Tampa strip clubs preparing for bonanza from Republican National Convention

On one hand you have clubs with racks of Dom Perignon, osso bucco, marble floors, granite countertops, and intelligent laser lighting.

On the other, the Mons Venus plans no new renovations - they just plan on hiring more dancers - "anyone that is a 10"

I think I know what club I'm going to. (if I was going)

At a Miami club a couple months back, I did hear some club staff and dancers talking about going there to work during the convention. Likely was just BS, but who knows, dancers DO travel.

Like other major events. It's a good time for us mongers to stay away.

Jacckslash, you may be right about the convention delegates themselves. Only a small percentage (my guess - less then 15%) of the delegates would be interested in SCs. BUT - - - Most of the crowd descending on Tampa for the RNC will be "other."

One estimate puts total media (reporters, "experts," researchers, producers, directors, camera crews, gophers, assistants, make up crews, drivers, etc.) at about six times the number of delegates. There will be less than 2,500 RNC delegates, but some people expect 15,000 media workers. There will be protestors. Again just estimates - I hear the Tampa police are preparing for as many as 50,000, though they actually expect less than 5,000.

Finally, there will be a number of the "movers and shakers" - from both sides - who are not officially part of the convention, but want to be there, "for the party." This group WILL have money to burn and time to spend it. Many of them WILL want more private rooms in the clubs and an excess of the hotter girls.

I expect some of the Tampa clubs will be disappointed by the RNC but most will see a boom. Remember, most of the media and the protesters will be very liberal and very away from home.

The comment about all Republicans being religous zealots is not fair, most Republicans I know don't care about strip clubs. They just want them away from family areas. Democrats regulate all the fun out of life not to mention stealing all our money. Saying that all Repubs are all prudes is the same thing as saying the Dems won't go to strip clubs because they are all homosexuals, lesbians, pedophiles and have underage girls and boys trucked in to satisfy their desires ala Anthony Wiener, Rob Lowe and Woody Allan. Politicos are all willing to pander to any group that gets headlines and all of them are hypocrites. They spout morality while getting a blow job from an 18 yo intern with a cigar up her crack.

As with any large event the clubs will be busy. I'd bet money they get busy when the Southern Baptist convention comes to town. This Feb when the super bowl was in INdy the clubs were packed. The only thing the Republican State and city administration did was to beef up the anti white slavery laws to help prevent organized crime from bringing in underage and forced prostitutes. The strip clubs raked it in from what I heard from friend that live there.

@shadowcat: I agree. One of the reasons, despite my Derby article, that I stay away on Derby and the farmers convention.

The story cites Gold Club and Scores as representative of Tampa's strip-club businesses. Hahaha! They need to get over to the Redner enclave at Mons Venus, and 2001 Odyssey, along Dale Mabry, or ask in at Ybor Strip. The clubs in the story are major chains that represent the McDonald's-ification of American adult businesses. Maybe that's vaguely interesting to the general public, and stories about strip clubs are always pandering to that mass appeal of cliches that don't actually dig down to find out the truth of the matter.

My guess is, to the contrary of the story, that Tampa's power structure may try to clean up some of the adult-oriented neighborhoods and strips of businesses if they are going to be visible to television cameras and to other major national media outlets covering the convention. My other guess is, that Redner will make a killing because it's a convention and it's in town. The delegates who don't approve and don't want to be caught approving will avoid the strip clubs. The traveling men who can figure out how to get away from their wives or their entourages for a nice private night alone with some single mothers will go to Mons Venus because they've heard of it.

As far as what the Republican convention "represents"? Well, the American right wing is oddly split on the subject of things like strip clubs. On the one hand, that's where most of the Libertarian voters go -- people who value less government, and therefore would probably support a non-restricted adult industry and might, also, have a willingness to patronize that industry because they don't like being personally fettered by traditional moral restrictions like "family values" or "small town style living." On the other hand, the right wing is also where most of the "socially conservative" and Christian Fundamentalist voters go -- people who value more government restrictions on private life, and who wish to tell you, me, and your girlfriend the position you're allowed to use when you fuck.

They won't (overtly) approve of strip clubs, though "methinks he doth protest too much" may be the case -- they talk so much about how they hate sex and adult businesses, precisely because they like them so much and on-the-sly patronize them so much. Ideally, the close juxtaposition of that-which-they-say-they-hate and the haters may give us a chance to catch some of them in their hypocrisy -- at the noon press conference they pontificate about what they call family values, at the midnight photo-op they get caught sneaking out of Mons Venus with lipstick stains on their khakis ...

Lookin' forward to a Swaggart moment!

Is Redner still saying he'll jack up prices for the convention?

I heard from someone in Tampa that at least one club has had an offer to buy their surveillance videos during the convention. Not sure which club.

Che -- fair points. I didn't mean to say the story didn't mention Redner at all (and no, he's not God Of All Things Strip), sorry I mis-wrote a little bit. Interesting to hear the Ybor news, as well, I lived in the Tampa Bay area (Clearwater, approx.) from roughly 2000 to 2004-ish and back then Ybor Strip was the SHEEEEEOOOOOOOTT!! Also the old Tanga was still there, remember that place? Anyway, looking forward to your confirmation of which predictions came true, after the convention, Che.

I don't live in Tampa but I've been to Mons many times. I'm considering visiting the club during the GOP convention.

My thinking is:

1. it will be super-busy but there will be lots of freelancers dancing there and likely more hot women than normal as a result
2. Redner will indeed raise the cover (as he's suggested) to $50
3. Because of the action and the high rollers in town, I see dances being $30 minimum and less deals to be had (not sure the usual 3-for-$60 is gonna fly when the girls have rich Republicans around willing to spend lots of cash...thinking they will be able to net $30 per dance
4. it might be hard to wrangle the girl you want since the crowds will be so dense
5. quality of lap dances is a real interesting question: I sense the grinding and mileage if anything will be down somewhat since there will be a few non-Mons girls around who aren't used to giving the great dances common to the place but this one could go either way

I'm curious what other tuscl members think Tampa strip clubs and Mons in particular will be like during the convention Aug 27-30 but also the weekend Aug 31-Sept 1 as I'd guess the weekend should still retain some post-convention buzz...