Strip club business

[mrshowtime3]

Currently my father owns a building and the property that a strip club is on. Hes been leasing it out to a guy who runs the strip club for about the past 6 or 7 years. Well the guy who runs the club is getting older and said he only wants to be there for about another 2 or 3 years. So basically my dad said then would be the time that I can have it and do what I want. I want to keep it a strip club, change the name.

Right now its not in good shape. Nobody ever really kept the building fresh and new so I would definatly like to spruce it up which I think alone whould bring more people. This is not a big city. We are grandfathered in and the city actually recently passed law which prohibits any other strip clubs. Therefore, the next closest club is about 50 miles away. Theres also a hotel right across the street for what its worth, right off the highway.

So to the point. Its in PA and its currently a BYOB club. The law seems to be that if you get a liquer license and sell alchohal then the girls must where g strings. So im first wondering if its a good idea to just keep it BYOB? Do bars make much off of their alchohal? And would selling it just potentially get me into more legal problems?

If it turns out that BYOB is the way to go, would it make sense to possibly build a small 6 pack store on the property since there would be room. Can 6 pack stores also sell liquor? There is a bar that sells six packs about 2 miles away. Oh and this is not a big club. I would estimate on like a friday and saturday they have about 55-80 people through the door. Its currently open everyday except sunday.

[flnazrael]

Duh - leave the club as is and just put a liquor store across the street.

[BusinessAdviser]

Duh - leave the club as is and just put a liquor store across the street.

There is the issue of getting a liquor license, so it may not be as easy as..."Duh."

[remipub]

You may want to research the market before investing in the strip club. Adult businesses seem to struggle in most small town environments. Partially because they have a more conservative value system and partially because a lot of men don't want to admit that they went to a strip club. In a small town, word gets around.

If your research shows that it's viable, then I'd think getting a liquor license (headaches and all) is really the only way to make good money. Alcohol and strippers go together like peanut butter and jelly. Strip clubs are very common where I live and every now and then you hear about one that loses its liquor license for one reason or another. Within months these clubs are gone - selling alcohol IS their income. There may be a few exceptions, but none that I'm aware of.

[StealYourDreams]

Currently my father owns a building and the property that a strip club is on. Hes been leasing it out to a guy who runs the strip club for about the past 6 or 7 years. Well the guy who runs the club is getting older and said he only wants to be there for about another 2 or 3 years. So basically my dad said then would be the time that I can have it and do what I want. I want to keep it a strip club, change the name.

Right now its not in good shape. Nobody ever really kept the building fresh and new so I would definatly like to spruce it up which I think alone whould bring more people. This is not a big city. We are grandfathered in and the city actually recently passed law which prohibits any other strip clubs. Therefore, the next closest club is about 50 miles away. Theres also a hotel right across the street for what its worth, right off the highway.

So to the point. Its in PA and its currently a BYOB club. The law seems to be that if you get a liquer license and sell alchohal then the girls must where g strings. So im first wondering if its a good idea to just keep it BYOB? Do bars make much off of their alchohal? And would selling it just potentially get me into more legal problems?

If it turns out that BYOB is the way to go, would it make sense to possibly build a small 6 pack store on the property since there would be room. Can 6 pack stores also sell liquor? There is a bar that sells six packs about 2 miles away. Oh and this is not a big club. I would estimate on like a friday and saturday they have about 55-80 people through the door. Its currently open everyday except sunday.

Your laws will be different based on City/County/State. From what I've seen though most places that serve alcohol are topless (CA&AZ) and those that are full nude dont serve the good stuff, or it's bring your own. TX seems to also do the BYOB thing as well. They also charge to serve it to you. I dont know if that is being done or it's an option, but it's revenue.

Keep in mind booze has a 4-500 percent markup, so there's a lot of money in serving it. The question is not only will the current crowd continue to show up, but will the addition of alcohol attract new customers even though the girls are not fully nude. If the answer is yes, then get you license.

Expect to have the undercovers showing up though once you put alcohol in the mix. They will be looking for a reason to fine you. There are rules regarding lap dances, table dances, touching, distances, where customers can place tips, etc.

As a sidenote dont be too suprised if you attract the underworld looking for a place to launder money; it's more common than you think.

It's a great cash business, but all in all it's a dirty business and the women are all headcases. You'll learn what it's like to have children.

[nate89]

You may want to research the market before investing in the strip club. Adult businesses seem to struggle in most small town environments. Partially because they have a more conservative value system and partially because a lot of men don't want to admit that they went to a strip club. In a small town, word gets around.

I have to agree with you there. Im based in Scotland but i would imagine that the strip club market cant be that different between here and the US. My hometown has just recently become a city as the population has increased and they have one strip club which in the past 5 years has been passed around between three different owners, all of whom ended penniless in the end with the business being sold on. I dont know enough about that particular business to determine what went wrong, but surely if it was a good idea/service then one of the three owners would have had at least some success?

Not shooting down your idea, just some food for thought.

[jrb25]

hello. what part of PA?

[rogercbryan]

I've been to a lot of clubs like this that have a beer store next door... PA has some crazy liquor laws though.. some cities you have to be a distributor to sell beer... you need to look up the laws..

When it comes to the club its not as simple as just doing it. Do you know how to manage a business... do you know the financials of the current business... I've seen people loose their entire life savings on bars and strip clubs... do your homework before you jump in.

[rod]

dear sir,
i am interesting in your club. please give me contact information and club location
thank you very much
rod

[wendel18]

don't worry about the liquor license

give out free beer, and sell the cups hahah

[Proph]

here is the catch though, keeping it BYOB means that not everyone will be drinking, those who aren't drinking spend less. However to have booze brings in tons of problems, but a very nice markup. spend some time, get very familar with every part of the law. also don't consider dumping too much money into the remodel, it hits the bottom line and if the next closest club is that far away who are you competing against? just do enough to make it acceptable not exceptional.

[rejoice]

BYOB strip clubs... man that's the first time i've heard of something like that... we've got strips clubs in sydney and they have more like a 10,000% markup on the alcohol... full nudity and even live sex shows if you're keen... plus you need to cough up a decent chunk of change before you even get to smell the seediness of the place... man you have it tough in PA (stupid laws lol)

[myfayt]

If your going to serve alcohol you will need to hire security. 2 need to be working at a time. Why? because when customers get drunk they will start touching the strippers which is illegal in the contract which can get you shut down and possibility sued. You could say only a single drink per customer per day.

The strip clubs in Virginia are charged with illegal things all the time and its usually on the news.

They are very hard to do because of the very strict guild lines you must follow. If city or state law says they have to wear a G-string and if a stripper gets crazy and takes it off, you can be shut down.

So it is a risky business

[paul2145r]

Lol, I need to go to Sydney!

Anyways, I've been to a number of these types of establishments around the U.S. doing... um, market research..

The gist of it is- check with your county, and with the state. Look into all of the ordinances. If you have the cash, find a lawyer that specializes in the industry and have him/her look into it (I bring up money because adult ent. lawyers typically have a $25,000+ retainer, well.. the good ones).

This is a tough decision, but if it were me, I would do as a couple of the others have mentioned and stick with BYOB. You'll have alot less headaches in the long run.

Another note- make sure that you don't put the business directly in your name. The amount of liability in that industry is astounding. Set up an LLC or a Corporation, hire a good accountant, and stay away from the drug dealers (this includes the girls bringing it in).

Even if she is the most beautiful thing you've ever seen, DON'T date or mess around with the dancers. The sexual harassment statutes in most states are on the side of the dancers/waitresses. You'll lose the business and she'll never have to work again.

Hire security that isn't from the area, if possible. Many in that job category supplement their income dealing, or will let the girls get away with more than they should if the money is right. Check for priors on anyone that will have any type of authority (implied or otherwise).

Look into how active the swinger/Alternative Lifestyle crowd in your area is. If there is enough of a presence, and no clubs established, you can make Great clean money renting it out to a club for one or two nights a week. They take care of everything, everyone has fun, and the dancers can join in the 'extracurriculars' if they like.

BYOB strip clubs... man that's the first time i've heard of something like that... we've got strips clubs in sydney and they have more like a 10,000% markup on the alcohol... full nudity and even live sex shows if you're keen... plus you need to cough up a decent chunk of change before you even get to smell the seediness of the place... man you have it tough in PA (stupid laws lol)

[ticky]

Also beware the crowd that strip clubs bring. Having an alcohol store right there might not be the best thing.