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Mona Shield Payne / Special to In Business Las Vegas
Shoppers pass by West of Santa Fe as sales clerks prepare merchandise for their final day of business May 31st in the Forum Shops at Caesars.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 | 12:08 p.m.
Sales clerk Phyllis Beauchmin and manager Sylvia Miller, right, organize turquoise jewelry in preparation for the final day of business, May 31st, at West of Santa Fe in the Forum Shops at Caesars.
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3500 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas
One of the first retailers in the Forum Shops at Caesars when it opened in 1992 has closed and is looking for another locale to open.
West of Santa Fe, which carries American Indian and southwest jewelry, belts, pottery and other gift items, shuttered its doors Sunday after the Forum Shops did not renew its lease for 5,600 square feet on three levels.
Because West of Santa Fe and the Forum Shops couldn’t agree on a proposal by the mall that the store move to another location, the store decided to close for now and wait for another space to open. It may even go to a different venue all together along the Strip, said Al Vendegna, owner and store president.
The departure of West of Santa Fe, even if it’s temporary, is among many changes taking place at the Forum Shops this year. In May, The Forum Shops announced H&M, the Swedish retailer, will open in the former FAO Schwarz location.
The Forum Shops is adding a P.J. Clark’s restaurant in the fall; a Max Brenner chocolate restaurant; Christian Audigier luxury street wear apparel; and True Religion Brand Jeans. Cartier, St. John and Burberry are expanding their stores.
Vendegna said his lease at the Forum Shops expired a year ago, but he was given an extension that has run out. The Forum Shops offered another spot with 1,200 square feet, but Vendegna said he declined because he wanted an area with higher foot traffic.
“The mall is continuously merchandising, and they are very good at what they do. They decided they would rather have a certain type of store in this location,” Vendegna said. “They want someone with a big designer name. I am just a single owner with one store.”
That area includes such jewelers as David Yurman, Bvlgari and Tiffany & Co, he said.
“I am understanding what they are doing, but I am very disappointed (I am closing),” Vendegna said. “I created the most unique store on the Las Vegas Strip. It feels like my home. I don’t blame the Forum Shops. I did have 18 great years at that location.”
Maureen Crampton, the director of mall marketing and business development, said the Forum Shops offered West of Santa Fe another location but declined, and hopes to find it another space.
Crampton said she doesn’t know all of the details behind the changes, but the mall prefers to cluster luxury brands and similar stores to create more chemistry among them.
Crampton said a lease for the vacated space is being negotiated for a luxury brand already in the Forum Shops. It is a similar use to existing specialty shops in that area, she said.
Store manager Sylvia Miller and sales clerk Phyllis Beauchmin stand behind the counter waiting for customers during the closing sale, Wednesday, May 26th, at West of Santa Fe in the Forum Shops at Caesars. Longtime employees Miller and Beauchmin have worked at West of Santa Fe for 13 and 4 years, respectively.
Vendegna said he’s closing on a high note. Profits were down during the recession but he was still profitable. May was strong with sales 40 percent higher than May 2009, he said.
Vendegna, a former dealer on the Strip, opened his store in February 1981 at Fashion Show Mall. It was called West of Dallas, a name that stuck until he moved to the Forum Shops. His interest in Indian jewelry dates back to 1964 when he said he spent his life savings of $1,500 at the time and jewelry and started selling it to hotels on the Strip.
Vendegna said he is moving items in his store to storage in Las Vegas and to his headquarters in Albuquerque until he is able to open another store in Las Vegas in six months to a year. He said he’s also planning on opening a store in Albuquerque.
“If the Forum Shops doesn’t find me a spot, I will find one,” Vendegna said. “I have developed a name nationwide. Hopefully, they will find a place for me at the Forum Shops.”
He said customers will be informed about the store’s future plans on its website, westofsantafe.com.
Another sad Las Vegas story where corporate idiots calling the shots are destroying the unique small business atmosphere for corporate names and products which are probably slaved out by cheap labor in China or South America..
I believe I read somewhere they were paying something like 35k a month in rent.
They must have made a lot of sales to pay that and other expenses to make a profit.
Comment removed by moderator. Speculation.
Santa Fe Style? next thing you know we will be concerned with the closing of the parachute pants and breakdance gear store. . .good riddance.
another overpriced bunch of crap gathering dust sold to people who don't need it, with credit they shouldn't have and can't repay. Each time I've walked through this mall i wonder what idiot buys all this crap at these 400% markup prices???? All of these items can be found on ebay or many other places at a fraction of the price. The only store you can buy anything below $40 was the warner bros store and i don't think that is still open. There are only so many idiot michael jackson types walking around.
where will i get my bedazzled cowboy hats?
People are continuing to cut the unnecessary from their daily lives and this store is one of many that will slowly close over the next 2-3 years. You will see alot more empty spaces in the forum shops as well as other malls.
it has been common knowledge for a while in the retail industry, that the forum shops simply do not want you there if you are not a large expensive designer store / company
I personally think this is a bad strategy and will one day come back to bite them.
I guess if they survived for 18 years with the high operating costs, business must have been good.
epenpalos, I would not say "good riddance" just because some specialty store sells items not interesting to me, that's what variety is all about. Do they really need another corporate "designer" shoe or jewelry store in it's place? Malls are generally just getting to be clones of each other, little variety is left.
let this also be a lesson to all small business owners...
foot traffic does NOT = customers.
you've got to promote yourself and a facebook page alone doesn't do it.
Move on out, make some room for a big company who will pay big dollars on the rent. Get the little guy out of there. I want another high end retail store that is found in every mall and that is to expensive for me to buy anything.
Another reason why Harrahs sucks. This company is everything that is wrong with Vegas.
The comments on this site drive me nuts! Most of the people posting on here are so uninformed, it's not even funny. The Forum shops have provided in countless ways for the people living in Las Vegas, since they opened. Before you people spout off about greedy corporate fatcats killing the little guy, why dont you consider the amount of tax revenue that is brought in each year from the Forum, which is the highest grossing mall in the country! Or how about the amount of people that have been employed at the forum over the years? If the powers that be feel that West of Santa Fe doesn't fit there anymore, who are we to second guess that? They obviously know whats best for their property, and the other tenants in the property. Furthermore, Harrah's has nothing to do with what happens inside the Forum Shops, as they are owned and operated by the Simon Group. Please stop fighting progress folks, it's the only way we can get through the hard times and back to prosperity.
Tico,
Well said and very true!
"Another sad Las Vegas story where corporate idiots calling the shots are destroying the unique small business atmosphere..."
A lease is a lease is a lease. The business operators knew the length of the lease when they signed it. When it expired, they were given a generous extension. They failed to make appropriate plans. Next!