Tuesday, Feb. 27, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
Will the Galleria at Sunset drive a stake through Water Street, once the heart of the Henderson retail district?
Residents, old and new, hope not. The business people who have invested in the area hope they're right.
Change is ahead for the Henderson retail scene beginning this week with the opening Wednesday of the Galleria, a 1 million-square-foot mall that is the first indoor shopping center to be built in the Las Vegas Valley in 14 years.
The public gets its first look at the 114 retail outlets, including anchors Dillard's, Mervyn's, JC Penney and Robinson's-May at 9:30 a.m.
The rest of the valley's retail world -- especially Henderson's established marketplace -- will be watching with interest.
Water Street is evolving, from the retail center that it was to a professional and financial area to compliment the nearby city government complex and St. Rose Dominican Hospital.
Now, instead of retailers along Water Street, you're likely to find banks, credit unions, law offices, insurance companies and mortgage and title companies.
Longtime Henderson businesswoman Selma Bartlett likens the new Water Street to downtown Las Vegas around Fourth Street and Bridger Avenue, home of the federal building, county courthouse and financial and professional offices.
"I think that's good," said Bartlett. "We do not have the ingress and egress for a really busy retail center (on Water Street). Therefore you can't put retail on Water Street like you can on Sunset and South (U.S.) 95."
Developer Kenny Sullivan agreed.
"I think that downtown will always exist because the city offices are located downtown, but it's going to be a business district," said Sullivan.
Some say a beautification project earlier this decade killed what little retail was left on Water Street.
"Certainly people say that, but I don't know if there's any hard data to support that contention," said Mayor Bob Groesbeck. "There's no question that during the construction period the project resulted in lost revenues to certain businesses."
One businessman has plenty of confidence in downtown. Last year, he bought one of the few remaining retail businesses in the area, just west of Water Street. The businessman, who didn't want to be identified, doesn't think the Galleria is going to hurt his business.
Why? Downtown Henderson is basically landlocked because it's bordered by high-traffic roads. He expects residents of the older areas of Henderson to patronize his business simply because it's convenient and easier to get to than some of the outlying areas.
"Plus Henderson is growing so fast there are opportunities for everybody," he said. "It's a big misconception that more businesses hurt other businesses. Actually more businesses help other businesses. I'm happy to see other businesses. As the city grows, everybody prospers."
Bill Keliipio, owner of the Flying Hawaiian at 42 S. Water St., isn't afraid of the mall either.
"I give something a little more than the big chain stores. I work with my people," said the proprietor of the combination hobby shop, Hawaiian clothing and decorating store and upholstery shop. Besides, where else could you find such a versatile retail combination?
Now that the beautification project is finished, city and business leaders are in the early stages of formulating a plan to revitalize the area. But, ultimately it's future will be determined by market conditions, Groesbeck said.
"I think if they're going to revitalize it, they're going to have to look at something to draw people to the downtown area," said Claire MacDonald, owner of MacDonald Properties. "Whether they try to make it a place with art galleries and cute little shops and coffee houses, they're going to have to have something to draw people there."
Councilman Amanda Cyphers and others say the stores that will be found on Water Street in the future won't be the kind of stores found in the mall.
The city's redevelopment agency is pondering ways to restore downtown's vitality -- perhaps a walking district with specialty stores, art galleries and coffee shops, she said. "We have to make it a vibrant area that people will want to go to -- to shop and hang around," said Cyphers.
But Keliipio for one doesn't want to see Water Street turn into an area of cute little shops.
"Water Street should stay Water Street," said the businessman, saying beautification is fine, but Water Street shouldn't be forced to be something it isn't.
Another business owner who thinks she can peacefully co-exist with the new mall is Bonnie Williams, owner of Bonnie's Floral Boutique, 117 W. Atlantic Ave., behind the Eldorado parking garage.
"The mall is going to be wonderful. It's not going to hurt my business unless they start sticking flower shops in. And we've got our regular customers," said Williams. There currently is no flower shop slated to open at the mall.
Bonnie's recently moved from Water Street to Atlantic Avenue, not because of the beautification project but because Williams had an opportunity to buy the property.
Another area where small, independent Henderson businesses could potentially be hurt is the retail corridor along Boulder Highway. But Betty Wages, owner of the Book Round-Up at 858 S. Boulder Highway, said she doesn't expect the new mall to have much effect on her business.
"I have the only book exchange in Henderson. The ones (businesses) that impose on me are the cut-rates -- the Salvation Army and Opportunity Village that sell their (used) books very cheap," Wages said.
She said she is excited about the opening of the mall.
"We have grown so fast that we have needed something like that for years and years and years. We had to go into Las Vegas every time we wanted something ... now we can stop going into Las Vegas," she said, echoing a common sentiment.
She said the extension of U.S. 95 to Boulder Highway hurt her business more than the mall will because it allowed traffic to bypass her shop.
"It hurt a lot of businesses on Boulder Highway. It hurt me for about three months -- until they (customers) found out they couldn't shop on the freeway," she said.
archive
