Fashion Show Mall

Most of the places known for shopping in Las Vegas are housed in the many resorts up and down the Las Vegas Strip. There is only one space completely dedicated to shopping on Las Vegas Boulevard—the Fashion Show Mall.

With nearly two million square feet, the Fashion Show Mall is home to several dozen shops and restaurants, ranging from specialty shops to large-scale department stores. There are 250 shops in the mall, which include apparel, accessory and shoe shops, jewelry stores, electronics and sporting good shops and luggage, health and beauty, home furnishing and gift shops.

There are a few shops that truly could be considered specialty shops, and it’s these stores that make a stop at Fashion Show Mall more than just another shopping trip. The Art of Shaving, for example, sells high-end razors and offers shaving services. Build-a-Bear, Sanrio and A Pea in the Pod, while found in other locations as well, are a bit different than the mainstream shops too.

For the most part, though, the shops found in the Fashion Show Mall are the same shops you’d find in any mall throughout the United States, though it is a large mall with a large selection of stores to choose from.

In addition to these smaller shops, there are seven anchor stores, which include Dillard’s Nordstrom, Bloomingdales Home, Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus and Forever 21.

One of the things that makes Fashion Show Mall a bit different than other malls is the fact that there are several fashion shows that take place every day on the center concourse of the mall. Most of the time, patrons wouldn’t know anything special happens in the area called The Great Hall, but prior to the fashion shows, a stage appears and people begin to converge around it to see fashions from some of the stores in the mall. During the holiday season, typical fashion shows are traded in for a song-and-dance production by Santa Claus and several holiday-decorated models.

If you love to shop, then Fashion Show Mall is worth stopping at, but there’s nothing particularly noteworthy about this mall to put it on your must-go list. What you’ll find here can be found in other places. There are a couple of other things to note about the Fashion Show Mall that patrons should be aware of:

• Compared to most places on the Las Vegas Strip, the Fashion Show Mall closes early, even during the holiday season. Hours of operation are 10:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. on Sunday.
• There is free parking at Fashion Show Mall, but the parking garages close shortly after the mall closes, so don’t park here and then stroll a great distance away if you plan to be out late into the night. That said, if you’ll be in the area and don’t plan on staying late, there is plenty of convenient parking here.
• The Fashion Show Mall is tiered, and you can’t easily get from one floor to the next. Take note of which elevators and stairs you take so that you can get back to where you parked your car or entered the mall.
• If you use valet service, you can retrieve your car from any of the mall’s valet locations, regardless of where you originally dropped your car upon arrival.
• Though there are a smattering of restaurants throughout the mall, there is also a food court on the third floor.

Photo credit: andrewarchy