Mayor Oscar B. Goodman celebrated three new urban lounges in the 18b Las Vegas Arts District with ribbon cuttings, toasts and mayoral proclamations on Tuesday, April 26.

To encourage new downtown businesses, city officials created the "urban lounge" liquor license, a special category for the Arts District. The urban lounge license limits gaming and allows for multiple bars to be clustered together in one area. City officials also voted to waive the licensing fee for a limited time as an additional incentive for developers.

The triple ribbon cutting was an opportunity for city officials, trailblazing business owners and downtown supporters to celebrate an exciting new chapter in the Arts District with the realization of a successful initiative coming to fruition.

Mayor Goodman began at Resnicks Grocery, where he issued a mayoral proclamation to "celebrate the invaluable contributions of Sam Cherry, Grant Garcia and Mike Goldstein to the Downtown Arts District," cutting the ribbon for Resnicks Grocery, which recently added boutique wines, champagne, beer, and sake to its grocery and deli offerings. Resnicks sets itself apart from other liquor retailers downtown by offering labels such as Silver Oak and Veuve Clicquot in addition to a variety of labels at lower price points. As guests sampled wine and appetizers, Resnicks Grocery and Lady Silvia owner Sam Cherry led Mayor Goodman and other attendees on a tour of the Lady Silvia, a bar that will open in late May 2011.

The group then made the four-block trip to the corner of Charleston Boulevard and Art Way, where two neighboring urban lounges recently opened. Beginning with Artifice Bar & Lounge and finishing out the evening at Bar @ the Arts Factory, Mayor Goodman also issued mayoral proclamations to Brett Sperry and Trinity Schlottman, Artifice co-owners, and Wes Myles and Debra Heiser, Arts Factory co-owners. At both locations, Mayor Goodman cut ceremonial ribbons and toasted the success of both venues with his signature martini.

Photo: From left - city of Las Vegas Planning Commissioner Steve Evans, Sam Cherry, owner of Resnicks Grocery, Mayor Oscar B. Goodman, Grant Garcia and Mike Goldstein, owners of Resnicks Grocery, during ribbon cutting ceremonies of downtown's newest independent grocery store located inside Soho Lofts in the 18b Arts District. Courtesy of Las Vegas News Bureau