Columnist Susan Snyder: Quick trip covers a lot of territory

Monday, Feb. 7, 2005 | 8:15 a.m.

The last time I got out of the car and strolled around Boulder City's historic district, it took about 20 minutes to see everything.

That's five more minutes than Bill Smith used to give it.

"For so many years, I'd drive in from Southern California, and it would be 15 minutes and you could be done," said Smith, who lives in Las Vegas. "There wasn't that much to look at."

Past tense. Boulder City now has plenty of reasons to park the car and stay awhile.

OK, so it's the kind of morning The Other dreads -- me with a cup of coffee in hand strolling through shops and looking for nothing in particular.

But you never know your aunt needs that "Sister Mary Margarita" dish towel with a cartoon nun on it until you see the matching "Sister Mary Manhattan" potholder. And who knows when you'll need a $10 panama hat or a soy candle that smells like carrot cake?

"It has really evolved," Glena Dunn said Tuesday of Back in Thyme antiques, which she opened four years ago in Boulder City's historic district.

When I talked with Dunn in 2001 three weeks after she opened, she spoke practically about how people had "buying days and looking days."

Now, the line of scented soy candles she purchases from a Utah manufacturer soon will come in custom jars carrying her Back in Thyme label. She has opened a second Back in Thyme store in Springdale, Utah, just outside Zion National Park, and might open a third outside Yellowstone.

Her requirements for success are simple:

"They've got to have a tourist attraction nearby and a way to get antiques," Dunn said.

She plans to be the person who buys and supplies a small chain of Back in Thyme stores -- the successful end to a story that started with a small shop on Boulder City's main drag. Not so long ago, the endings weren't as happy.

That day I visited Dunn back in 2001, the owners of a shop across the street were moving out. In the two years they were there, they said, 14 businesses had opened and closed in the historic district.

Smith, a collector and antique dealer, is planning to buy the district's last vacant storefront and open a shop specializing in vintage children's items, such as Howdy Doody and Roy Rogers.

He also has joined efforts with the Boulder City Rotary and is adding an antique show to the group's Best Dam Barbecue Cookoff on Memorial Day weekend. (To secure a booth, call 339-9941.)

Smith knows some longtime residents cast a wary eye on his efforts. But he points to the successful turnaround of such California towns as Temecula and Whittier, where he did similar work. His philosophy: "The more the merrier."

"Boulder City is a different world, and it's only a half-hour away (from Las Vegas)," Smith said. "There's still a little bit of a separation between the 'Old Town' and everybody else. But we're even overcoming that."

By the time you've browsed and picked up a few doodads, it'll be time for a nice lunch at Milo's Best Wine Cellars' outdoor tables. Save room for a cup of espresso from the adjoining coffee bar.

You'll have just enough time to head home before rush hour hits the highways. It's like taking a trip -- without the packing and the laundry.