Less than a mile from the bustle of the Las Vegas Strip is the Historic Commercial Center District. Despite a rush of cars passing by, the roughly 18-acre parking lot was nearly empty on a June afternoon.
It wasn't always this way.
“It was just a lively community every weekend, for sure,” says Penny Chutima, manager Lotus of Siam, one of the 150 businesses listed on the Commercial Center’s website. “You had someone that was having their quinceañera, or somebody was having like a debut, or Korean karaoke here and there.”
The mall opened in 1963 and almost immediately became a landmark of commerce and culture. It’s where Elvis shopped, Rat Pack members dined, the Doors and Bob Marley performed, and mobsters schemed.
Chutima’s mother opened Lotus of Siam in the Commercial Center in 1999. Its Northern Thai cuisine has received recognition from the likes of American Chef Anthony Bourdain and Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Jonathan Gold. It’s drawn large crowds to the strip mall over the years.
Despite that success, Chutima says, the place has seen better days. “It was really this hole in the wall, and around it is kind of scary," she said.
Since the district’s heyday in the 70s, multimillion-dollar developments have sprung up across the Las Vegas Valley, spurring competition to modernize and expand. At the same time, crime rates around the center have steadily increased.
Still, that hasn’t dashed the hopes of reversing the district’s downhill trajectory. Continued promises of revitalizations give hope that the historical roots weaving through the Commercial Center can be watered again.
In 2003, Clark County designated the Commercial District as its first redevelopment area. The county then bought the center’s historic New Orleans Square in 2024. Last year, the county’s redevelopment agency paid a consulting firm to create plans for a so-called Commercial Center 2.0, which included new arts and dining venues, festivals, and residential development.
None of that has come to fruition, and debate over expensive redevelopment or cheaper demolition continues. However, some say those revitalization efforts could lead to the loss of the area's culture and community. That includes Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom, who emphasizes a Las Vegas mantra: “Let's look forward, if it's 10 years old, it's old, we're going to tear it down and build something new."
How do you revitalize what once was in a city that thrives on the next best thing, while also preserving the nostalgia, culture and community that come with it? The process is one Segerblom can only describe as “organic.” He says the area is perfectly suited as a central location — somewhere diverse communities can continue to prosper in the heart of the city.
That centrality is what sold Derek Stonebarger on the area. Stonebarger already owns the popular Rebar in the Arts District. He’s now planning to open Arty’s Steakhouse in Commercial Center. The spot is planned to double as an art gallery for local vendors. Stonebarger sees the center's potential as a major hub.
“Sahara and Las Vegas Boulevard is pretty much the dead center of our town..." Stonebarger says. "There's just so much opportunity based on our location."
The intersection sees roughly 70,000 cars daily, according to the City of Las Vegas. In addition, a new $373-million bus line will run along nearby Maryland Parkway starting in August.
Stonebarger’s hope is clear. After pouring what he says is “more than his life savings” into the project, his goal is for the place to be “community-based,” where visitors can thrive in relics of prior eras. “It's really a melting pot for our city, and that's going to continue," he said.
Long-time residents of the area are also holding their ground. One example is John Fish, co-owner of John Fish Jewelers, which has been in the Commercial Center for 50 years. Fish recognizes what the district can offer demographically diverse communities, from young to old and local to new.
“It feels like we're going through a big change period for the better…” Fish says. “The big businesses, of course, they have their place, but you just don't feel like you're like a person, you feel more like a number.”
Still, safety concerns persist. Just five years ago, the area was considered among the most dangerous in Las Vegas. Clark County has since worked with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to increase security. Segerblom says that should help attract new businesses and customers. “Lots of things come when people feel secure,” he says.
That sense of safety, combined with new investment, has begun to shift perceptions of the area’s future for Stonebarger, Fish and Segerblom.
Additionally, the newly renovated Lotus of Siam has recently reopened its original Commercial Center location. That’s after pandemic-related staffing shortages forced its closure. Manager Penny Chutima is hopeful that their homecoming can bring more traffic and culture back to the plaza.
“I feel like Commercial Centers always has that special place. I'm hoping, knock on wood, that, you know, people will see the true beauty of what it is," she says. "Kind of like a lotus flower, right? It grows mud. And so, in order for it to grow and bloom beautifully, it has to go through the entire process.”
That process, the one that truly allows Commercial Center to thrive again, remains unclear. But for those still invested in its future, the hope is that its cultural, creative, and community benefits will help its history endure.
