Intersection

Putting the fluidity of Fremont East in context

Image
Illustration: Corlene Byrd

News of the Beat Coffeehouse and the first floor of Emergency Arts closing to make way for the 2017 opening of millennial-geared chain restaurant Eureka! caused an initial shock, given the cultural and clubhouse dynamic they gave the general Fremont East area. But it also warrants some perspective.

For one, the sector has enjoyed more than a decade of local-entrepreneur dominance, thus far avoiding the franchise glut of the Strip and suburbs. Also worth remembering: Its very first revitalization-era business was Beauty Bar, so well-known a national brand in 2005 that the Village Voice called it a McDive. For Vegas, it was Hipster Central.

But for Fremont East to survive the 2008 recession, much less grow, it needed to draw beyond the same group of scenesters, which meant diversifying its offerings while still refreshing its cool factor. Nowadays, places like Container Park and Gold Spike draw folks Beauty Bar wouldn’t have at its peak—and for those it would have, there’s Oddfellows and the new Bunkhouse. While Fremont East has struggled with retail, it gained much-needed restaurants. Carson Kitchen would still stand out in foodie enclaves elsewhere in the Valley; Therapy and Glutton are legit casual dinner spots; and Eat and Le Thai replaced the Beat as official lunch spots.

A downsized Emergency Arts is certainly a hit to the creative community—as is a vanished Beat—but with regard to small-rent gallery and boutique plots, Downtown Spaces, albeit on the outer edge of the Arts District, remains a reliable alternative. As for the coffeehouse, it paved the way for PublicUs and Bronze Cafe just a few blocks east, and the equally revered Makers & Finders, a five-minute drive away on Main Street.

Speaking of: Whatever one wishes Fremont East would remain or become, chances are it’s happening either on the Arts District’s main drag, on fire with new places to eat, drink and buy vintage duds—or east of Ninth Street, with the aforementioned PublicUs and Bunkhouse, shops of both the musical (11th Street Records) and literary (Writer’s Block) variety, another standout eatery (Chow) and the inimitable Atomic Liquors, which will soon debut Atomic Kitchen.

A lot has happened on Fremont East and in Downtown in the past 10 years or so—much more having come than gone.

Share
  • Organizers praise "an amazing event" for the Sin City 8 weekender despite multiple venue changes, vow to try again in 2019.

  • Organizers announce move to "undisclosed location" hours before record attempt, citing privacy issues and difficulties with hosting sex events in Las Vegas.

  • The event was previously scheduled to take place at Embassy Suites during the Sin City 8 weekend.

  • Get More Intersection Stories
Top of Story