The Sixth & Sahara Center at 600 E. Sahara Ave., a 2.6-acre plaza located less than a mile east of the Las Vegas Strip, has changed ownership and is set for a cosmetic update. The center features a mix of small storefronts and a long-vacant former Marie Callender’s, and its parking lot between the former Tony Roma’s and Marie Callender’s is historically notable as the site of a 1982 car bombing that nearly killed mob figure Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal.
Property records show buyer Roi Zalach closed on the purchase of the Sixth & Sahara Center for about $4.95 million on Dec. 31, 2025, and a letter posted at the complex gave tenants a January deadline to remove personal and business items. As reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the new owners outlined plans to restore the shopping center with a new facade, updated lighting, fresh signage and other improvements.
The landlord's posted note, dated Jan. 6, reads, "We're excited to restore it to the strong neighborhood center people remember," and warns that items left outside risk being discarded. Tenants told the Las Vegas Review-Journal the notice caught some of them off guard as they continue to run small businesses in the center. Multiple efforts to reach the buyer for comment were unsuccessful, according to that reporting.
Blast That Inspired 'Casino'
On the evening of Oct. 4, 1982, Rosenthal got into his Cadillac in the plaza's parking lot and a device detonated when he turned the key, blasting him out of the car and leaving him with burns to his legs and the left side of his face. Law-enforcement sources later described the attack as an apparent mob hit tied to Chicago organized crime interests, and the episode was re-created in the opening of Martin Scorsese's 1995 film Casino. No one was ever charged in the bombing, as reported by Casino.org.
Rosenthal, Skimming and Las Vegas' Mob Era
Rosenthal's career is firmly tied to the city's mob era, with historians and exhibits showing he was a central figure in a skimming operation that diverted cash from the Stardust and other properties. Exhibits at The Mob Museum place Rosenthal at the heart of those schemes and detail his long-running connection to enforcer Anthony Spilotro, a story that looms large in local oral history and museum collections. According to The Mob Museum, that background helps explain why the plaza's sale is drawing attention beyond ordinary retail real estate news.
The Plaza Now: Boarded Storefronts and a Hustler Shop
The complex still hosts a Hustler Hollywood store that opened in December 2016, while much of the former restaurant space is empty or boarded up. Local reporting and property records show the former Marie Callender's has generated code complaints, including a broken window in 2020, small homeless camps in 2021 and graffiti and occupation in early 2025, and tenants say the area has struggled with visible blight. Recent local coverage has described initial cleanups since the ownership change, and some small-business owners have said they are cautiously optimistic about the promised renovations. As detailed by Casino.org, tenants reported receiving the letter and noticing the early fixes.
What Comes Next
Buyer Roi Zalach once owned a nearby Gold & Beyond pawn operation, and FirstCash, the national pawn-shop operator, said in investor materials last year that it added a high-profile Las Vegas buy/sell store to its portfolio. As FirstCash notes in its investor release, such additions and occasional real-estate purchases are part of a broader growth strategy. For now, the new owner's posted plan for Sixth & Sahara focuses on cosmetic improvements, and neighbors and tenants say they will be watching for permits and tenant notices before deciding whether the sale will truly revive this strip corridor.
Whether the promised upgrades bring customers back or simply push long-running tenants out is the immediate question for the neighborhood. The sale has put the center under a renewed microscope, one that blends Las Vegas' mob history with a modern test of modest commercial redevelopment.
