LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Spring Mountain Road is known as the Chinatown of Las Vegas. Over the years, it's continued to grow along with the growing Asian American Pacific Islander population in the valley.
As Jaewon Jung reports, the future of the area is looking bright.
BUSTLING BUSINESS
The bustling plazas on Spring Mountain Road barely have parking on most nights.
Long lines form in front of businesses on the three-mile stretch practically every weekend. The area is synonymous with Las Vegas' Chinatown.
In fact, there are more than 200 Asian and Pacific Islander owned businesses on Spring Mountain. But it hasn't always been that way.
"When I came here there was chinatown here but every building was empty," says Yoonha Kim, Owner of Rose's Cleaners and Alterations.
The shop has been open since 2003.
"At the time the economy was very up and down still," says Kim.
She says there have many challenges in the past two decades. But the pandemic was especially tough.
"From April to July nothing happened here in Vegas," says Kim.
For Emmy Parferosa, opening her business in January 2020, just two months before everything shut down, caused concern.
"We were really scared… the whole world was blind about what's next in the future for small business owners like us," says Parferosa.
She owns the local, BBQ Chicken. A chain of Korean restaurants with locations across the country.
RESURGENCE
She says she's excited about the recent resurgence of Las Vegas' Chinatown.
"This location on Spring Mountain has opened two sets of doors for us so we expanded locally to Silverado and Maryland and the southwest," says Parferosa.
She says Spring Mountain road is the perfect place for AAPI business owners.
"All the businesses are very lucky to be here because we cater to all the tourists and locals alike," says Parferosa.
Kim agrees and can't wait to see what the future brings.
"What do you think spring mountain will look like in the next 10 years?" asks Jung.
"I think different cultures different ethnical groups experience everything put together so it's going to be of course better," says Kim.
