Over the past few years, what started out as a few artists' studios/galleries and the odd antique shop in the older, rundown part of town, where motels-by-the-hour and bailbondsmen lurk, has burgeoned into a thriving, if still somewhat amorphous, Arts District. Stretching approximately from a couple of blocks south of E. Charleston Blvd., just off I-15, to north as far as Fremont Street and just beyond, it still consists principally of art galleries, antique and vintage shops, and bohemian bars, but these days they're much more plentiful and are starting to coalesce into a recognizable entity.
The First Fridays event, which recently celebrated its fourth birthday, is proof of the area's vitality. A monthly happening that takes place, logically, on the first Friday of each month, it involves all the relevant stores and boutiques throwing their doors open until late at night for a big open-house/street party, often accompanied by cheap beers. There's live music and street entertainers, whole roads shut off to traffic and lined with various weird and wonderful arts, crafts, food, and drink stalls, and generally a very chilled-out atmosphere with good opportunities for interesting purchases of a gift nature or just as a treat for yourself. A magazine is published prior to the event, which you can pick up from most of the participating vendors, which gives you a flavor of what to expect, plus some articles about local artists and events, and, most importantly, a map, which we're reproducing for you below (it changes over time as new venues open). The City of Las Vegas also provides arts tour buses that make the rounds of the area, picking up every 15 minutes throughout the evening -- click here for the route and schedule.
Some of the principal locations worth visiting include the Funk House (corner of Main St. and Colorado - #2 on the map below), whose owner, Cindy Funkhouser, is the founder of the event, and which stocks a fantastically eclectic mix of '50s modern furniture, jewelry, glass, lighting, the weird and the wonderful (garden planters made out of old bomb shells; coffins), spread throughout a number of rooms. The Arts Factory gallery (#1), Godt-Clearly Projects (modern art gallery - #8), Holsum Lofts (an old bread factory now transformed into galleries and retail spaces - #33, 43, 44, 45, 46, & 47), Modify (mid-century modern furnishings and knickknacks - #35), the Red Rooster Antique Mall (#38), and famous vintage store The Attic (#28), are just a handful of the venues worth a visit. And First Fridays is just the monthly showcase: Most of these stores are open the rest of the time too, although not necessarily within conventional retail hours. For more information visit www.firstfriday-lasvegas.org
Funky bars are also springing up in the Arts District. Situated on Main Street about five blocks south of Charleston, the Art Bar* (#14) is an old favorite that's popular with the bohemian crowd and features the work of local artists on the walls and regular sessions with live bands and DJs. The Ice House Lounge* (#23), on S. Main Street, is another cool hangout that offers drink specials on First Fridays. Moving farther north, one of the more successful aspects of the redevelopment of downtown is the growing "cool-bar" scene down there, represented by the likes of the Beauty Bar*, Hogs & Heifers*, and Triple George Grill, all within walking distance of the Fremont Street Experience. New York's legendary CBGB's, launchpad for bands including the Ramones, Talking Heads, and Blondie, is supposedly relocating to the neighborhood sometime in the not-too-distant future, having lost the lease on its old home, but we'll believe it when we see it.
