There aren’t many places that appeal to the weird and wonderful the way Vegas does. In fact, we like to celebrate oddities by toasting them with a three-foot long frozen drink hanging around our necks for optimal high-fiving and goosing prospects. This is a town where you can buy almost anything you can imagine: the glamorous, the scandalous and the just plain weird. These are our top picks for the most unique stores in Vegas.

The Black Room

1000 E Sahara Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89104

Zee Germans sure know a thing or two about fetish and fantasy, yah? Well this store takes German engineering to a whole new and scandalous level. Need a latex gimp suit and matching leash? CHECK. How about a home-electrolysis kit? CHECK. Matching his and hers nipple clamps? DOUBLE CHECK. For all things whips and chains, this is a bondage lover’s Heaven (or Hell).

If you’re a curious Nosy Rosy or being suspended from the ceiling really is your cup of tea, this is the place for you. Just don’t try and return any of your purchases because most items are specially imported from Europe. Plus, that’s just gross. Don’t forget to tell Franz we sent you.

Zombie Apocalypse Store

3420 Spring Mountain Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89102

Be honest, are you prepared for the day flesh-eating zombies roam the streets, terrorizing innocent civilians? We didn’t think so. Where can you get a brass-knuckled Zombie Hammer, a gas mask and a cool Zombie Response Team shirt to wear while you’re splattering heads? The Zombie Apocalypse Store, of course.

Restock your underground bunker with the store’s selection of weaponry, ammo, survival guides, MRE’s (that’s food for those of you not in the know) and first-aid kits. They also have a shooting event that takes guests out hunting for the walking dead. For those of you not looking for a new Zombie Brain Saw, you can still go home with novelty items like shot glasses, mugs and bumper stickers too.

Rogue Toys

616 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Who doesn’t remember spending hours watching your slinky walk down the stairs? Rogue Toys is like being transported through a time machine to a place where the most important decision you made is what you wanted your mom to put on your bologna sandwich. Cheese and mustard please!

If you’ve ever blown the dust out of your Nintendo, stepped on a LEGO in the middle of the night, or packed a tin Buck Rogers lunch box and thermos, you’ll feel right at home. They even have a Trade Night where enthusiasts can have a play date and exchange toys just like in the days of the good old blanket forts.

Bonanza Gifts

2440 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89104

Sure, there’s an obscene amount of Vegas related souvenirs like shot glasses, magnets and mugs. But when you’re the World’s Largest Gift Shop, you kinda have to take your inventory to the next level. There’s so much more than just your average kitsch, they have a large selection of completely useless, completely awesome gag gifts.

Everybody needs a fart whistle, Elvis sunglasses complete with bushy sideburns and for all you people who can hardly feed yourselves (let alone a pet), there’s the battery operated Polly the Insulting Parrot. Don’t forget to grab a rubber pig head on your way out.

The Writer’s Block

1020 Fremont St #100, Las Vegas, NV 89101

There aren’t many places that can brag about being an artificial bird sanctuary and adoption agency or home to a page-chewing rabbit and a slew of Venus flytraps. The Writer’s Block Book Shop however, can. From its indoor street lamp to intricate masks and croquet sets, this is not your average bookstore, folks.

It’s a lot like the holy grail of yard sales meets literary genius with ADD. When your weary eyes refuse to read another line, there’s plenty of quirky merchandise and creatures (faux and living) to distract you. There’s also a writer’s studio that holds seminars and workshops, and a Book Machine that prints and binds a paperback book in five minutes.

Gamblers General Store

800 S Main St, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Cards, dice and chips – oh my! If you’ve ever envisioned your face on a poker chip, you’re not alone. Even the mayor of Las Vegas had to have them. Gambling memorabilia is the name of the game at what’s considered the world’s largest casino supply superstore.

If your pocket roulette wheel lost a ball, this is the place to get a new one. Out of glitter bingo daubers? No problem. You can event get vintage brothel tokens that are “Good For One Screw.” We wouldn’t recommend trying to use them over in Pahrump, but then again, it might just be your lucky day.

Rainbow Feather Company

1036 S Main St, Las Vegas, NV 89101

This place is dripping with more feathers than a drag queen. There are boas, dusters, fans, hats, jewelry, masks and so much more. This is the place to find the most exotic feathers, carrying two different kinds from hippogriffs and unicorns. If a smile didn’t just spread across your face, you’re not as nerdy as we hoped.

But seriously, they carry plumes from at least six different feathered families, and chances are if they don’t carry it, they can still get it for you. If you just couldn’t get enough of the Victoria Secret runway show, it was probably because of the fabulous angel wings, right? We thought so. This is the shop that can recreate that look.

Toy Shack

Neonopolis, 450 Fremont St, Las Vegas, NV 89101

If you grew up somewhere between the ’70s and ’80s, chances are your parents tripped over your Hot Wheels tracks and Barbie was in love with G.I. Joe, not Ken. Well now, you can once again walk down that corduroy-lined memory lane. A frequent stop on the reality show Pawn Stars, this store is a collector’s dream.

Carrying vintage toys from every era, you’ll finally be able to track down those beloved Betty Boop, Star Wars, Strawberry Shortcake, Transformers or whatever else you were obsessed with when you were less than four feet tall.

Williams Costume

1226 S 3rd St, Las Vegas, NV 89104

Few things can stand the test of time, but Williams Costume has been in Vegas for nearly 60 years. Owned by retired Las Vegas dancer Nancy Williams Baker, the store has dressed the likes of many theater productions and big name celebrities, including Elvis Presley.

For the rest of us, it’s a great place to go when you’re going to a Halloween party and refuse to buy that giant ketchup bottle costume you’ve had your eye on. Just rent it from Williams and drag your hangover with you to drop it off on November 1st.

Retro Vegas

1131 S Main St, Las Vegas, NV 89104

Finally, a place where you can find furniture to perfectly match your prized pink flamingos. Acrylic grapes, rotary phones and more polyester treasures abound at this antique store. Fuel your mid-century modern obsession in their fully assembled pink kitchen that’s perfect for a retro photo opp.

Behind the building’s pink façade, you’ll really get a glimpse of what Vegas was like when the Rat Pack roamed the streets. With an inventory that’s always changing, it’s probably best to scoop up that snazzy green ashtray you’re pretty sure you saw on a Frank Sinatra special. With 95 percent of the items coming directly from Las Vegas, there’s a chance it may be the same one.

Comments