also includes "The Great Hall" a stage to host entertainment and special events.
The Boulevard Mall
- Address: 3528 Maryland Pkwy., Las Vegas, NV, two miles east off the Strip
- 140 retail shops, on 1.13 million square feet; less expensive than the Strip shops.
The Meadows Mall
- Location: off U.S. 95, at Valley View Boulevard.
- The Meadows Mall features its own trolley that takes 8 minutes from downtown.
- Meadows has over 140 shops and restaurants.
Las Vegas Outlet Center
- Location: South end of the Strip.
- The best place to come for bargain prices (merchandise 20 to 70% off)
- The Center is a short distance off the Strip and you can get there by a CAT bus (Citizens Area Transit).