Riding around Las Vegas with Fred.

Fred, an associate from Arizona, was in town last week for VIAD 2.0 - We decided to take a drive around town - "Bang! There is seventy five thousand dollars right on the side of the road." With a statement like that I was bound to attract his attention - "What are you talking about?" He says with a hint of curiosity. "Right there! Seventy five thousand. That restaurant we just passed - Chang's. That restaurant is easily worth seventy five thousand dollars a year in revenue if it sold its food online. Guess what? It doesn't."

As we drive further down Decatur towards Chinatown I yell, once again - "Bang! See that restaurant over on the right. The one with the dark awning. That is Yeng Yeng's. There is another seventy five grand laying on the side of the road." We turn on Spring Mountain and are now driving through the heart of Chinatown - "Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! 75k there! 75k there! 75k there!" I chant as I point my finger at a slew of restaurants clustered together on the corner of Spring Mountain & Arville - "All those mothercluckers right next to each other. None of them sell their food online. I can get all of them!" Fred looks around and says, "I agree with you they're certainly plenty of dining establishments in Chinatown. How many do you think there are in this little stretch?" I answer, "Fifty, maybe more," he then says - "None of these guys sell their food online?" I answer - "That is affirmative good sir." We turn right on Wynn and head towards the Rio.

The behemoth.

I gave Fred, an associate from Arizona, the future home of the Las Vegas Raider's tour (right now it's an empty lot). He was in town for VIAD 2.0 last week - "You see this big empty lot on the corner up here. I want you to turn in there - I want to show you something." He makes the requested turn and now we are driving parallel to what currently is a 67 acre dirt lot located on Russell just west of the 15. "Take a good look at her Fred. In no less than three years time we will be staring directly at the grandest stadium in the world."

The Raiders are scheduled to move to Las Vegas at the beginning of the 2020 season. The timeline for stadium construction states a November 1st, 2017 start; with an estimated completion date of June 30th, 2020 - "So that's where the new stadium will be. How big of a lot did you say this was?" I told Fred what I read in the paper - "Sixty seven acres." He shakes his head for a minute and says - "It doesn't look like that much," he then takes a deeper look as we are circling the NW perimeter - "On second thought it's pretty long and extends back to the freeway. Yeah, I can see sixty seven acres here. But not much more. Where is everyone going to park?" The parking schematics for the future home of the Raiders states there is only room for 12,500 cars. NFL protocol states a minimum of 25,000 spots for game day parking - "They say they are either going to build up; trolley people in from the strip; or level the buildings around them for additional parking - I don't think they have quite figured it out yet."

As we are turning away from the site and headed west up Russell, I tell Fred, "You should see the renderings for this behemoth. It will truly be epic when this thing goes up. It will be really good for Las Vegas and I can't wait." Fred shakes his head and says - "They are all in it together. Now you will have the most powerful sports league in the world with a team set up across the street from the strip." I nod and say - "If it wasn't for Las Vegas the NFL wouldn't be what it is today, and now the NFL has finally accepted that. Besides, it will be fun to watch the Chief's play when the Raider's move to town. I live right down the road from the stadium."

My favorite budtender.

"Well, show me the way to the next whisky bar. Oh, don't ask why -oh don't ask why. Show me the way to the next whisky bar. Oh, don't ask why - oh don't ask why. For if we don't find the next whisky bar - I tell you we must die - I tell you we must die."

~ Alabama Song (Whisky bar) - The Doors

If Jim Morrison was alive today and lived in Las Vegas he would change the lyrics to - "Show me the way to the next marijuana dispensary. Oh, don't ask why." Probably not, but it's kind of funny to think about - I went down to see my favorite budtender again. I got to tell you something. He sure is convincing:

"Mr. Village Idiot," he yells as the door opens from the waiting room into the showroom, "Right this way good sir." He waves me in and we head straight to the display case - "How did you like the last strand I recommended?" I nod my head in approval and say - "Marcus, it was superb. Do you have anymore?" He shakes his head and says - "Unfortunately we are out of Kosher Kush, but fear not Mr. Village Idiot I have another strand I am highly confident in." He reaches into the display case and pulls out a smell jar - "This is the world famous sin mint strand. It is grown in the hydroponic farms of North Las Vegas. It has many a satisfied customer to boast of as well. Here, get you a whiff of this and tell me you're not in love." He holds the jar to my nose and I catch a whiff of the sweetest smelling thing ever.

"You are one hell of a salesman Marcus," I tell him as he is preparing my order of sin mint. He answers - "The product sells itself good sir. It's my job to connect people with it." Before I leave, I tell him - "I have been thinking about bringing the blog closer to the marijuana game. That seems to be something a lot of my readers are interested in. You know, give people what they want." As he is handing my change back, he adds - "Mr. Village Idiot, you are right about the 'giving people what they want' part of it. The crowds in here are thicker than you see at the sports book."

Folks, there is a common belief in the dope game a baron or two will be born out of its legalization in the state. Something comparable to fortunes built by a select few at the end of Prohibition are at stake. At this point I have no idea whom it will be. Maybe it springs from an ancillary business brought upon by the dope game. Who knows? Anyhoo, I will have much more on this subject soon.  

My first trip to the marijuana dispensary.

I did something this weekend that was a first for me. I visited a marijuana dispensary in Las Vegas -The recreational use of marijuana became legal in Nevada on July 1st and that has all I have been hearing about since. I decided to wait a few weeks for all the hub bub to die down and now I found myself entering the California Wellness dispensary on the corner of Arville and Flamingo:

The dispensary is housed in an unassuming building that I believe was once a medical supply office. As I walk in I am greeted by a nice young lady, whom I give my ID to - "Give me a moment sir and I will get a budtender for you." A few moments later the buzzer sounds on the door allowing me access to the showroom. I step in and am promptly greeted by a familiar face - "Marcus," I say with a combination of surprise and enthusiasm. "Nice to see the village idiot again. It's been a while." He says with a smile of his own. Marcus is a nice young man whom I would guess is twenty-one, twenty-two. Anyhoo, I first met him when I worked at 7-11. He was one of a number of nice people I met while working there.

I follow him to the display case and he asks - "What is it that you are looking for good sir?" I tell him I want to be in the outer zone quick. He replies - "I have just the strand for you Mr. Village Idiot. It is called Kosher Kush and it boasts of many satisfied consumers." His sales pitch was convincing, so I told him to give me a gram. "What has the rest of the crew been up to?" I ask as he is preparing my order - "Chris is with his girlfriend all the time; Vlad is going to school; Matt is working at Frye's. Everyone is well." As I am leaving I ask how things have been since opening day - "It has been insane dude. People were lined up around the block when we first opened. It's settled down a lot, but you never know in this business. It is so new."

Folks, it seems like you can't turn around nowadays in Las Vegas without running into a dispensary or some other entity selling marijuana. The projected numbers for marijuana revenue are staggering. I will have much more on this subject soon!

the hail mary

I called my friend Legend in the Midwest the other day to encourage him to attend Village Idiot Armada Days (VIAD) which is scheduled for June 22-26 in Las Vegas:

Roy 'Legend' Cumpton etched his place in Greenwood County lore thirty plus years ago as the Bulldog who made the play of all plays thus enabling Madison' first state title in football - all these years later and I still remember it like it was yesterday - "Goddammit Legend! What a fucking play!" That is the very first thing I say to him every time we speak nowadays. He likes it - "What can I say?" He then adds with confidence, "My number was called and I was ready." Legend didn't score a lot of touchdowns, but the one he did was certainly memorable. It was a fifty yard hail Mary at the gun to advance the Bulldogs to a state title.

We always joke about this, there is a movie called The Best of Times. It stars Robin Williams and Kurt Russell. The premise is based on the fact Robin Williams' character dropped the winning pass in the championship game and has regretted it for twenty five years. I always tell Legend his life could have easily mirrored the Robin Williams character if he would have dropped the pass. He says the same thing to me every time I bring it up - "They're certain times in life when a person has to make a play. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. I just happened to make that particular play."

We chat about the weather for a bit and then I ask if he is planning on attending VIAD - "Are there going to be any ladies there?" His catch is only a part of why he is called Legend. If you delve into his libido than you realize, rather quickly, why the Legend nickname has stuck through the years - I knew exactly what to tell him - "I know Legend doesn't want to come out to Las Vegas and not have a good time," I then add emphatically, "Yes sir, I understand that, and that is why I will make sure that your request is no problem" - "That's what I want to hear boy!" He then adds, "Who else is coming to this shindig?" I reply - "Fred, Junior and a couple of guys in Las Vegas are the firm commits right now. I have extended invitations to a number of other people and am still waiting for their confirmations. It is starting to take shape. I want you to do me a favor and bring your Legend self out here and be the Legend that you are!"

I would like to end this post by saying that I am excited about VIAD and all the neat things that will be showcased there. It will be a special time for all those who attend.

A mere sliver.

Before I get started on this post I have to share a vision I am having about future Village Idiot Armada Days (VIAD). As everyone knows by now this will be the inaugural for VIAD. I am thinking much further down the road when the Raider's move to Las Vegas (2020). VIAD will be moved to the weekend that coincides with the KC- Raider's game. I realize it is still a long ways off, but I thought I would give people the heads up any way:

I chatted with a friend of mine in Las Vegas today in order to encourage her to attend VIAD - "You mean to tell me you handed over all those restaurants and didn't see any money out of them. Why did you do that?" She was referring to a previous post where I stated I signed ten restaurants in Chinatown a few years back for a food delivery site and saw nothing from it. - "The post said those restaurants have generated a couple hundred thousand in revenue for the site, but yet you saw nothing." She didn't have to rub it in, but you live and learn. The truth is only a few made it to the site. If all of the restaurants had been put on and marketed correctly the revenue number would have been triple. I told her such and she replies - "This whole Chinatown stuff you have been blogging about has me both curious and confused." I understand Chinatown is out of the wheelhouse of most people who read the blog. I get it. That's why I am encouraging people to attend VIAD.

"Look, I missed out four years ago because I had no control over things," I then add, "The restaurants I am telling people about are a mere sliver of what can be extrapolated from Chinatown. When you come to VIAD I will showcase a number of examples that will be clear for people. The key is coming to VIAD." She then tells me to sum up the idea so it is clear for her - "I'm not coming out unless I have a better understanding of what it is you are trying to accomplish."

It was a fair question so I told her this - "Orange County California has always been the center of the universe in terms of introducing new products and services to the masses. The thought has always been if you can sell a sandwich or shoes there it will act as a hallway to the rest of the country. Chinatown has that kind of muscle as a market. If you can get something to be successful there it is bound to be successful to a much larger market...and it is mostly untapped." She then requests another example. I have many but gave the one I believe most are familiar with.

"Do you remember when things went to hell in the recession?" She answers yes, I reply, "Every casino in town was going broke because of it. Tourism was literally cut in half. Caesars and MGM had to reorganize. It was a bad time for everyone." I then add, "I take that back. It was a bad time for everyone except Steve Wynn (Mirage) & Sheldon Adelson (Sands) their respective companies were pulling in more money than ever before while all their competitors were headed straight down the shitter. Do you know why?" She had no clue, I add with emphasis - "It's because they had the foresight to tap into the Asian consumer when all of their competitors were building monstrosities on the strip."

I could go on and on why I believe but than I start to sound redundant. I just want her to come VIAD and see for herself - "So you are telling me if you can be a facilitator in Chinatown there is enough to go around." Again, without trying to sound redundant, I answer her question the best I know how - "That is what I am saying exactly Sweetie. If it can work for Steve Wynn and Sheldon Adelson there is nothing in the books that says it can't work for Rob Astle. And I know exactly how to get to it! Come to VIAD and I will show you!"

The return of the idiot...

Let's start this post by venturing back in time to the spring of 2013. I was tasked with signing ten restaurants for a food delivery site a than associate was launching. I remember, vividly, writing the names of a number of traditional restaurants on a legal size piece of paper. I visited those restaurants on a number of occasions and was given the same answers every time - "You have to call corporate. The manager isn't in." After hearing the same rejections over and over I was close to throwing in the towel and than an Asian friend suggested I approach a lady he knows in Chinatown who owns a restaurant about the service. I was unfamiliar with Chinatown and the comings and goings. But I had nothing to lose so I followed his advice. Turns out - I have never been given better advice in my life!

I remember it like it was yesterday, I sat down with the owner and explained in detail how the service will bring her more revenue. She asked a few questions that I answered without hesitation and the next thing you know I had a signed contract for a nice restaurant. As I was leaving she told me to go next door and talk to her neighbor (Lee) at the Korean restaurant - "Tell him I sent you and just signed up," were her parting words to me. I did exactly as she said and the next thing I know I have another signed contract. After the experience I decided to recruit a couple of locals in Chinatown to help me with the effort and in no time at all I had ten restaurants. Fast forward to present time: Turns out a number of restaurants I signed have generated hundreds of thousands of dollars for the site. Did I see any of it? No. Am I upset about it? No, not really. I didn't have any control over them once I gave them to the site. Should I have done things differently back then? Yea, but the truth is those restaurants are a very small sliver of what can be done in Chinatown.

Present day

I called my friend Flash in Wichita the other day to share with him my thoughts - "They're a number of things I would do differently if I could turn back time. A million people share the same thoughts as me. I don't want to spend any of what remaining time I have left looking back and thinking, 'Man, I should have done this; or man I should have done that.' That's why I am so stoked about VIAD. I am positive the people who attend will be enlightened like they have never been before. It will be an absolute look in to what Trump style thinking, as pertains to the economy, can provide if people are willing to get ahead of it." I cherish Flash' opinion as much as anyone, so when he asked, "How much are you looking to raise?" I answer, "250K." There was a brief silence and he says - "That's a lot of money. What are you going to do with it." I proceed to give him the rundown and he says - "Look, I am going to do my best to come out for VIAD. You have me intrigued," he then adds, "250k is a lot of money. You better be damn convincing."