The Bazaar Global Collections

Like most of Reno’s malls, the Reno Town Mall is less a true mall than a random mishmash of freaky local businesses, office space, and who knows what else (the largest space is taken up by a library branch). I had no reason to go there until I happened to be taking some computer classes at a training center there (see what I mean?), and during my lunch breaks, I found myself wandering into the Bazaar, lured by its bright colors and pretty fabrics.
This store is very much in the Cost Plus/​Pier One vein, with lots of «authentic» and «indigenously crafted» items from exotic locales. They have some cute serving pieces and dinnerware, but mainly the focus is on home décor and accessories. Two back walls are covered with mirrors, decorative crosses, masks and the like. There’s a section for tapestries and throws, and the rest of the place is just crammed full of candles, jewelry, knick-​knacks, fountains, and other gifts.
They have some nice jewelry, but it’s ridiculously overpriced — I don’t think I saw anything there that was worth the price, in my opinion. Actually, the same goes for most of the stuff in there: lots of it is cool or interesting, and I like it, but I would never pay the amounts they’re asking. And the tiny, token «clearance» area in the back really doesn’t cut it, either.
They do carry lots of candles, and faux candles — you know, those battery-​powered ones that supposedly flicker like real candles, and the little electric tealights that you can put into votive holders. I saw a scented candle there with a wide, bamboo-​like wick that supposedly «crackles» like a fireplace when burning, and thought that that was novel enough to be worth buying as a gift for a candle-​loving friend.
Overall, this is a fun place to browse around or kill some time, but not somewhere to actually buy things. I don’t know where the Bazaar *thinks* it is, but it’s charging upscale-​boutique prices in a cut-​rate strip-​mall location. Sorry, but when you’re within spitting distance of a Burlington Coat Factory and a computer training center, it’s going to be pretty hard to convince customers to shell out $ 70 for a glass bead necklace, however exotic its origins.