by McKenna Ross, Las Vegas Review-Journal, January 28, 2022
A new store concept from Smith’s will officially open Saturday at Henderson’s Cadence Village Center after the blueprint found success in the northwest valley.
The $24 million, 125,000-square-foot Smith’s Marketplace store is expected to rival other big box retailers. Company officials hope the department-store style inspires customers to shop beyond the grocery section.
“When I say multidepartment store, it really is your one-stop shop for everything that you need,” Aubriana Martindale, corporate affairs manager for the company, said. “So at your Smith’s store, you’re usually used to just getting your groceries. Here, you can get your groceries plus more. You can get apparel. … You can get home decor to spruce up the house. Anything you can possibly need is here.”
The new departments include apparel, houseware, toys, hardware and small kitchen appliances. The marketplace also has a Starbucks, Murray’s Cheese shop, a wine and beer bar and a Smith’s Fuel Center.
At a limited preview on Friday, Smith’s associates from across the valley and their families sampled food and walked through the store’s 63 aisles.
Las Vegas resident Sarah Freshwater was surprised by the product diversity. She’s visited the Skye Canyon location in the past and noted the Henderson store had a more modern design.
This is Nevada’s second Smith’s Marketplace. The first one opened in 2018 at the master-planned community Skye Canyon in northwest Las Vegas. Martindale said master-planned communities offer the acreage needed to build a large store.
Henderson Mayor Debra March said residents of the Cadence community and the east side of the city have been “clamoring” for a grocery store in their neighborhood.
“We’ve been hearing from our residents for years,” March said. “They’ve wanted grocery stores here in the Cadence area. We just didn’t have the rooftops before. With the growth that’s occurred in this area, we can now support a grocery store like this. And this is more than a grocery store, it really is a marketplace.”
Smith’s Marketplace is expected to add 230 new jobs to the area, according to the company.
The store, at 845 E. Lake Mead Parkway, will open at 8 a.m. Saturday with the grand opening festivities beginning about a half-hour earlier. The first 400 customers will receive a $10 gift card, according to a news release.
Smith’s is also using the occasion to support several community and hunger relief groups in the Las Vegas Valley, including a $9,000 donation to the Boys &Girls Club of Southern Nevada, $5,000 to Communities in Schools of Nevada and $2,000 to neighboring Basic High School.
The school’s marching band and junior varsity cheer team are expected to perform before the ribbon-cutting ceremony and official opening.
Smith’s Marketplace will be open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
McKenna Ross is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Contact her at [email protected] Follow @mckenna_ross_ on Twitter.