Living Las Vegas

At Home in the City of Lights

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Shopping Beyond the Strip

“But where do real people shop in Las Vegas?” is a question I often hear. I’m not sure I understand how being a tourist makes you a fake, but it’s true that visitors often have different shopping needs from residents. It’s hard to buy light bulbs at the Caesars Forum Shops, and while the Chocolate Swan has some lovely comestibles, they don’t include Cheerios.

Las Vegas is a big enough city these days to have most major chains represented, even if you have to drive a ways to get to one. We’ve got Wal-Marts, K-Marts, Targets, Costcos, and Kohl’s. We’ve got Lowe’s and Staples and Depots for both Home and Office. Walgreens faces off against Rite-Aid, CVS, and Sav-On on just about every major corner, and several grocery chains fill the daily papers with competing ads. I haven’t even mentioned clothing, books, sporting goods, furniture, linens, housewares, electronics, or toys, but they’re all here, too.

With all these giant outlets and their massive signs and parking lots, it might seem, at first glance, that shopping in Las Vegas is pretty much like shopping in Anytown, U.S.A. A closer look, however, reveals a number of emporia unique to Las Vegas nestled among the cookie-cutter clones. Here are four great ones:

LYNN’S WORLD

Lynn McCarthy started Lynn’s World ten years ago in a much smaller spot. Now housed in 22,000 feet near the corner of Pecos and Sunset (click here for a map), Lynn’s World of Home Furnishings is a furniture consignment store. Although prices are very reasonable, this is no thrift store. Lynn has high standards and an eye for quality. Many items are like new, and all are in good, clean condition. You never know what you’ll find, and turnover is amazingly fast. Many of Lynn’s customers drop by weekly to see her latest additions. Of course, you can sell furniture through Lynn’s World, too. I’ve been both a buyer and seller, and I have only the highest praise for the showroom, the delivery service, and the speed with which my no-longer-needed furniture was turned into cash. Click here to visit Lynn’s World online.

LEONARD’S WIDE SHOES

Anybody with wide or unusual feet knows the challenge of finding footwear. Leonard’s, which moved a year ago from South Las Vegas Boulevard to new, larger quarters across from the Hard Rock Hotel at the corner of Harmon and Paradise Road (click here for a map), has an amazingly good selection of attractive shoes in unusual sizes and widths. Not surprisingly, the store attracts lots of tourists as well as locals — few cities have stores like this one. Click here to visit Leonard’s online.

GAMBLERS GENERAL STORE

Okay, this one does attract lots of tourists, but whenever I’m in downtown Las Vegas, I’m always tempted to go inside and ogle all the gambling paraphernalia. The store, which is on Main Street not far from the Fremont Street Experience (click here for a map), has been in Las Vegas since 1962, and some of the merchandise is even older than that, like the vintage slot machines in the back. In addition to shelves and shelves of decks of cards from every casino in town, big bins of red casino dice, racks and racks of every kind of poker chip the world has ever seen, there are roulette wheels, craps tables, bingo cages, and an amazingly large jungle of green felt.

Although the variety and array of gambling equipment is breathtaking, I am always more blown away by the book section. Every book you’ve ever heard of about Las Vegas and gambling is here, along with dozens more you never knew existed. Although most are the offerings of established publishing houses, a number are self-published projects the Library of Congress will never know about. The collection includes videos and DVDs, as well.

Besides every gambling game gizmo in the universe, the Gamblers General Store carries lots of “impulse-buy” items. I was going to leave the store empty-handed the last time I was there until I caught sight of a pair of Elvis-style sunglasses equipped with furry black Elvis-style sideburns. Couldn’t resist. Click here to visit the Gamblers General Store online.

INTERNATIONAL MARKETPLACE

I’ve written about this phenomenal food emporium on South Decatur Road (click here for a map) before, but it’s worth mentioning it again. Arranged by continent, the whole world is represented in this 40,000-square-foot warehouse-style store. In addition to dry and canned goods from around the globe, there’s a frozen food section, fresh produce, meat, and fish. If you become a member, you get a discount on your purchases, but the store is open to the public and prices are reasonable. It’s a great place to buy unusual gifts, exotic kinds of tea and coffee, and a wide variety of chocolate. The International Marketplace is located at 5000 S. Decatur Boulevard. The phone number is (702) 889-2888.

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