Friday, Nov. 13, 1998 | 11:37 a.m.
The Coast to Coast Hardware grand opening in Henderson Saturday will signal more than the presence of a new store in town.
It's the first major success for the Henderson Redevelopment Authority, which provided financial assistance for Coast to Coast to move from its former Boulder Highway location to 520 E. Lake Mead Drive at Burkholder Street.
As a result of a $675,000 grant, the family-run hardware store is expanding into the shopping center business.
Gordon and Sons Inc. -- Brian Gordon, his wife, Star, and father, H. Don Gordon -- is developing the $10 million, 85,000-square-foot retail Coast Center on seven acres.
Star Gordon said grand-opening ceremonies include a board-cutting at 8 a.m., giveaways and a children's carnival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
She said since Wednesday's soft opening, customers have commented that they like the new location, which she describes as "bigger, cleaner and brighter." Four more employees have been hired to accommodate the store's expansion.
Originally Gordon and Sons had planned to construct a new building for the hardware store, but the city's planning department urged a more extensive development.
Brian Gordon said the redevelopment agency has turned the family into mini-developers.
"They were instrumental in helping us develop a shopping center that meets the community's needs," he said.
In addition to the 24,000-square-foot hardware store, the development includes space for a large retail outlet and two other buildings that can be subdivided for retail space.
Coast Center prospects include a fast-food and a sit-down restaurant along with other retail stores, according to Star Gordon.
Mary Kay Peck, the city's community development director, said the Coast Center development is consistent with the city's redevelopment plans.
"Some people think the redevelopment area is just downtown, but it is much larger than that," she said. "This is taking a piece of ground that was vacant and providing a new, modern center, which is a draw for the area."
Peck added that while there is nothing currently on the books, she hopes the next redevelopment project is located on Water Street. The city's most recent acquisition in the redevelopment area is the parking lot it bought from -- and at the request of -- the Water Street Coffee Co. at 306 Water St.
"At this point we've been trying to assemble larger parcels along Water Street, so we are buying up different pieces of property," Peck said. "We look at the property purchases as future development opportunities."
The master plan for the redevelopment of Water Street stresses the need for a gateway to Water Street.
"We know that to create a sense of interest in Water Street, we need something at Lake Mead Drive and Water Street that is architecturally monumental and conveys a sense of arrival," Peck said.
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