Throughout history, artists have gravitated to the energy and activity that defines urban city centers. In the late 1980s when Westley Isbutt and Debra Heiser left their respective homes in Los Angeles and San Francisco to move to Las Vegas, they, like so many in the creative class, were drawn to live and work in the downtown area.

Wes said, “When I first moved here, I was told the cultural area of the city was on Las Vegas Blvd. North by Cashman Field and the Lied Museum. I told the mayor at the time, it is not possible to change history and the desires of the artists. It will happen in the downtown warehouse section as it has in all other cities around the globe.”

Wes first opened his photography business on South Seventh Street, while Debra first worked at a graphic design studio located at Sixth Street and Gass Avenue and went on to become cofounder of Las Vegas Magazine. She said, “We were both looking for something with character and history. Neither of us had any desire to work in an office in a strip mall, although that was where most of the design firms and advertising agencies were located.”

More than 20 years have passed, and the downtown power couple remains actively involved in developing a sense of pride and community in the area. Each played a key role in developing the 18b Las Vegas Arts District. As vice president of AIGA, the professional association for design, Debra was project coordinator for the branding of the Arts District as 18b, while Wes became the founding president of the 18b Las Vegas Arts District neighborhood association.

They now co-own The Arts Factory at 107 E. Charleston Blvd., the cultural center that is home to Trifecta Gallery, Bar+Bistro, Debra’s Heiser Design graphic design boutique and Wes’ Studio West Photography. The couple even calls The Arts Factory home with a residential apartment upstairs. Their adaptive reuse and restoration of the space was the first of its kind in the Las Vegas Valley and has served as the inspiration for what is possible throughout the city.

Wes, who is the recipient of an American Planning Association Award and three Mayoral Proclamations, said, “We drive less than 2,000 miles per year. We love the fact that we can exit our front studio door and see art, hear music and grab a great meal or drink in our own Bar+Bistro. We can hop on our tandem bicycle and head in any direction for a variety of restaurant and bar offerings within a mile radius. We live, work and breathe the urban core. We simply couldn’t imagine it any other way.”

 Photo: Debra Heiser and Wes Isbutt by Ryan Reason, Studio West Photography