Editor's note: Este artículo está traducido al español.
For many, Las Vegas conjures a familiar image: vast casino floors awash in neon light, alive with the clatter of chips, the electronic din of slot machines and the roar of the crowd.
But the city has far more to offer — especially for visitors too young to set foot on those floors.
For those looking to stray from the Strip — or traveling with kids — options like Claw World offer a different kind of thrill. The store lines its walls with claw machines where players seek toys rather than cash.
Opened in 2024, the business expanded in March with a new Chinatown location that owner Sarah Sorrells said was designed to emulate "the Vegas experience."
"Some people just want to come here because it's cool," said Sorrells, who emphasized that people who come to Claw World enjoy it for the vibes as much as playing for prizes like stuffed animals from Beijing-based toy company Pop Mart.
Sorrells, a Las Vegas resident of about 16 years, says her three children love playing claw machine games, but in the past they would regularly leave arcades unhappy and nearly empty-handed, having spent a lot of money for little reward.
That motivated Sorrells to open Claw World, with the intent that kids could come and play and always leave happy with a stuffed animal, candy or some other goody — even if they didn't win it.
"If you're winning, you know, you're happy," she said. "You're not winning — people get really upset. So we want to make sure employees help them and try to make sure they walk out with stuff."
When Labubus — the pointed-eared, sharp-toothed toys made by Pop Mart — spiked in popularity last year, Sorrells said Claw World began to carry the mischievous-looking stuffed animals.
She saw an influx of tourists at the store as a result, which led Sorrells and her team to consider officially making Claw World a family-friendly destination for Las Vegas' many visitors.
"We want kids — family — (to) come here, have fun and just enjoy family time," she said.
The new Chinatown location — which follows the first Claw World on Flamingo Road that opened in 2024 — was built to reflect the destination of Las Vegas, as exemplified by a replica of the iconic "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada" sign on the new building's storefront.
The store's interior is sunny and neon, Sorrells said, not unlike the city itself.
The hope with the Chinatown location was to make someplace for families to come on trips to Las Vegas and make memories not just at any arcade, but one that is uniquely Las Vegas in its nature.
"We just want to make them happy," Sorrells said.
Seemingly to that end, Claw World has live music on Fridays and Saturdays and sells social-media-viral 3D ice cream, as an alternative for people who may be interested in more than just playing the claw machines.
She put a lot of work and money into Claw World and its new location, said Sorrells, who also owns a homeware wholesale company called Homeware Outlet and a realty and investment firm called Realty & Investments Sorrells Enterprise (RISE), where she is also a real estate agent.
Compared to starting and running a business, selling houses is easy, Sorrells said. Issues with a contractor led her to delay the Chinatown Claw World opening from December to March, and she was forced to pay a hefty rent while waiting for building and inspections to be completed.
"When it was finished," she said, "I almost cried."
Nothing is easy about opening a business, Sorrells said, but her advice to other entrepreneurs is: "Don't give up. Never give up."
No matter what business one is in, Sorrells said, they should treat people the way they want to be treated. What sets Claw World apart from its peers, she said, is its customer service.
When families come in with the kids, for example, Sorrells says she wants to ensure that they leave content, just as when she takes her kids somewhere she wants them to also be happy.
"That's, I think, why people love us," she said. "Because of the way we treat them with love and care."
Billy Dee Sorrells, Sarah Sorrells' ex-husband and business partner, encouraged aspiring small-business owners to know their clients and identify their business model early.
"Our business isn't claw machines," he said. "Our business is cultural entertainment and experience. As long as we keep that as our focus, we'll be fine."
He credited Sarah Sorrells, with whom he co-parents their three children, as the force behind Claw World's rapid growth and success.
"I think it's really just a testament of Sarah — how she's linked in with the pulse of the customer and what they want," he said, pointing at Claw World's offer of Labubus as a trade-up option, DJ nights and the general atmosphere of the new location. "Things like that really show that she's trying to bring the excitement and entertainment value beyond just coming to play a claw machine."
Claw World's new location opened late last month, advertising an official ribbon-cutting event, replete with prizes, DJs, live performances, celebrity meet-and-greets, face painting and more.
"We want to show that we are part of (the) Las Vegas community," Sorrells said of the grand opening.
The event also featured support and collaboration from neighboring businesses in Chinatown, and Sorrells emphasized that she believed businesses in that proximity should be connected.
When people come to Chinatown, she said, they're not just going to play at Claw World's arcade — they may also want to eat at a nearby restaurant.
"What we want to do is … connect with all the other businesses here," she said. "We just want to make it easier for people, and make the community stand together."
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