MAKING PEOPLE COMFORTABLE DOESN'T HAVE TO COST A FORTUNE

Just ask the couple who built a basically unmarked bar that, within three years, has become one of the most beloved mom-and-pop shops in the country.

- KRISTEN BAYRAKDARIAN

You might not guess that in Las Vegas - a place known for luxury resorts, opulent casinos, and just about any amenity imaginable - one of the city's most beloved establishments is in a single-story building a six-minute drive from the Strip.

There's a sole neon sign in the window that says, simply, "Open." But inside is a bit of magic: a bar, called The Silver Stamp, that makes just about everyone feel like they're back home, no matter where they're from. And in a city like Las Vegas, that's a high-wire act. "It's a transient city," says Andrew Smith, one of The Silver Stamp's co-owners. "We have so many different people coming here." And not just locals. Tourists seek the bar out in almost equal measure.

The Silver Stamp has become so beloved that when Entrepreneur held a vote to select America's favorite mom-and-pop shop (out of 150 of the most popular small businesses in the country, selected in partnership with Yelp), the dive bar won first place.

This is all the more impressive given that Smith and his co-owner and life partner, Rose Signor, only opened the business three years ago, in February 2021. In that short time, they've paid off their two small investors, the business has averaged 23% revenue growth year over year, and by popular demand, extended their hours from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m.

So what is the Silver Stamp getting right?

"A lot of people say, 'I don't know what it is, but I just feel so comfortable in your space'," Signor says.

Comfort-it's no small thing. It's possibly the most important feeling a mom-and-pop shop can evoke. But it's also mysterious. You can't simply buy comfort. You can't follow a checklist to create it. You have to understand, deeply, what it means to you.