Once a last resort, Neonopolis buoyed by new business
Haterade is opening at Neonopolis this week, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony starring Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman. The business boasts that it “Makes Fun Of Everything,” with T-shirts and other souvenirs celebrating mockery.
“If you have a favorite football team, they will sell a shirt making fun of that team’s rival,” Neonopolis owner Rohit Joshi said this week. “It’s a way to be playful and have fun. It will be a great fit in our courtyard.”
Funny how life works, especially on the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street. Years ago, Neonopolis itself was a target of taunting. “Neon-Flopilous” was one nickname bestowed on the entertainment, retail and restaurant fortress. The place seemed to turn over businesses faster than a cook flips flapjacks at Heart Attack Grill.
But not today. Neonopolis is a busy destination, with 90 percent of its suites leased, 60 percent occupied and open for business. The looming, rounded edifice is occupied by such column faves as Don’t Tell Mama, co-owned by the congenial Minh and Joanna Pham; Johnny Jimenez’s Toy Shack; and Notoriety Live, under the stewardship of Best Agency CEO Ken Henderson.
Haterade’s opening is followed by something a bit more expansive. Dick’s Last Resort, which had originally eyeballed a fall 2020 launch, is planning to open as early as March (subject to COVID mandates). The bar, tavern and live-music enclave has been running at Excalibur for more than a decade.
The Dick’s Last Resort offshoot takes over the old Jillian’s space near Neonopolis’s Las Vegas Boulevard entrance. Most recently, that space was the home of Cannabition, the cannabis museum that was snuffed out in the summer of 2019. The place ran for about a year.
#TheScene ... @dicksez & #Haterade at #Neonopolis. #RJNow @reviewjournal pic.twitter.com/rRGPOG5dW4
— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) January 19, 2021
Known for a waitstaff that happily berates customers and goads guests to wear goofy paper hats, Dick’s Last Resort checks in with some adult-entertainment mystique. Déjà Vu strip-club owner Harry Mohney bought the Dick’s chain in December 2019.
Mohney presides over more than 130 clubs nationwide, including Déjà Vu Showgirls on Sammy Davis Jr. Drive, boasting to be the largest strip-club company in the U.S. Mohney also owns Erotic Heritage Museum in Las Vegas.
In Joshi’s retelling, he had taken Mohney to the Dick’s bar at ExCal, hoping he might be interested in opening an outpost at Neonopolis. Instead, Mohney liked the place so much he bought the whole company, which operates 13 locations across the country.
Neonopolis is no longer the last resort for such businesses as Dick’s, or Haterade. It’s a towering opportunity, worthy of its own T-shirt.
Up Next for Johnny D.
Column fave and recurring Howard Stern guest John Di Domenico is carrying on his Donald Trump impression even after Trump leaves office Wednesday. He’s developed “Orange Acres,” a parody of the “Green Acres” sitcom from the 1960s. Mikalah Gordon co-stars as Melania Trump. As Di Domenico’s Trump sings in the theme song, “From Pelosi to district attorneys, everyone’s investigating meeeeee!”
Find it on Di Domenico’s YouTube channel.
Di Domenico also made his first appearance in several months on “Conan,” Conan O’Brien’s TBS talk show. Di Domenico voices a bit titled, “Pardonpalooza.”
“Look under your seats!” Di Domenico shouts behind actual footage of a Trump campaign rally. “Every person in this audience is pardoned!” If anyone can pull comedy out of this transition, it’s Di Domenico.
Newman in the cabinet?
Brian Newman helped Joe Biden launch his presidential bid, from Newman’s Strip residency at NoMad Restaurant. Newman was hired to play for Biden’s VIP fundraiser on May 7, 2019. The event helped convince MGM Resorts International officials to sign Newman and his band for their “After Dark” residency, which opened May 30, 2019, in that same room.
Our Hey Reb! Moment
Many years ago in another lifetime, I covered the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels basketball program when Hey Reb! was introduced as the mascot. When he strode oncourt at the Thomas & Mack Center, I remarked, “Hey Reb! looks like he’s taking steroids.” Then, I wrote that observation, trying to be funny.
I received a letter from a UNLV official stating that Hey Reb! adhered to an all-natural workout regime, and was invited to catch him working out at the UNLV fitness center.
Ha. Good times. I always felt a failed drug test would bring down “Hey Reb!” Little did I know.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
