Town Square gets jump on its would-be mixed-use competitors

By Mark Hansel

Friday, April 17, 2009 | 2 a.m.

When Mike Wethington toured Town Square in October 2007, he talked about the immediate goal of meeting the grand-opening date just a few weeks away. He also discussed the bigger objective for the mixed-use facility ­— seeing it become a town square in function as well as in name.

Wethington, general manager for developer Turnberry Associates, met that first deadline, opening Town Square with 38 stores on Nov. 17, 2007. And 18 months later the facility has also become the local gathering place he had envisioned.

The facility has 104 merchant spaces filled, including a Whole Foods market and several retail, restaurants and entertainment venues that have become local hot spots. It plans to add six more merchants in the next 30 days. Only the two restaurants owned by low-country Chef Louis Osteen have failed to find a local niche, closing last year.

“The intent all along was for Town Square to be one destination with many different opportunities for guests to come visit us,” Wethington said. “With our dining options, entertaining options, retail options, office uses and our many casual walking areas and parks, it has become a destination for everybody. Whatever you like to do, hopefully we have that here for you.”

Since Town Square’s opening, unemployment has skyrocketed in Las Vegas, tourism has waned and people have become reluctant to spend because of an uncertain economic future.

The focus on community events, such as “Storytime in the Square” and free movie nights in the park, has drawn people to Town Square despite the tough times.

Wethington said there is no question that people are holding back a little and making tough choices about how and when to spend, but increasingly those choices include something at Town Square.

The facility’s location on Las Vegas Boulevard at the intersection of Interstates 15 and 215, make it easily accessible from everywhere in the valley.

The inability of other high-profile mixed-use facilities in the area to get traction has also helped Town Square get a firm foothold.

When Town Square was in the planning stages, it was one of several multiuse facilities envisioned for the region. The Shops at Summerlin Centre, the Great Mall of Las Vegas, Tivoli Village at Queensridge and City Centre in Henderson were all seen as potential competitors of Town Square. Now only Tivoli Village at Queensridge seems certain to open and its debut has been pushed back to 2010.

“It’s unfortunate, because they are all great offerings for the valley,” Wethington said. “But it definitely opens the door for Town Square to get out there to the entire market of Las Vegas and show what we have to offer.”

Town Square includes 355,000 square feet of office space and office space has been a tough sell in the valley, but the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce took over a 35,000-square-foot space last year. Wethington said Turnberry has also signed leases for other tenants that will occupy a total of 15,000 square feet of office space.

“It took a little bit for the office community to grab a hold of Town Square and understand our concept, which was pretty unique to this market,” Wethington said. “Now, as people come in they see the advantage of having office space here.”

The location, coupled with the retail and restaurant options and a grocery store, Wethington says, make Town Square attractive to business owners as well as employees.

Included in the destination spots that have helped shaped Town Square’s identity are Rave Motion Pictures, which was the area’s first all-digital movie theaters, and Blue Martini, an upscale club that caters to private parties.

Cadillac Ranch, scheduled to open April 15, is described as an all-American bar and grill and is one of four new restaurants at Town Square.

The decor is a mixture of rock ’n’ roll and country and includes a mechanical bull. It is open for lunch and dinner and transforms into more of a nightclub in the evening, with live entertainment. The restaurant also features two outdoor patios, one of which has a Strip view and more than 30 plasma TVs.

Aaron Christensen, marketing and promotions manager for Cadillac Ranch, said the restaurant will cater to locals, with events such as service industry night and a second shift happy hour.

“We still want to get some of the tourist crowd, but we know locals are going to be our bread and butter, so we really want to take care of those people,” Christensen said.

Other new restaurants scheduled to open soon include Johnny McGuire’s Deli, a casual dining restaurant that has been a fixture in Aspen, Colo., for years and is looking to expand; Cana, Tapas Kitchen and Bar, which will feature Latin American cuisine; and Anthony’s Coal-Fired Pizza.

New merchants include the clothier English Laundry, Arleccina Gallery of Fine Arts and Sculptures and Beauty Lounge, a full-service hair and nail salon.

In other news

The Roberto Cavalli store in the Forum Shops at Caesars has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection.

Attorney Brett Axelrod filed the petition on behalf of Italdiroma LLC, doing business as Roberto Cavalli, on April 9. It is not clear what effect the filing will have on day-to-day operations at the store. A clerk at the store said it was still open for business, but referred questions to the trustee, who was not available for comment.

Mark Hansel covers retail and marketing for In Business Las Vegas and its sister publication, the Las Vegas Sun. He can be reached at 259-4069 or at [email protected].