Here’s What’s Next When Hawaiian Marketplace Becomes “BLVD”

By Scott Roeben, on June 29 2023
3 min read 10 comments
Las Vegas

Some longtime blight on the Las Vegas Strip has been demolished and a shiny new “high-profile, high-impact, all-day destination” is in the works.

Translation: The much-maligned Hawaiian Marketplace (a shopping mall) is out, “BLVD” (another shopping mall) is in.

We hate all caps and stylistic affectations, but we write in the first person plural, so we’ll just go with BLVD.

Here’s a look at what’s next for this former shitshow, all due respect.

Proposed advertising tagline: “It’s not Hawaiian Marketplace!”

Hawaiian Marketplace formerly resided in what should be a prime location on The Strip, across Las Vegas Blvd. from the Shops at Crystals and Aria, right in front of Polo Towers.

Here’s a sweet map to show where BVLD sits in relation to other things, including the F1 track. Yes, everything in Las Vegas is in the context of how it relates to F1. A three-day race in November 2023. And, yes, Las Vegas has lost its damn mind. Don’t get us started.

The brochure claims 95,000 people walk by this site every day. Whimsical AF. About 40,000 walk by Grand Bazaar Shops.

Hawaiian Marketplace, and its adjacent Cable Center Shops, closed in mid-2022.

How do we say this diplomatically? Hawaiian Marketplace and Cable Center were the white crusty stuff at the edge of someone’s mouth of The Strip.

Here’s a look at the site now, and it’s much better already.

You’ll note the Travel Lodge is done, too. Thanks to our buddy @JamesinLasVegas for the pic.

A new BLVD Web site says the new mall will offer tenants “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to connect with consumers from around the world.”

The sales deck for BLVD says the mall will have “700 feet of frontage on The Strip” and “400,000-square-feet of double-height premier street retail.”

Also, the “third-floor rooftop destination is unlike anything else on The Strip, with 110,000-square-feet designed for dynamic dining, engaging events and immersive experiences.”

What, you thought they were going to open a mall without immersive experiences? Have you been living in a cave? It’s the law!

This rendering originally had the Barstool logo. We imagine somebody got a phone call.

Does The Strip need more retail? No! Do the developers of this project care? No!

What kicked this project into high gear?

Well, from the marketing material it seems to be F1, despite the fact this won’t be open in time for F1 2023.

More likely, all modesty aside, our scoop Tilman Fertitta plans to build a new resort next door was the impetus. Our story was confirmed a month later, and while the Fertitta project has been quiet in recent months, it was enough to perk up the ears and checkbooks of the developers of BLVD, Gindi Capital.

Gindi Capital is somewhat mysterious, and they never answer our e-mails, so we’re free to talk shit about them.

Specifically, are they nuts?

The company bought Hawaiian Marketplace and Cable Center for $172 million.

We haven’t seen what the company expects the new build to cost, but we’d put it in the metric ass-ton category, conservative estimate.

Here are the “Features and Amenities.” Features are very, every different than amenities, because marketing.

This isn’t your grandpa’s shopping mall! Sears sucks, anyway.

There are tons of new renderings on the BLVD Web site. Look for the “Download Flipbook” button.

Naming things is hard.

There’s also lots of incredibly detailed and impressive video. The biggest takeaway from the video is Gindi Capital has really deep pockets and we have probably tanked our chances of working there because of the whole talking shit about them, oh, well.

Weed breast pumps for the win!

One of our favorite parts of the video is where the mall materializes out of what appears to be a possibly-toxic cloud of smoke.

Green smoke grenades are sometimes used to signal medevac helicopters. Sorry to make it awkward.

There are some undeniably cool features, or possibly amenities, planned for BLVD. For example, there’s a seating area overlooking another high-end shopping center very few people visit right across the street.

Attention jumpers: You’re only going to sprain an ankle, move along.

We kid, Gindi Capital! Thank you for eliminating an eyesore on The Strip, and we wish you all the best with your endeavor.

Shopping is the second most boring aspect of Las Vegas, after sports, but it says a lot about the confidence in visitation and buying power of those visitors.

We think demand is going to flatten out following an extended post-pandemic bump, and Las Vegas is going to get a rude awakening, but don’t listen to us. We are not the target demo for shopping malls with immersive experiences.

We’ll keep you in the loop as BLVD progresses, of course. Oh, and there’s a Vegas Loop station planned for BLVD, so there’s that.