Zappos Toasts the Underground, the Mob Museum’s New Prohibition History Exhibition, with Sponsorship
Zappos.com will serve as the sponsor of The Underground, the new Prohibition history exhibition at The Mob Museum, The National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, which opens to the public April 20.
This alliance will be known as “The Underground at The Mob Museum Protected by Zappos” and recognizes the newest, exciting addition to the award-winning Museum as well as the genuine community-building rapport it enjoys with the leading destination in online apparel and footwear sales. The Mob Museum, a 501(c)(3) organization, is located next door to Zappos’ corporate headquarters in downtown Las Vegas.
As The Underground’s signature sponsor, Zappos will enjoy other unique privileges and onsite exposure. For example, one of The Underground’s monthly beer selections available to the public will be crafted in collaboration with the Zappos team and will be known as “Zap on Tap.”
The centerpiece in The Underground is a working still producing moonshine. The surrounding exhibit tells the stories of bootleggers and rum runners, and the government agents who tried to take them down.
“Everyone at Zappos loves The Mob Museum, and we have been delighted to support it over the years,” said Loren Becker, Zappos experience and community team manager. “When we learned about the addition of The Underground and its immersive distillery and speakeasy elements, we knew it would be the most fun history exhibit any museum ever conceived. Naturally, we wanted to be a part of it.”
“We are grateful to Zappos for the commitment they continue to demonstrate to the Museum,” said Kimberly Kindig, senior director of strategic partnerships, The Mob Museum. “We could not imagine a better way to commemorate our ongoing friendship with our neighbor than by debuting The Underground Protected by Zappos.”
Guests touring The Underground will learn about Prohibition-era bootlegging and rum running. Prohibition shut down thousands of breweries and distilleries across America, but it could not eliminate the public’s desire for alcohol. It simply forced the brewing and distilling of booze into the shadows, contributed significantly to the rise and proliferation of the Mob in America.
Entirely re-envisioning the typical museum exhibition experience, The Underground will take visitors on an uncommonly vivid journey back in time: Situated discreetly in the basement of the Museum, The Underground will house a real working distillery and speakeasy. While visiting these vibrant, immersive environments, guests will be compelled to ponder the time when consuming alcohol was not only a criminal act, but also bred secret watering holes—some of which became the most glamorous places to be.
Numerous artifacts found in the distillery and speakeasy will add depth and context to the experience. Items to be on display include a beaded chiffon dress, ca. 1926, which is an example of the new and bolder fashions that became popular during the Prohibition era due to the rise of flapper culture, as well as a 5-gallon whiskey still, one of the smaller home stills used to make alcohol during Prohibition.
Complete with luxurious Art Deco-inspired design motifs, and a distinctive sense that something illicit is afoot, The Underground speakeasy will feature The Mob Museum’s own house-distilled spirits and house-brewed beer, as well as tempting Prohibition-era cocktails. Genuine Moonshine made onsite from corn mash will be the centerpiece of the cocktail collection, which will also feature a full bar including the Museum’s proprietary vodka, gin and rum.
For more information about Prohibition, visit the Museum’s online exhibit at prohibitionhistory.org. To follow progress on the Museum’s enhancement program and all new exhibits opening in 2018, visit themobmuseum.org/renovation.