Viejas made statement in 1998 with outlet center
Twenty-five years ago, the Viejas Outlet Center — a $35 million open-air factory outlet mall — officially opened near the Viejas Casino on the reservation off Interstate 8 at Willows Road in Alpine.
From The San Diego Union-Tribune, Friday, May 22, 1998:
VIEJAS GAMBLES ON SHOPPERS COUNTY’S LARGEST OUTLET CENTER OPENS TODAY ON ALPINE-AREA RESERVATION
San Diego County’s largest factory outlet center officially opens today with a 10 a.m. ribbon-cutting, but Viejas tribal leaders see this $35 million complex as more than just a grand retail development.
They see it as an investment in their future at a time of troubled uncertainty, and a bold statement to the outside world that American Indians can succeed.
“It’s a statement that Native Americans, given the opportunity, are highly competitive in the entrepreneurial world,” Viejas tribal Chairman Anthony Pico said yesterday. “We are business people. We are responsible. We have governments, and we break the stereotype that Indians are something out of ‘Dances With Wolves.’ ”
The Viejas Outlet Center is the largest and costliest nongaming capital project ever undertaken by a California tribe. Its 36 stores include many well-known names — Nike, Black & Decker, London Fog, Samsonite and others. Some of the stores opened in mid-April; the rest open today.
Built on 25 acres directly across from the Viejas Casino & Turf Club on the Alpine-area reservation, the semicircular center features Pueblo/Southwestern architecture with distinctive Kumeyaay Indian themes. Viejas tribal members collaborated with designers and artisans at every stage of the project.
“What sets Viejas apart from the rest of the pack is that the center tries to reflect the tribe’s symbolism and love of nature ... in many senses, in all the senses — sight, sound, touch and taste,” said general manager Robert Dye.
Waterfalls and streams cascade through the complex amid bronze animal sculptures and Kumeyaay Indian designs. Tile work on the buildings depicts patterns of
Kumeyaay basketry.
Hundreds of audio speakers tucked into trees, rocks and landscaping emit sounds ranging from wind chimes, crickets and frogs to Native American flutes and ceremonial chanting.
The center’s most spectacular attraction is a $5 million arbor called the Show Court where high-tech water/ fire/laser-light shows will be performed nightly. The “Legend of Nightfire” show features an actor playing a Kumeyaay medicine man, telling tales of Indian lore with state-of-the-art wizardry. The fountain system alone consists of more than 100 water jets capable of shooting more than 30 feet high.
The complex also has four restaurants and a grassy, oneacre amphitheater area where concert performances will be held.
Business leaders in neighboring Alpine are giving the center rave reviews.
“It is an absolutely fantastic outlet,” said Judy Holmes, president of the Alpine Chamber of Commerce. “We hardly even want to call it an outlet. It’s just a beautiful place to be, whether you go shopping or not.