Galleries move into Holsum Lofts

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Nearly three years after the Holsum Bread building at Charleston Boulevard, just east of Interstate 15, ceased operations as a bakery, its new tenants hope soon to be producing a different kind of bread.

Though owners of the building's new art and furniture showrooms say sales have been slow so far, they have confidence that their fledgling businesses will soon be turning a profit.

"I expect it to be slow but pick up by the fall," said Joseph Palermo, owner of the Gallery P art gallery. "I think it will be a great venue. It's going to take six months to a year to have it rolling."

The Holsum Lofts are entering a third month of business in the historic building, constructed in 1954.

The former bakery, which changed owners several times over the decades, distributed a variety of more than 200 bakery items in Southern Nevada at the peak of its operations.

In 2002, its final year, the bakery made $12 million in sales. It closed when U.S. Food Service decided to relocate.

Jeff LaPour, principal of LaPour Partners developers, bought the property and decided to transform it into galleries and artists' lofts, making it part of the newly-established downtown arts district.

"We are just a block away from the downtown Arts Factory," LaPour said. "It's easy walking distance. With everything that's going on across the street from us, the Union Park and the (World Market Center) furniture mart, we will have a ton of traffic."

Though he originally planned to offer working and residential lofts to artists, LaPour said there just wasn't demand for that kind of development.

"There seemed to be a lot more demand for the commercial spaces," he said. "There was overwhelming demand for gallery spaces. We decided the building really should be a commercial design center."

The old bakery -- actually three separate, connected buildings -- now houses tenants including Gallery P, the Grill on Charleston, Home Expressions, M Griesgraber Studio Gallery and AKA Inspired Art.

Owners of the new businesses are excited about being part of the revitalization of downtown Las Vegas.

"We wanted a new, warehouse look," Palermo said. "We decided we should go and be a part of the downtown arts district, just to be a part of the synergy down there."

"I'm a native Nevadan and it was exciting to me to be part of the revitalization of this building," said Roxanna McCue, owner, with her husband, Skip, of Home Expressions. "This is not just any building. I was really excited about it."

McCue has been in business selling wall units and home decor for 17 years.

"It was primarily home-based," she said. "It's been a little slow, but it will be very advantageous to have a showroom."

Palermo also had been operating his business before relocating to the Holsum Lofts.

"We had a gallery for four years in Henderson," he said. "It was by appointment only."

Palermo's new gallery includes artwork by local artists and some of the greats, including work by Salvador Dali and Juan Miro.

Palermo is also an artist and plans to put his studio inside the new gallery.

"I think it will be a great location for a lot of great stores," he said.

Most of the Holsum stores are open on weekdays during regular business hours, and they stay open late on the first Friday of each month to participate in downtown's First Friday arts celebration.