When guests enter the house at 1680 Silver Mesa Way in the Paradise Palms neighborhood, vintage Halloween décor dominates the midcentury home, which was built in 1964.
However, each piece has its own story, revealing a love of the holiday and new beginnings for its newest owner, Christopher Kenneth Cope.
When he purchased his home about three months ago, Cope was creating a new beginning for his life as a new single man and homeowner in a different neighborhood. Cope fit in with everyone as the owner of three antique businesses showcasing his love for vintage décor, especially Las Vegas artifacts.
“I’m located at Antique Alley Mall, Charleston Antique Mall and Paradise Valley Antique Mall. And what’s the name of it? My shops are Party Fowl Antiques and Mid Mod Crisis,” Cope said.
As for his extensive Halloween decorating: “My mom always decorated. When I was a little kid, all the knickknacks that were on the shelf would get replaced with Halloween ones. When I had my own space, I wanted to decorate for myself. I’ve helped many friends and family decorate, and in my own new space, there were no limits here.”
On his mantle is a little doll (dressed as a witch) inherited from his mother when she died, named Little Miss No Name. Her backstory is that the doll represents the red pill and blue pill as metaphorical terms representing a choice between learning an unsettling truth or remaining in a comfortable reality from the movie “The Matrix.”
Then there is Audrey Two from the show and movie “Little Shop of Horrors.”
“I found her in a retail store, and Audrey Two was sitting in my shopping cart when a little special-needs girl approached me, and we had a delightful conversation. She was so elated that I was going to take her home. I was actually contemplating whether I wanted to spend the money on it, but interacting with this young girl really set my heart on fire, and I needed to give it a special place,” Cope said.
Mr. Zebediah (the zebra) was impulsively purchased by Cope when his car broke down, and he drove back to Nevada in a sports utility vehicle. His intention was to resell him in one of his shops, but Cope realized that Mr. Zebediah would like to live at the house.
To light up the darkness, a huge vintage light bulb lamb shines, created by artist Pretty Done, based in Las Vegas, whose work is displayed worldwide.
“I interact with local people, especially other artists, because I consider myself an artist, even though I am an antiques dealer. You can see in the way I decorate that there’s a bit of artistry that goes into it,” Cope said.
There is Uncle Cud, a skeleton dressed in a costume who represents his grandfather, who has since died. Uncle Cud was his grandfather’s nickname, and this skeletal embodiment loves to dress up.
“He was always a fun, jovial guy, and we had similar personalities. I used to hide from the loss of loved ones, and now I can celebrate them by having them in my home,” Cope said.
Another highlight is the display cabinet showcasing Vaseline glass (Depression Glass) pieces from the 1930s. These pieces were created with uranium content, causing their transparent green glass to glow.
Cope has been a collector for 20 years and sold some of his collection seven years ago to start his antique businesses.
He has developed three separate themed suites in his bedrooms, with the Matador Suite showcasing a beautiful painting of a matador along with other figurines with Halloween touches.
One of the guest baths is designed as an art installation, and a mermaid was featured in the Sands in the 1970s. She was sold originally from another antique shop to a big casino collector. When he moved out of town, he sold his collection to Cope.
The garage has been turned into a Halloween Maze (much like “Children of the Corn”).
“I store extra things that don’t fit in my house in the garage. Since opening my house for a home tour, I decided to take this stuff and make a bit of a maze as a haunted house with a path through it.”
A very special piece on display is his Prom King white sash.
“I moved here. I knew I would like to live in the neighborhood, but I didn’t know what it was like. My friends, who lived in the neighborhood, brought me to a mixer as a guest, and I ended up winning Prom King with my gal pals, Leslie and Gail,” Cope said.
Recently, his home was the first on a stop on a Docomomo tour, a national historical society with a chapter in Las Vegas. The chapter sponsors tours focused on architecture and design of the Modern Movement to help preserve vintage neighborhoods. The neighborhood of Paradise Palms features a monthly neighborhood mixer just for the residents, and a different homeowner opens their home. Cope will host the mixer in December.
