Yes, Crystals at CityCenter opened early last December, so it's going on a year. And yes, Crystals remains a work in progress.
Crystals debuted with a mere 23 shops. Today, 44 stores are open for business, with eight more in the offing. By the mall’s first anniversary on December 3, Crystals should have 52 stores (80%) out of a maxed-out 65.
Among the new stores to come on line between now and then are two with major Strip frontage: a three-level 21,000-square-foot Prada and a 15,000-square-foot Gucci. Also slated to open in the next couple of months are Yves Saint Laurent, Stella McCartney, Donna Karan, Balenciaga, Emillo Pucci, and Harry Winston.
Other improvements to the mall will include more foliage and benches. Wolfgang Puck’s Brasserie Puck French restaurant has been replaced by the more mall-like Wolfgang Puck’s Pizzeria and Cucina.
Part of Crystals' problem is competition: It's fierce among high-end retailers on the Las Vegas Strip, with the Forum Shops at Caesars, Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian, Mandalay Place at MBay, expensive retail at Bellagio, the Wynn, and even a few at the Miracle Mile mall at Planet Hollywood vying for the same wealthy shoppers. For example, Louis Vuitton has four stores along the Strip. Tiffany & Company have three. Others with two and even three are too numerous to name.
However, a few stores have only one store and they're at Crystals: Tom Ford, Assouline, and Carolina Herrera, for example.
CityCenter is so massive that it’s still growing into itself and probably will continue to do so into the near future. But Crystals, at least, seems to be heading down the home stretch, insofar as filling the mall is concerned. Only more time will tell if sales at all these exclusive retailers will pay the high-end rent.
