Boom and bust: Las Vegas’ shortest-lived clubs, restaurants and shows

Permanence isn’t a word that comes to mind about Las Vegas, a city with a heritage of reinvention and a constantly shifting commercial landscape.

Businesses, shows and attractions come and go, sometimes within a matter of weeks. One of the more recent examples: “Duck Commander Musical,” the stage production based on the TV reality series “Duck Dynasty,” closed after just over a month at the Rio. But the short-lived musical was hardly an exception.

Here’s a trip down short-term memory lane.

A museum for what?

Nike shoes are displayed in the ShoeZeum at the Neonopolis mall in downtown Las Vegas Sept.1, 2012. The collection has 2,500 pairs of new Nike shoes.

 

ShoeZeum, a collection of 2,500 pairs of never-worn Nikes at downtown’s Neonopolis complex, opened in August 2012 and was closed by late October of that same year. The Neonopolis developer initially expressed hope that the attraction would become a destination. But after the museum closed, its operator said it was never meant to be a long-lasting attraction. Regardless of whether it had a short stint by design or because it was ignored, it’s long gone.

Flav flames out

Flavor Flav, from left, along with owner Farrah Gray and Clark County Commissioner Lawrence Weekly cut the ribbon during the grand opening of Flavor Flav’s House of Flavor in Las Vegas on Thursday, March 15, 2012.

 

Las Vegas resident Flavor Flav made it big as a rap star with Public Enemy and later as a reality TV celebrity, but his foray into the restaurant business in Las Vegas was a dud. His fried chicken eatery, Flavor Flav’s House of Flavor, lasted less than six months after opening in March 2012 in an older strip mall near Maryland Avenue and Desert Inn Road.

Rock legends

 

Lynyrd Skynyrd BBQ & Beer opened at the Excalibur in December 2011 with a concert by the restaurant’s namesakes. But Vegas didn’t turn out to be a sweet home for the Southern rock band, and the establishment closed on Sept. 27, 2012. The company set up to run the restaurant, Nuthin’ Fancy LLC, filed for bankruptcy.

Game over

Joy Stixx will be replaced by the Saloon, and ultra lounge, as part of upgrades taking place at the Hooters Las Vegas resort.

 

In April 2011, 2,700 people turned out for the grand opening of Insert Coin(s) video-game bar in downtown Las Vegas, the beginning of a home-grown success story that has seen the establishment expand to Minneapolis.

Seven months after Insert Coin(s) went online, the operators of Hooters Casino Hotel opened their own game bar, Joystixx.

But Hooters couldn’t capture the magic of the competitor it was emulating. Joystixx was soon replaced by a lounge featuring live music.

Jay-Z’s joint

Jay Z’s 40/40 Club has closed.

Rapper/producer/mogul Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club at the Palazzo opened just before New Year’s Day 2008. It didn’t make it to 2009.

In August of that year, the space returned to Palazzo ownership.

“The exceptional design and location of the 40/40 Club will enable our guests to access a very special race and sports book and restaurant environment in the Palazzo,” Rob Goldstein, president and chief operating officer of the Palazzo, said at the time. “By adding a complete gaming component to an already distinctive 24,000-square-foot space we will be able to create a very unique environment for our guests.”

The space is now occupied by Lagasse’s Stadium, which combines Emeril Lagasse’s cuisine with more than 100 HD TVs, stadium-style seating and an outdoor patio, among other features.

Incomplete pass

With NFL quarterback Dan Marino helping lead the way as a top investor, the Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza chain opened a Las Vegas location in November 2009 at Town Square. But despite its prime location in Las Vegas and its success in other markets, Anthony’s failed to take root here.

Prive

The Prive nightclub at Planet Hollywood.

Prive nightclub wasn’t around long — only from late 2008 to spring 2010 — but it made a lot of headlines during its short lifespan. The club, which occupied the space now taken by the Gallery nightclub at Planet Hollywood, was shut down briefly when the county denied its operators a permanent liquor license and its temporary license expired. In another flap, Planet Hollywood agreed to pay a $500,000 fine to the Gaming Control Board after acknowledging it knew of illegal and illicit activities occurring at the club.

Prive, controlled by the Opium Group in Miami, eventually closed after filing for bankruptcy.

“Pawn Shop Live!” goes dead

A customer reacts as Slick Garrison (Sean Critchfield) tells her the value of her item during a performance of “Pawn Shop Live!” at the Golden Nugget Thursday, Jan. 30, 2014. The production show is a parody based on the story of Gold & Silver Pawn, home of the History Channel’s Pawn Stars television series.

The success of the reality series “Pawn Stars” didn’t translate to the stage — at least not for the parody show “Pawn Shop Live!” Featuring characters based on the cast of the hit History Channel show “Pawn Stars,” the parody show debuted in January 2014 at the Golden Nugget but lasted less than a year. It closed in August 2014 at the Riviera, where it had moved in July of that year.

C’est la Eva

Juicy subject: Eva Longoria’s SHe at Crystals takes the steakhouse concept up a notch.

Eva Longoria’s SHe Nightclub opened on New Year’s Eve 2013 upstairs from the actress’ SHe Steakhouse in the Crystals shops at CityCenter. By the end of February 2014, the second floor was quiet. The nightclub lasted less than two months, and the steakhouse went under in May of that year. A previous nightclub venture by Longoria, Eve, lasted less than two years in CityCenter.

Herea and gone

Herea, a sports bar and restaurant, was part of a $50 million renovation project at the Palms. It opened in February 2013 and was heavily marketed, but it closed September of that year.

SOURCE: http://lasvegassun.com/news/2015/may/26/boom-and-bust-las-vegas-shortest-lived-clubs-resta/