Gentlemen's Club

[BigC]

What are the advantages and disadvantages of owning/running a gentlemen's club/strip club???? Anyone on this board own/run their own gentlemen's club??? How is it that a place like Heavenly Bodies can charge a $10 fee to get in and you can drink all you want, and yet somehow they have to be making money?? Do they get a cut from their girl's tips?? How do they do it?? How difficult is it to work with the village/town/city when it comes to opening a gentlemen's club?? What kinds of licenses do you need to open one?? And lastly, are there any good sources of information on the interent or possibly any publications???? Thanks for any information and your time guys.

[Cheek]

I can think of a couple advantages ;)

[yobillyboy]

are you saying that the only thing you pay is $10 to get in and drink free.
where is this place? and sign me up!
what's really goin on in that back room ;)

[BigC]

I know they have some kinda deal like that, or at least thats what I was told. I think they only offer beer and wine. Imported beers I think you have to pay for, but domestic I think is included in the $10 fee. Its basically a sports bar, but it has a VIP area and if you want a dance they only occur there. They have to charge their girls a fee of some sort. Like I said though I have yet to go there myself.

[keithd]

In a lot of states you can't serve alchohol if the club is all nude, so many places charge a cover and then allow you to bring your own alchohol.

Also, clubs do make cash off of their girls. Sometimes the girls pay a flat percentage of what they earn to the owner, in other cases the girls actually pay an hourly fee to work in the club.

[evileve23]

Opening a gentleman's club is an unimaginable pain in the ass. I worked in one for a while and you can't imagine the troubles that will come your way. Drugs, drama, cops, beligerence, community issues, think youve got to deal with some shit in a regular club? Multiply all that by a hundred and youve got a "gentleman's club." The best thing you can do is go work in one for a good while, as a bouncer, bartender, whatever. I was a waitress and just that liittle bit of exposure will clue you in. And in answer to your question, the club makes loads of those girls. They get a cut of everything. A percentage of tips pays out bartenders, and bouncers. Club gets a cut of lap dances and private room purchases. A lot of guys by bottles of champagne when they get private rooms, and the mark-up on that... If you buy a girl a certain drink - say a tequila sunrise - she will get the non-alcoholic version and you will pay for the real thing, club gets that cash. The list goes on... And the licensing alone! There's good money in it, but you are in for a headache.

[The Event Guy]

Well said evileve...you speak from experience because you're right, the club makes money of of EVERYTHING. Nothing is free and I really mean nothing. It's a great business to be in if you can handle all the temptations involved.

I wrote an article about a popular club in Providence a year or two ago, it was published in an arts & entertainment magazine so take a look at the next two posts if you're curious.

[The Event Guy]

The Foxy Lady. My assignment from High Rollin' Magazine was to write an in depth report on something other than hot chicks whom prance around in lingerie being puppeteer by slimy men all for the mighty dollar bill. Hmmm. ..what about the history of this fine establishment? History. Ok, I'll go with it. So, I met up with a club manager for Monday Night F ootball to talk about some history only to find out that there wasn't much to it except for the fact that the F oxy Lady has been around for 25 years. I waited for a wee bit more information like how the name came to be or maybe even how this place
has lasted so long, but no cigar. I did, however, get a few complimentary cold ones after talking with him for about 5 minutes. ..only to realize that finding out the history of an exotic dance club was like asking a blind man for directions for a bus route.
So, I sat at the bar on the main floor and contemplated this dilemma as I kicked em' back and enjoyed the show-for the most part-and talked to a few cutie waitresses that I knew along with having a nice conversation with a hot dancer named Tabitha. And in the back of my mind I kept thinking, "25 years, 25 years. ..what about it?" What makes a (cash) business last for 25 years? Excellent accounting capability is the key along with good management and monitoring systems. I mean, come on now. ..this type of business is all about being able to monitor a minimum of 60 man-eating women, a handful of semi-friendly security personnel, throw in some chefs, bartenders, house moms, make-up artists, DJ s, a maintenance crew, and several shift managers and a fistful of gray hair that goes along with all the drama at one time. That's the type of management it takes to run an adult entertainment club for 25 years. Now, throw in two more World Famous Foxy Lady facilities from Brockton and New Bedford, Massachusetts and a ton of other paper work. ..wait! Excuse me, I mean "headaches" because that's exactly what it turns into if the right type of management is nonexistent.
You got the idea now, but let me give you the run-down. The F oxy Lady prides themselves by rotating 60 of each areas most attractive woman that money can rent per lap dance; over 300 dancers are in the weekly rotation! Now, think of the women in the rotation, too, after all they are the Foxy's backbone to being "world famous." Typically, one might think of women, as strippers are cheap, degrading, and probably prostitutes,
but that simply doesn't hold true to many. Contrarily, many of the women that work in these clubs are highly educated, independent, free spirited women whom dance because of the women's rights movement of the 60's and they don't even know it: (paraphrasing) freedom to choose a profession besides doing the house work and the freedom to speak their minds without being ignored. And what better way to do it than tease the hell out of immature men by flaunting God given gifts square in the face of white collar America, make them hand over all their hard earned or easily stolen green, and then quickly move on to the next? Talk about ironic. But, it isn't quite as easy as one may think. Walking on a brightly lit stage in 6" heels wearing only a G-string in front of lOO's ofhomy, semi- men takes a lot of pride swallowing nerve, let alone confidence. These women know their hustle and hustle they do. A lot of the time, they end up hustling each other. ..or at least try .And why is that? And what separates the strippers from the dancers?
Well, those areas are very well shaded with gray and differ with the mentality of each. Many of the women get into this business because of the quick money making opportunity. Some do it because of a prior business sense and find it's an easy input to turning tricks. And sadly enough, many lack the positive male interaction that they so desperately needed as a girl and fuel that need through their sexuality; turning to lesbianism and hating men even more. At one time or another, the strippers and/or dancers alike see the late, late nights that run into early after hour mornings and smoke filled champagne rooms turn into far away casino hotel rooms and, in turn, become a sense of reality or separation thereof for many of these women. As time goes on and on, money becomes more money; money becomes drugs and drugs become a huge emotional dependency and major personality alteration. Let's not forget to mention the huge differences in appearance by either gaining or losing too much weight. What's worse is that the cycle continues even when the liability of the club is under scrutiny and can no longer carry women holding that type of baggage so. ..peace. ..and give the stripper the pink slip.
And you think that a dancer is the same? Think again. Dancers are truly performers and actually enjoy the art of erotic dancing. Yeah, the money is a big part of the job, but it's the enticement that gets the juices flowing. Most dancers thrive on it and get a quick endorphin fix that empowers their confidence even more. Hmmm, maybe that's the turning point of the good intentions that start it all. And as time goes on...and on. ..and on. ..the sweet, innocent, 18 year old school girl or single mom just looking to make a few extra bucks ends up getting a mouthful of cruel intentions and learns the
game of hustle one hard knock at a time. If it wasn't open from the beginning, then this opens the door to a whole new league of playing hardball. Scheming women scheme because they do. Therefore, in this game ofhustle you've got be smart, quick, and know how to handle yourself at every given moment because the situation for that moment can change in a heartbeat -for better or worse. So, the key is to be a smart dancer that knows her limitations and stays away from the greed that can lure you in.
And what's even smarter is being the management that keeps the dancer(s) in line as best they can and work them to their most optimum by being on top of every given situation of what goes down in that club and rectifying the tedious problems that can jolt the process into an uproar .Power struggles, over audacious men, caddy women, security liability , and theft all play roles. Of course, staying on top of everything inside a club is almost impossible, but to be able to do it for 25 years and to also open to other clubs in the meantime molds itself into an art form itself.
What? You thought the word History in this column evolved from a man? Maybe the title of the story did, but relatively speaking, it's all really about "Herstory" and how she decides to tell it that makes the history of "The World Famous Foxy Lady." And it's all business -25 years and going strong.

[evileve23]

well put. you really just cannot imagine what goes along with a strip club until you work in one. Big C, if you are really thinking about doing this the first thing I would do would be to check with zoning and planning and your chamber of commerce and see if your city will even let you put a strip club in. A lot of cities, especially in the Bible Belt, have grandfathered in the existing clubs and will not allow any more. Then you have the nudity vs. alcohol question. Then you have to find an area where the community will not show up at your permit approval to protest your opening. A lot of towns, like New Orleans, you have to know someone on City Council. In most places, you, the staff, and all the girls - whom are considered contract labor - have to be fingerprinted at the police station and acquire entertainer's permits. If you are in a big city and there are existing clubs, the owners can have a lot of strings pulled that will make things very difficult for you. After all, those clubs pump a lot of money in to the community, owners will know the local politicians, guaranteed. If you have any specific questions, like what comes with the actual club itself, feel free to e-mail me... eddievnola@hotmail.com.

[BigC]

This may be a stupid question. But I am not quite a member of the millionare's club just yet. Can the SBA and their loan programs be used by a person planning to open a Gentlemen's Club??? I tried emailing them directly on the issue, but have yet to receive a response.

[David]

You won't deal with the SBA directly. You will deal with them indirectly through a local lending institution. Call a couple of the banks in your area and ask them the questions.

[BigC]

Well if I am working or going to work with a bank, what is the most prudent way of approaching them on a Gentlemen's club?? What is the success rate of talking with a bank??? I mean are they going to just laugh in my face?? Has anyone here had an experience with getting a loan to start up a Gentlemen's club?? If so how did they do it. Do the Banks treat a Gentlemen's club just as they would any other business????

[David]

Check out the bank that you feel comfortable working with. Pick a loan officer that is open minded. Your best bet might be a younger male.

Are there any Gentlemen's clubs in your area? Ask them which bank they use. This way, the bank is already accustomed to the business and it's workings.

If anyone asks, it's a business venture to fulfill a need in the area.

I do have two Gentlemen's clubs a clients. They both had their own startup capital.

[gordman]

I can see you have a great feedback here, this sure is an interesting business idea... I actually had a lot to learn from your posts, very relevant and accurate. I also think that a choosing for the right business loan you can get maximum advantages out of this.