Rancho Discount Mall

 

The last time I was in Las Vegas (last month), I found another indoor mall … one that opens daily, and not just on weekends like the Fantastik Indoor Swap Meet mall on Decatur near Charleston.

It’s the Rancho Discount Mall in North Las Vegas, on Washington Boulevard off of (what else) North Rancho Drive. Admission is free, unlike Fantastik, which charges a couple of bucks (plus senior discount, 2-for-1 coupon available online at their website).

 

Personally, I like the variety at Fantastik, but if you’re looking for cheap stuff, Rancho will serve just as well. It seems to be more of a local place, with many of the booth signs in Spanish.

One thing it has in common with Fantastik is the number of empty booths. The bad economy has hit Las Vegas hard in the past couple of years, and only recently has gambling revenue built up to pre-recession levels.

That all trickles down to residents, many of whom depend on visitor industry jobs.

So anyway, I wandered around for a bit, but wasn’t terribly impressed. It’s more fun at Fantastik.