Owner Faye Simak poses for a photo at Bella Marketplace in Boulder City, Monday, Feb. 1, 2021.
Monday, Feb. 8, 2021 | 2 a.m.
When the owners of Bella Marketplace reopened their antique store in May after the two-month coronavirus shutdown, they didn’t know what to expect.
They were pleasantly surprised that not only didn’t business skip a beat, it is actually up significantly — some 70% — from early 2020.
“It was like we had never been closed,” said Faye Simak, who owns the store with her husband, Jim. “Coming back, we didn’t know if it would be completely dead and we’d be sitting there staring at each other.”
Situated at 1212 Wyoming St., just off Boulder City’s main drag, the store is a 9,000-square-foot maze of vintage pieces mixed with modern items like t-shirts and greeting cards.
“We’re getting people from everywhere,” Faye Simak said. Simak — who refers to herself as a “junker” and calls antiquing “happy shopping” — said she’s seen more people lately from places like Pahrump and Bullhead City, Ariz.
Part of the increase in customers is likely due to the store’s increased presence on digital platforms like Facebook and Instagram, she said. But Boulder City businesses have also worked together to attract shoppers during the pandemic, she said.
“We support each other in Boulder City,” Faye Simak said of the town of about 16,000. “It’s an old-fashioned town in that regard.”
While Bella Marketplace has weathered the COVID-19 storm, other businesses in Boulder City have continued to struggle during the pandemic.
With visitation to Las Vegas down by over 50% in 2020, fewer tourists have made the 30-mile trek to Boulder City and its signature attraction — the Hoover Dam.
The dam welcomed about 5.1 million visitors in 2019, according to the Department of the Interior, with many of those visitors stopping in Boulder City to shop or get something to eat. Last year, the number dropped to just about 1.8 million.
The dam was closed for most of 2020, and while people were allowed back in October, the visitor center and tours remain closed.
Jill Rowland-Lagan, CEO of the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, said many restaurants have struggled through the pandemic, partly because of a state-mandated 25% cap on capacity.
“Everybody is having to adapt in some way, shape or form,” Rowland-Lagan said. “For the most part, I’d say our business owners are weathering the storm, but someone’s always going to get a little wet.”
Ervin Soto opened his Mariscos El Soto Loco gourmet food truck on Nevada Way in July, in the midst of the pandemic.
Soto, who can seat about 200 people outside, said business was good during the summer. But cooler winter weather has led to a significant slowdown, and he’s had to lay off eight of his 12 waitresses, he said.
Soto said he’s been draining his savings to meet operating expenses, and unless his numbers improve, he’s not sure he’ll be able to make it past June or July.
“The weekdays are slow,” Soto said. “Weekends are better, but I think we’re all worried about the future. I do think people want to kind of come out their holes because they’ve been inside their homes for so long, so I’m hoping we see more people, especially once the weather starts to get nicer.”
Across the street from Soto’s food truck is Big T’s Cantina, a Southwest-themed restaurant that opened last month in the old Browder building, which was built in the 1930s.
Ida “Ma” Browder opened Boulder City’s first restaurant there, though the building was vacant for several years before Big T’s and the neighboring Dam Roast House & Browder Bookstore opened.
Boulder City resident Tony “Big T” Scott worked in the construction business before realizing his dream of opening his own bar and restaurant with his daughter, Casey Scott.
The opening was pushed back because of the pandemic and some permitting issues, but Tony Scott said he wasn’t going to let COVID-19 stop his plans, which were in motion prior to 2020.
“The weekends have been busy,” he said. “When the weather is nice, bikers have been coming out, and we have outdoor seating, which helps with the restrictions we have.”
Since Big T’s opened, Tony Scott said he’s met customers from as far away as Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Texas and Iowa.
At night, Casey Scott said she’s noticed a young crowd — people in their 20s and 30s — from Boulder City. She thinks it’s likely because Las Vegas has less in the way of nightlife options now.
Boulder City Mayor Kiernan McManus lauded the Scotts for opening during such an uncertain time, adding that the move demonstrates the overall health of the Boulder City market.
“There’s some disparity with which businesses are still having success,” McManus said. “Professional services seem to be steady, and I know construction business is up some places. We’re not seeing the same number of out-of-town people coming in, but I think there’s optimism as the vaccines continue to be administered.”
