Market LV center may boost local business owners

A new retail center opening in Tivoli Village is giving local business owners a chance to branch out.

Market LV will be the first shopping experience of its kind in Las Vegas, patterned on the Chelsea Market in New York City, or the OC Mart Mix in Costa Mesa, Calif.

Andrea Young, the force behind the OC Mart, plans to have Market LV open this summer in 23,000 square-feet next to and above Brio Tuscan Grille at 440 S. Rampart Blvd. Young was hesitant to name an exact opening date, but said the project could be finished in June.

The marketplace is to have 35 independent tenants in spaces ranging as small as 200 square-feet to 3,000 square feet, with larger spaces reserved for restaurants and gourmet food shops.

Young said the smaller spaces allow a broader range of tenants to open without high overhead. Rents at Market LV begin at $1,000 a month with no tenant improvements. She said 60 percent of the space is leased, and that she expects full occupancy by opening. Her ideal mix would include gourmet food, fashion, lifestyle, kitchen, stationery, books, home decor and jewelry.

For Lauren Feather, owner of Best Kept Secret Boutique, her 400-foot commitment allows her a second women's clothing boutique with little risk. Her 1,400 square-foot store at 1930 Village Center Circle has been open since August, but it can be hard to find and a "handful" of people have suggested a second, more high-profile location.

"I've been hesitant to do so, because I've only been open for so long, but after visiting the OC location, I am," Feather explained. "I thought it was such a unique idea, I'm going for it."

Space in Market LV will cost her about 60 cents-per-foot less than the advertised rates at her current location.

Katie Thompson's move to Market LV will also give her a higher profile in the upscale neighborhood.

Thompson began Cupkates by Kate three years ago and since then has experienced slow and steady business growth. She operates out of the 1,100-square-foot commercial bakery where she makes special-order cupcakes for delivery. Her 355 square-foot space at Tivoli Village will be her first retail venue.

"I feel like it's time for us to take a leap of faith," Thompson said. "We've looked at locations and nothing felt right in my soul. I walked into this empty space filled with concrete and it just felt like it was where I needed to be."

Bree and Jason Goldwater, owners of The Box, a body waxing studio, spoke of a similar experience.

The couple opened at 4750 W. Sahara Ave. 12 years ago, but Market LV's style appealed to them.

"It's such a new spin on retail and it creates community," Jason said.

The Goldwaters aren't yet sure what they plan to do with their West Sahara location, but both spaces, old and new, total 1,400 square-feet. The Box sees between 6,000-7,0000 clients each year -- numbers that Young likes to see.

At Young's OC Mart Mix, business is steady. She said she's never done a traffic study there, but that it's "packed" on the weekends and "crowded" during the weekdays. The Goldwaters think Market LV will fare the same.

"It's going to bolster Tivoli as a whole in our opinion. It needs more shops. This will create more traffic," Jason said.

Contact reporter Laura Carroll at lcarroll@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588.