LAS VEGAS – For years, there has been a campaign to revitalize Downtown Las Vegas. Now, a company that has been a major part of that endeavor for the past ten years is leaving owing to safety concerns.

The Hydrant Club, a canine boarding, training, and social club on East Fremont Street, closed its doors for good on Saturday.

A big yellow fire hydrant, the creation of Tony Hsieh outside the doggie shop, can be found not far from Atomic Liquor. According to owner Cathy Brooks, safety issues in the Fremont East/ Downtown Area forced her to close the shop.

“We officially closed on December 31st. “Our last day of day school, the last day of lessons, was the 29th, and about two hours after the last dog left the facility, two individuals were shot about two blocks away,” Brooks explained.

Brooks relocated to Vegas a decade ago only to start the business.

“I spent a long time working in Silicon Valley. Around 2010-2011, I knew I wanted to do something different, but I wasn’t sure what that was. Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos at the time and a longtime friend… “While you’re at it, why don’t you go to Vegas this summer?” he suggested. Brooks revealed. A wall of post-it notes containing hopes and visions for Downtown adorned his apartment.

“There were probably a dozen to a dozen and a half post-it notes with something to do with dogs,” Brooks revealed. Brooks says Hsieh worked with her on a monthly basis to launch the Hydrant Club, and she hopes his legacy, his devotion to Downtown regeneration, carries on, but she can’t.

“Things like gun violence and big gatherings of disruptive individuals were the kinds of concerns that truly led me to the conclusion that this neighborhood was no longer a safe place for a single small business.”

“What am I going to do when 100 guys drinking tall cans getting hammered and stoned riding bikes on the rear tire right down the middle of the street throw their bikes all over the front of your property and you ask them really politely, ‘Hey would you mind moving over so you are not obstructing the business and I get called all kinds of names?” Brooks inquired.

For the time being, the company does not have a physical location. Brooks is looking for a new one, but he underlined that the chances of it being in the same area are nil.

Brooks is currently conducting her dog training business, Unleashed Leadership, from wherever she can while looking for a new permanent location.

Credits: Fox 5 Vegas

Copyright 2022 702 Times, NV Globe. All rights reserved.