#lexvegas

In case you aren’t a big Instagramer, let me fill you in about a new social platform that has appeared: LexVegas. @lexvegasva is run by local David Khoshpasand and over the past year has gained over 1,000 followers on Instagram. I sat down with David to get the low-down on LexVegas and the man behind it.

1)    What is LexVegas?

[LexVegas] is a brand or symbol that embodies Lexington in a fun way... I really enjoyed when I left and I went to Fairfax and George Mason. I really love Fairfax and the college town atmosphere. When I came back I knew that existed but didn’t think it was being cultivated so I felt like LexVegas would be a good way to do that. When I was in high school a band named LexVegas already existed and it was fun but no one took it to the next level. 

I wanted to experiment and take risks. I have a background in entrepreneurship and small businesses, nothing to a huge scale but I like taking risks. In this situation, I was working for W&L, and still do*, and heard that a lot of students use the phrase “LexVegas” and it’s something fun. I just wanted to take the year to try it out. I started with stickers and decals, and now we have pint glasses, t-shirts and shot glasses (check them out here). 

It started out as a small business but eventually I want someone to really take it over and blow it up because I’m more on the creative side. I’m hoping some students will step and say, “hey, we want to do this.”

*Davd does marketing for Dining Food Services and Food Side as well as digital consulting for the game “Watch Your Mouth.” He also just got his Masters in Marketing.

2)    Anything else about when/how it started?

Just kind of decided to do it and throw my money and energy into this. I’ve really only done social media and digital marketing because that’s my forte. Chamber of Commerce is actually throwing an event on March 18 as a fundraising event for them but they’re calling it LexVegas and using my logo. It’s a cool thing and I’m excited about it!

3)    What gave you the idea for LexVegas?

I had a moment of “what value can it offer people?” Then it just came pretty easy to me. I thought about if I was a college student said, “ok, each time you see that logo it’ll help you remember all those memories you created.” You build this nostalgia and this helps remind you of those memories. A lot of people come here for four years and then leave so I wanted to create a staple. I came up with the tag line: “You create memories, we revive them.” So that’s where his value proposition is right now and there are so many students here and people are coming and going, including locals, that there can be so many times to use it. 

4)    Who are you? What is your background?

When I was 17, I was booking and promoting bands and being from a small town you need to be creative to entertain yourself. I was asked to help with booking bands and we got a band from MTV to come and that’s when I thought, “wow, anything is possible” which transitioned into “entrepreneurship is real and this is what I’m passionate about.”

When I was in college I would do small things like “if I can get x people to come here can we get ½ off the cover?” That spawned off into competing in a entrepreneurship competition called “Start Up Weekend.” David and friends created “Feed the Fire” candles and every time one of the candles they made were sold, they would donate a meal to the city. In a year they donated 10,000 meals. It got to the point where we convinced Kroger to let us sell in their store and ended up in six Kroger stores. The business eventually fizzled but I kept having the urge to create stuff. LexVegas became my creative outlet 

5)   If you could embody one platform for LexVegas to be like, what would it be?

If had more time I would embody Snapchat. It’s free, unlike other platforms, expanding to glasses, which is so cool, and they’re distribution is going to be cool. They’re expanding into a brand and Snapchat is the only one I can see doing that. It makes you laugh, is personal between you and your friends that doesn’t need to be public and doesn’t need to be a permanent moment. 

6)    Where do you see LexVegas 5 years from now?

I would like to see some students just own it and take it to the next level. I would be more of a guider due to my experience. I just want to see students take over and turn it into something crazy. 

7)    Your following on Instagram has grown a lot since you started. How do you think that happened?

A lot of it is just marketing tactics. In the beginning I just followed a lot of people who are targeted people, like VMI students, W&L students, and I just keep doing that. I try to put out really good content. I bought a really nice camera and put out content that people would appreciate. I tried to give it a younger perspective because I sometimes feel like people this the city is older or outdated. So I did that to get that kind of brand personality early one and it just caught on and I think people started noticing.

8)    What do you want people to know about LexVegas?

I want people to know that It’s an experiment and open to change. I want to see it evolve, this whole thing is just the beginning. I’m interested to see where it’ll go and want people to get involved. I want people to reach out to me.

9)    The hardest part about creating LexVegas?

Time and funding because I wasn’t putting up my own money and it can get costly. My ultimate dream is to have a brick and mortar store that’s just LexVegas that sells all types of stuff. I know that will take time though. 

It’s hard being the only one funding it, creating content, doing the website and accounting and then trying to do everything else. I would love to have 50 people on board who own LexVegas and pass down to the next generation. So it becomes student run, almost like wluLex in some regard, it would be student-driven so the content stays fresh. The perspective of Lexington is always evolving and new. I would love to see it get to that scale. 

10)    The coolest/best/most satisfying thing that has happened because of starting this endeavor?

The coolest thing is that I’ve started to realize how many other people there are like me who want to see Lexington evolve. Jamie Goodin (woo!) is definitely a major contributing factor into helping organize people to put in energy and elevate this city. So they started LexCollective and it’s awesome. He also has a big role in Main Street Lexington. Also, when I was at a LexCollective meeting there were about 30 people there, who were all young. The hard part is getting people organized to give the time and put in the energy. There are a lot of local artists and painters, including students, that this city could be completely different. and to give the time. 

 11) What is it about Lexington that you think makes it such a special place for so many people?

There is opportunity here for growth. I was thinking one time, “I could always move to big city, get a corporate job, be miserable and be part of the wheel. Or I could take a chance in a small town that has potential for growth and see what happens. Even if you are a part of the growth of the city, you made an impact. 

12) Favorite Lexington memory (or top 3)?

1)    Birthday parties and bar hopping

2)    I also remember one summer and there was a huge rain. We were watching Ted, got to the last 5 minutes and then theater shut down. We went outside and there were trees down everywhere. We got home and all the lights were out so we lit candles and played card games. It was memorable because it went from this planned night to completely unplanned.

3)    Friday’s Alive is always something to look forward to in the summer.

4)    Oh, also the wine festivals

13) Favorite thing about Lexington?

How people are friendly and open to talk. There are so many talented people here but they don’t have an outlet. When I was in high school and we struggled to find a place to practice. If I was rich I would build a huge artistry building where people could come, play their music, practice. If I had the money that’s the first thing I would do. There is so much talent and people are friendly. I’ve been in a lot of cities where you say hi to someone and they’re offended. So I would say the people and the potential are my favorite things about Lexington.