Many of you have long known Milo’s Cellar & Inn here in Boulder City. Back in 1994, when Milo Hurst first opened his wine bar, downtown Boulder City wasn’t like the one we know today. Other than The Back Stop there was no other regular night life. The now World Famous Coffee cup along with another diner fed travelers and locals in town, but nothing enticed visitors to stay into the evening hours.
We’ve been lucky to have known Milo Hurst for over a decade now, and he told us how on the opening night of his ‘little venture’ he opened the doors and stepped out into the middle of a completely dead quiet Nevada Way, and hoped someone would come.
They did. In true “Field of Dreams” fashion, he built a wine bar in a little town that didn’t know it needed one, and people did come!
Now, all of these years later, this successful business has some new partners helping to run the place, Christian and Kamille Clinton, and the business has been through it’s ups downs, turnarounds, ‘survived the pandemic shifts’ and all that, it is still a staple of, and one could argue the anchor to, our downtown dining and evening establishment core.
Before Milo fully retires from his work here in town, Christian wanted to find a way to honor Milo for all he created, and teamed up with Cokie Booth. Councilwoman Booth approached the Mayor, and created this Proclamation. A mention of the Proclamation will be presented tomorrow evening at 5pm at City Hall by the Mayor near the beginning of the city council meeting. We’ll hope a few of you show up too!
We reached out to a few folks who have known Milo over the years and asked them to share a few words:
Alan Goya: Milo raised the bar of refinement in Boulder City and gave us it’s beating heart.
Grant Turner: I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Milo both as a friend and a business partner. He is a pioneer in the food & beverage scene in Boulder City. He was the first person to put a strong emphasis on design and ambience when he opened Milo’s over 20 years ago. Milo elevated the Downtown area and paved the way for the rest of us who have invested our time, effort and money into the revitalization of Boulder City. Thank you Milo!
Cokie Booth: Milo was a visionary and saw downtown Boulder City as a vibrant area of the city, he built two flourishing businesses. Now the downtown area is vibrant with every business flourishing. Milo’s Cellar brought employment, visitors and a great place for locals to enjoy dinner and a great glass of wine.
Bret Runion: I credit Milo with making one of the first big investments into Old Town Boulder City. His vision and confidence helped bring a renaissance to downtown that continues today. Those of us that have lived here since before, can certainly tell stories of the major changes. Cheers to Milo!
Doug Scheppmann: I believe Milo was a major contributor to the transformation of the Boulder City downtown area. When he developed and opened Milo’s, the entire downtown area became more vibrant and cohesive. When people engage in activities that improve their communities, it has a tangible, positive impact, that will be enjoyed by residents and visitor for year to come. Thank you Milo!
Eric Estes: Many don’t realize or appreciate the dreams and passion Milo brought with him to Boulder City. His incredible creativity and savvy business sense helped transform our downtown from a partially occupied, sleepy corridor, to the vibrant attraction it is today. We owe him a huge debt of thanks.
We also want to add a note and a nod to Jack Gaal of Jack’s Place – next door neighbor and fellow night-life contributor to Boulder City, who passed away earlier this week. He too has been a staple of our downtown and will be missed as many who have touched lives and been part of the fabric of our city. We’re grateful to all who have used their imaginations to build our downtown core into something that people talk about and visit the world over. And it stared with an idea for a little wine bar…
