LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A Las Vegas business is looking for a new home.
On Tuesday, Michelle Sandler, the Chief Operating Officer for Hogs & Heifers Saloon, said the saloon has not been able to get a lease extension. That's because the CIM Group is reportedly in negotiations to sell the Downtown Grand to Penske Media.
"[We've] been informed by the current owner of the Downtown Grand, CIM Group, that Penske Media is not interested in retaining Hogs & Heifers Saloon as a tenant," Sandler's statement reads in part. "In addition, CIM Group has denied the request from Hogs & Heifers to activate the hold over option at 150% of its base rent in its lease as the owner continues to search for a new home."
Sandler said that if an alternative location is not approved, the bar will temporarily close on Sunday, July 6, which would mark the saloon's 20th anniversary in Las Vegas.
The saloon would then reopen by the beginning of 2026, at the latest.
She added that at this time, there are no concrete plans to shutter the bar and they will keep staff and patrons updated.
This isn't the first time there has been conflict between the saloon and the Downtown Grand.
Back in July 2019, we spoke to owner Michelle Dell who was battling the CIM Group over the remaining five years of her lease term. She eventually filed a lawsuit in order to stay at its current location and a judge ruled the bar could stay.
2019 l Hogs & Heifers case goes to court
In October 2019, the bar was also served with 30-day notice to quit their lease and a cease-and-desist letter, which demanded Dell stop speaking out against the Downtown Grand.
The letter claims Dell has made and continues to make false statements against the Downtown Grand on both her social media accounts and in the news media.
Lawyers for the Downtown Grand said Dell and her clientele have been less than ideal, writing in court filings:
"H and H has created an unsafe environment that has consistently spilled into the common areas surrounding the bar."
"H and H routinely uses a megaphone and vulgar language to solicit pedestrians and guests of neighboring properties into its bar."
"Numerous police and incident reports have been filed, documenting the dangerous events that are permitted and sometimes encouraged by H and H."
2019 l Downtown Las Vegas dispute turns ugly
I reached out to Penske Media to see if they had additional information about discussions regarding the Downtown Grand sale and if claims in the Hogs & Heifers Saloon statement were true. A company rep declined to comment on either matter.
If Penske Media does purchase the Downtown Grand, the property could turned into a Rolling Stone Hotel and Casino, according to a March report from Billboard.
Penske Media owns Rolling Stone, which also owns the Life Is Beautiful festival. The company acquired a majority stake in the festival in 2022 and acquired the remaining interests in the festival in July 2024.
Former Rolling Stone CEO and current Executive Chairman Gus Wenner spoke to me last July and said they got involved in the festival thanks to Tony Hsieh.
"I cold-called Tony and I was just struck with what a unique kind of brilliant guy he was and that was part of the process of coming across Life Is Beautiful. Getting here was my conversations with Tony and hearing his ideas about the world and mission about this festival and what it means to the community and his vision for things. I think on some level, we just kind of wanted to do something together," Wenner said. "From the moment that we started looking at [Life Is Beautiful] and the moment I came to see it, there was a real kind of shared spirit there."
2024 l FULL INTERVIEW: Rolling Stone CEO talks future of Life Is Beautiful
Last year, instead of hosting a full festival, organizers hosted A Big Beautiful Block Party, which received mixed reviews from locals. Since then, Rolling Stone officials have been looking for a new home for the festival in Downtown Las Vegas.
The website for the festival is no longer operational, no plans for 2025 have been announced, and the timeline on the festival possibly returning is unclear, as of Wednesday afternoon.
