Grant Philipo says the true showgirl is non existent in Las Vegas these days.
They may be gone from the stage, but the true showgirl still exists inside a home in Paradise Palms where CEO and Head Curator, Grant Philipo, is proud to show it off.
"So many companies use the image of a showgirl to get people to come here," said Philipo. "Well, the great thing is we have the showgirl. We have that image alive and breathing."
While every room, every floor, and every corner is a testament to the glamorous and gaudy glory days of Las Vegas entertainment; it's not open to the public. What you see inside is only a glimpse of a collection that includes more than 30,000 artifacts and 1,000 costumed mannequins. For more than two years Philipo has been waiting for city approval to move to what's known as the Reed Whipple Building.
"The Reed Whipple Building is the perfect building for us, not only because it's been around for a long time, but the fact that it is on Las Vegas Boulevard," he said.
Right now thousands of dollars worth of showgirl artifacts are stashed away in warehouses across the city. The rest are inside "Boylesque" star Kenny Kerr's old mansion.
Philipo said the expansion to a new space would not only make room for all of the artifacts, it would bring something new to the Las Vegas tourism scene.
"It would be an education. And history and culture that shows people a different side of Las Vegas than what they are normally used to seeing."
The city's decision is due sometime in June.
