Nonprofit opens high-end pop-up for charity at Downtown Summerlin

Downtown Summerlin is not where one expects to find a venue offering valuable items at a fraction of their cost. But Dinosaurs & Roses is such a place.

Located at 10975 Sage Park Drive, Suite 170, just east of Dillard’s, the pop-up venue is slated to be there only until May 31.

Michele Morgan founded the nonprofit of the same name five years ago. Since then, Dinosaurs & Roses has been looking for a major corporation to take it under its wing. When Morgan asked her grant writer to get busy, the writer contacted The Howard Hughes Corp.

“What they offered us was better than a check — the opportunity to open up a pop-up store — and they gave it to us for six weeks to see how we do,” Morgan said. “They offered it free of charge.”

In less than a week, Morgan and nine other volunteers culled high-end items from their storage units, working until 2 or 3 a.m. to set up the store. Jay Fraley, who manages the site, created the vignettes that show off the pieces.

“One lady who came in said that each of our vignettes tells a story,” he said. “We remind everybody that their purchases are going to charity.”

Many items come from manufacturers as one-of-a-kind samples. Morgan called it akin to “the biggest silent auction you’ll ever see.” But garage sale strategies are also part of the deal: Don’t want to pay $800 for that painting? Make an offer.

Dinosaurs & Roses has its main store at 4310 E. Tropicana Ave., Suite 6-9. There, it sells thrift items and antiques. The Downtown Summerlin operation sells strictly new items. Proceeds from both locations benefit 40 local charitable partners, including A Home 4 Spot, Nevada 2-1-1, Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Nevada, Global Charity Foundation, Desert Torah Academy scholarships, St. Jude’s Ranch for Children and Women Veterans of Nevada.

Hours for the Downtown Summerlin store are from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, visit dinosaursandroses.org.

To reach Summerlin Area View reporter Jan Hogan, email jhogan@viewnews.com or call 702-387-2949.