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Hawaiian Marketplace Demolished On The Las Vegas Strip

Author Shawn Tempesta

“Aloha” in Hawaiian means hello and goodbye. For the Hawaiian Marketplace on the Las Vegas Strip just south of Harmon, this “aloha” is the latter. The dilapidated shopping center has been knocked down.

3743 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

The glorified strip mall was a bit of an oddball on arguably the world’s most famous road. While it was once across the street from the aged Boardwalk Hotel & Casino, that property was long replaced by the massive CityCenter project. Hawaiian Marketplace and its Travelodge neighbor to its north stuck out like a sore thumb in an area where the land recently went for $43 million per acre.

Featuring such classy establishments as Eat My Taco and a spa that will have fish eat dead skin off of the bottom of your feet, the property closed last summer. The new owner, Gindi Capital, bought the property for a cool $172 million back in 2019. The 2.35 acres of land smack-dab in the middle of Las Vegas Boulevard seems like it is ripe for redevelopment.

What will the Hawaiian Marketplace land turn into?

Gindi Capital also owns the “Showcase Mall” further south on Las Vegas Boulevard. That houses Marshall’s, Outback Steakhouse, the Coca-Cola store and more… so a retail complex is likely. Back in August, Clark County commissioners approved plans to convert the land into a large 3-story, 300,000 square foot development that would make better use of the land and draw in some higher-end clientele (at least higher end than “Eat My Taco”). Their plans reserved the right to open a hotel towards the rear of the property.

Tilman Fertitta‘s planned (but delayed) resort casino is going to be built just north of the Hawaiian Marketplace land. Chances are there could be more in store for this prime Strip real estate.

Did Las Vegas Get Too Popular And Too Expensive

It was so popular – and now everyone hates it! Could that be the case for the city of Las Vegas?

Why do people irrationally hate things that are popular? Fortnite, Bands, etc.?  It’s the “popular culture backlash” phenomenon. It is a natural human tendency to reject things that are popular because of a desire to be different or to feel a sense of superiority over others. Some people may view popular culture as too mainstream or lacking any genuine artistic or cultural value. Like those people you went to college with who would say they liked every band’s FIRST album, “before they sold out.”

It’s important to remember that everyone definitely has different tastes and preferences. Our world would be very boring if everyone had the same taste. But it’s also okay to dislike something that is popular, and respect the opinions and choices of others, even if they differ from our own. Hard to believe in the world we live in now – but it’s truly OKAY.

There is also the “just not as good as it used to be” phenomenon. Those things that were, in fact, very popular, but went downhill as soon as they became mainstream.

There’s a thread online talking about all of those everyday things that WERE good, but went downhill as soon as they became mainstream, and popular.

Is Las Vegas one of them? Here are a several “not so cool anymore” things that made the list, in no particular order:

 

1.  Garage sales, yard sales, and flea markets:  Now that re-selling “vintage” things is hot, the prices for people’s junk has sky-rocketed!

2.  The Food Network:  It used to be a good place to learn new recipes and techniques, but now it’s filled with reality competition shows and over-the-top stuff.  The same goes for a few other cable TV channels.

3.  Youth sports:  They used to be a fun way for kids to try something new, but now they’re super serious . . . time-consuming . . . and “parent-driven.”

4.  Streaming services:  They’re becoming more and more like the cable companies that people originally chose them over.

5.  Voice acting:  It used to be professionals who did amazing work, but now, every animated movie and audiobook has celebrity actors as the voices.

 

  • Las Vegas!

    Social media comments saying: Las Vegas USED to be a cool place for adults to get away to dress up, get free booze, and maybe win a few bucks. Now, it’s nothing more than a pot-filled circus of naked dancers stepping over people passed out lying in their own pi** and vomit. Forget about an all-you-can-eat steak buffet for $5. You’re lucky if you can get a bottle of water for that.

    Las Vegas too cool

  • Facebook

    I think we can all agree on this one. One person said, “Facebook literally went downhill the minute our parents started to use it.”  Regardless of whose fault it is, Facebook and Twitter have gone from fun amongst friend,  to mostly just people just posting “news” headlines, and making evil, snarky comments.

    iStock via Getty Images Plus

  • Music that goes viral on TikTok.

    It used to be TV commercials that “ruined” songs.  Now, people hate the music that’s over-played on social media.

    Las Vegas too cool

    Sean Gallup via Getty Images

  • Etsy

    It used to be filled with talented people’s unique, handmade items.  Now, so many accounts are just re-selling items they bought at Walmart and Amazon. THAT’S NOT WHAT ETSY IS!!!

    Las Vegas too cool

    iStock via Getty Images Plus

  • 6.  Food trucks

    Food trucks used to be cheap, good food. Now that they’re trendy, they’re charging restaurant prices, and it’s just not as novel to get food truck food. But on the flip side –  as trucks have become more popular, the competition intensified, and now some of the food is on par, or even better than some restaurants.

    Las Vegas too cool

    iStock / Getty Images Plus

  • Fancy Burgers

    I just want a decent tasting burger that isn’t stacked to the ceiling, and has so many ingredients that I just end up wearing half of it, as that first bite I take squishes the ingredients onto my white shirt! Now I just paid $30 to wear my food.

    Las Vegas too cool

    iStock via Getty Images Plus

  • Key West, Florida

    Like Las Vegas, it used to be really cool! Key West used to be a small, quirky, little historic village. Now it’s a cruise ship destination where they dump 6,000 T-shirt shoppers a day on the island. 

    Las Vegas Too Cool

    iStock via Getty Images Plus

  • Ride-sharing apps

    Ride sharing services are so expensive now, that it’s really not worth using unless you absolutely have to use them. We used to take them to any event, but now paying for parking is much cheaper in most areas of the country. Throw Las Vegas in this category as well – ride sharing AND parking- not cheap anymore!

    Too cool?

    iStock via Getty Images Plus

  • Estate auctions

    Used to be you really had to look hard to find estate sales. Driving several miles and traipsing through the mud to an old barn, or musky auction house to bid on treasures.  Now, it’s all online, and everyone suddenly needs a copper tea kettle from 1975.

    Is it too cool

    iStock / Getty Images Plus

     

     

Shawn Tempesta is the co-host of Aimee+Shawn on 102.7 VGS in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is also an Emmy award nominated television host. As a content creator for 102.7 VGS, Shawn writes about current events, education, funny and trending stories.

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