Shopping for a gift? Consider the many cool stores at The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian in Las Vegas

Stroll the cobblestoned streets of Venice, or cruise along the waters of the canals. Wait, you’re in Las Vegas—not Italy! Oh, but we can pretend! The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian transports guests to the boot-shaped country, complete with re-creations of famous landmarks like the Rialto Bridge that stretches across the famed Grand Canal, the largest channel in Venice. Within this immersive world is an extensive collection of restaurants, attractions, nightlife and retail—everything from Italian, seafood, Mexican and bakeries to fashion, specialty gifts, lounges and virtual-reality experiences. Among the retail options are some standout stores that deserve a little extra attention—whether you just browse or decide to buy, they’re worth the visit just for the experience.

Make your first stop at Animazing Gallery, where pop art and classic art collide in a cool retail space that has such interesting pieces it’s like walking through a museum filled with iconic cultural references. Animazing Gallery first found fame in Soho, New York, more than four decades ago. Over that time, owner Nick Leone has amassed a massive collection of art, including the paintings of John Douglas (pictured). Douglas, the drummer for Aerosmith, travels with a blank canvas and acrylic paint. When touring, he’ll use his hotel room as his studio, mixing the paints inside a drum head. He’ll then tack the canvas up, paint and, when finished, lets them drip dry in the bathroom shower.

Jump from one gallery to the next. One can spend serious hours browsing through Regis Galerie. This store is more gallery and showroom than retail, but everything is for sale. “These are not mass-produced pieces, everything is high quality,” says director Lorne “LG” Gostfrand. “What we really base our gallery on is high-quality pieces that you can only find here in Vegas. We display 1,000 different artists from around the world and we’ve been in this spot at Grand Canal Shoppes for 25 years. We’re definitely a destination spot.”

It’s such a destination that celebrities galore have paid a visit—just check out the wall with tons of pictures of famous faces that have made an appearance. Besides museum-quality pieces for the home with everything from bronze statues, furniture and pop art paintings to Disney-inspired figurines and Western art, Regis Galerie also offers one-of-a-kind fine jewelry with gems like sapphires, diamonds, emeralds, rubies, gold, silver and jade. And don’t forget to look up! This retail store has one of the most amazing and widest selections of chandeliers and other stunning lighting fixtures.

The next stop on your shopping adventure will surely satisfy any sweet tooth as well as lovers of social media and pop culture. While there are a bajillion candy stores on the planet, IT’SUGAR is mindblowingly amazing. The selection stocked by this retail chain leaves any visitor wanting for nothing when it comes to all manner of treats. A big draw for the store is its bulk candy selection. Grab a Chinese takeout carton, zip-top baggie or candy jar, and mix and fill to your heart’s content. Go crazy packing in goodies like gummy fried eggs, gummy cola bottles, Swedish fish, gummy bears (a massive selection), gummy sharks, spicy chili pepper gummies, sour candies, licorice, chocolates, jelly beans, gumballs, taffy, hard candies and more … and more and more.

Relive your childhood candy fantasies with IT’SUGAR’s selection of nostalgic candy including Razzles, Fun Dip, Bubble Tape, candy cigarettes and Nerds and a huge selection of Pez dispensers like Barbie, Marvel superheroes and Super Mario Bros. The store also imports a wide array of Japanese candy and snacks, as well as offering tons of toys, including Hello Kitty merchandise, holiday-themed gifts, Funko Pop toys and the cutest selection of plushies. (Don’t miss the s’mores cat!)

From sweet to sparkly, give the gift of jewelry this season. You’ll be amazed at the phenomenal selection at Miner’s Gems. This is more than a jewelry store, it’s a treasure chest of stunningly beautiful pieces. Owner Meeta Jethani and her husband opened Miner’s Gems in Las Vegas after the pandemic shut down their storefronts on cruise ships. Since then, they’ve found great success with their shop at The Venetian. The beautiful pieces and rare stones they carry are worth a look, even if you don’t decide to buy. “Our gold selection is our crowd puller,” Jethani says. “But we have a huge selection of diamond baguette jewelry and specialty stones and one-of-a-kind pieces. We have stuff from a reasonable $500 to like half a million.”

Some of Jethani’s favorite pieces (pictured) include a light blue natural aquamarine necklace, with diamonds set in 14-carat white gold; a 100-carat tanzanite necklace with diamonds all around; a hand-fabricated gold tourmaline set in 18-carat gold that can be used as a pendant or pin; a tanzanite and diamond bracelet; an 18.24-carat royal blue sapphire ring set in 18-carat gold with custom-cut trapezoid and half-moon stones; a natural green diamond ring (a very, very rare diamond); a diamond bracelet with emerald and round cut diamonds; a gold necklace with morganite, rubies, emeralds, sapphires and diamonds; in-house designed blue and brown diamond earrings; a 10-carat baguette and round diamond ring with matching earrings; and a blue and white diamond ring for men.

From something special to wear to something special to drink, head to the unique Spirits & Spice. Cocktails and liqueurs and spices and oils, oh my! The store lets guests mix, match, try and buy small-batch alcohol like whiskey, tequila, rum, vodka and liqueurs. You can create your own recipes or just buy the spirits straight. When it comes to cooking, browse a selection of oils, balsamics and seasonings, and select, bottle and take home your favorites. “The best part about the store is we let you try before you buy,” says River Pizzimenti, sales associate. The store stocks cocktail-making supplies and tools so you can bartend to your heart’s content. And don’t miss the selection of bottled wine—around 40-50 brands from all around the world.

Currently, one of the best-selling whiskies at Spirits & Spice is the Two Bitch Bourbon out of Eureka, Nev.; the company is named after the owner’s two rescue dogs, Sage and Scarlet. Price points for many of the small-batch spirits start around a reasonable $34 and can go all the way up to $1,000.

The last distinctive store is Bauman Rare Books. It’s another shop where one could spend hours browsing the merchandise, especially lovers of the written word. “Three things that determine the value of the rare book: the condition and completeness (is it as close to original as possible?); the scarcity (How many still exist?); and lastly, the title has to be interesting to collectors,” says salesman Pamela Raia. “Bauman Rare Books is very much a bespoke service. We always say, ‘You’re not only buying a book, you’re buying someone to assist you with your collection over the long term.’ We help with book care, how to build your library, the environment to keep books in, the storage.”

One of the most treasured books is Thomas McKenney’s and James Hall’s North American Indians, early edition, second octavo edition from 1854 ($25,000). The illustrations are of indigenous leaders who traveled to government offices to have their portraits

painted. (This was prior to photography.) The original portraits burned in a fire, but luckily McKenney and Hall preserved the images by making illustrations of each of the paintings. “They made the illustrations based off the original paintings and without them doing this, we would not have these images of very important Native American chiefs,” Raia says.

Other special book selections include Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice, the first American edition of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights and the first edition of Sigmund Freud’s Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis inscribed by him to a friend. Familiar names in literature also include books by Charles Dickens (a first edition of Oliver Twist), Walt Whitman and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

In the Know:

• Some of the museum-quality pieces for sale at Regis Galerie include two Japanese samurai suits of armor from the 18th century Edo period (battle-worn) and various samurai swords.

• Don’t miss the newest exhibition at Animazing Gallery—works of art from more than 30 rock stars will be on display and for sale. Browse and purchase pieces by Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Steve Vai, Robby Krieger, Steven Tyler, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and more.

• IT’SUGAR offers candy that has gone viral on TikTok, including Guppers, Silky Gem crystal candy, chamoy pickle kit and a huge, huge assortment of freeze-dried confections. IT’SUGAR also stocks stuff for some adult fun like candy bras and G-strings, penis-shaped pops and a gummy sutra game. So get naughty! It is Vegas, after all.

Spirits & Spice Flavors to Savor

Liqueur flavors include horchata, s’mores, mango pineapple cream, pink lemonade, tart cherry and the best-selling coffee cake tiramisu.

Olive oil flavors include citrus habanero, garlic and chili, jalapeño, chipotle, basil, Italian herb, rosemary, ginger sesame, lemon pepper, dill and more.

Spice flavors include Indian spices, Greek spices, barbecue, turmeric, bacon sea salt, black truffle, pineapple curry, Alderwood smoked salt, siracha salt, barbecue rubs, spices for veggies, chicken and steaks, Hawaiian hibiscus salt, sweet apple pie, chai, el pastor, Mexican chipotle, magic mustard and more.

Balsamic flavors include mango, hickory smoke, key lime, white garlic, lemon cucumber, raspberry, apple, caramelized onion, black cherry, fig and more.

Fun Fact:

The most expensive book on display at Bauman Rare Books is the $60,000 first English translation of Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville, long considered one of the most important texts in political literature.

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