Alligator Soup weathers tough economy to mark 30 years in business

It was always known as a fun little shop with the cute name. After three decades, Alligator Soup is still going strong.

"It was quite an emotional day, celebrating 30 years," said co-owner Sharon Carelli.

Carelli grew up in a family that valued the written note. When she needed wedding announcements, she discovered that Las Vegas offered no such service and she had to go to San Francisco for them.

"When I met Helen (Edell) through a house party, she had made a baby boutique line called Alligator Soup ... (to complement it) she started selling custom birth announcements," Carelli said.

Always intrigued by custom stationery, Carelli suggested that they open a store together. The two became fast friends.

Edell, the other co-owner, recalled what it was like to open the first shop in the Renaissance Center East at Tropicana and Eastern avenues.

"We were two Susie Homemakers ... and we opened up a little tiny shop, just a little over 1,000 square feet," she said. "Between Sharon and myself, we knew a lot of people, and everyone came to help support it and slowly the word got out. Well, 'quickly,' I should say. The town was smaller then, so it was easier to reach out to people."

Even though it started during a recession, the shop prospered, ending the year in the black. Over the years, Alligator Soup grew until it had four locations.

The name was taken from a Canadian children's book of poetry, said Edell, "like our Dr. Seuss, so, like a pot of soup, we can change the ingredients over time. Plus, 'alligator' starts with an A, so we were first in the Yellow Pages, which doesn't matter now because you have the Internet."

With a fledgling store, the shop owners relied on input from successful stationery store owners on both coasts.

"We learned you had to have art cards and sticker books for children ... it was important to have smaller products to bring people into the store, to see our gift line or stationery sets," Carelli said. "Someone could have $2 to spend, but at the same time, they would walk around and see (what else) we had."

When Summerlin was growing, the store owners shopped around for a storefront there and landed at 9350 W. Sahara Ave., Suite 130, in Village Square. The rough economy closed their other stores, but they opted to keep the Village Square one open.

"Alligator Soup has been a positive influence in the shopping center for about 13 years and really given a sense of (being) established in the community," said Veronica Meter, marketing director for Village Square. "It's a popular place to be, and people have come to love it ... with the new brands coming here, it creates a new dynamic, a synergy. There's a real sense of community within this center."

Keeping a strong presence in the market meant latching onto trends quickly, then finding the next best thing. Hello Kitty is now the hottest thing for kids and women, said Edell, while a few years ago it was skulls and crossbones.

Some patrons are new to shopping.

"We'd have little kids coming in for Mother's Day or Father's Day and wanted to buy a present ... and they'd have all this change and wadded-up dollar bills," Edell said. "They would be just a little short. I'd go, 'You know what, I have five cents here, I'll just add it, and how about we gift wrap that for you?' And those kids are now my customers ---- for life ---- they didn't forget."

Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 702-387-2949.