Nebraska club offering strippers $1500 signing bonus's.
shadowcat
Atlanta suburb
Shane Harrington found a way to combine three of his desires: alcohol, adult entertainment and Lincoln.
Harrington, the 39-year-old who helped create porn star Melissa Midwest, is promoting and marketing Saturday's official grand opening of The Foxy Gentlemen’s Club at 18th and O streets, and he’s been recruiting and training strippers to dance at the club, offering them a $1,500 signing bonus.
The club formerly called the Foxy Lady closed over the summer for extensive remodeling and re-opened six weeks ago, owner Don Arena said.
If Harrington does a good job with re-opening the club and recruiting dancers, Arena said there’ll be more Harrington-fueled events in the future.
“This works perfect for me,” Harrington said in a Facebook message. “I get to do all the things I love doing and I am great at, so I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
He’s bringing out the big guns for the grand opening: Valerie Dodds, aka Val Midwest, will appear. Dodds, 20, was in the news last year when she did a nighttime photo shoot naked at Pius X High School. She was arrested and got a 45-day jail sentence for trespassing and public nudity.
Harrington spent two years trying to get a liquor license for Club Smooth, which he wanted to open a block and a half from Foxy, to transform Lincoln’s nightlife. He wanted to create a club like the ones he’d seen in bigger cities like Las Vegas and Miami, featuring aquariums, go-go dancers, velvet curtains and his premium Smooth vodka.
But the state Liquor Control Commission denied his request for a license in 2011. Harrington sold the bar to his general manager a year later, but commissioners denied her application, too, saying she was acting as a straw man for Harrington.
In August, he sued city and state officials for $25 million, saying they wrongfully denied him the license. Lawyers with the state attorney general’s office pushed to dismiss the suit late last month, but a judge hasn’t ruled on the motion.
Liquor Control Commission Executive Director Hobart Rupe said the law doesn’t forbid Harrington from working for Arena or being a Foxy employee so long as he’s not a hidden owner or partner.
Lincoln police know about Harrington’s involvement and don’t think it violates liquor laws, Officer Katie Flood said Friday afternoon.
Arena said police called him twice after they learned of Harrington’s involvement.
“They must be worried about something,” he said. “But they know what he’s doing, and they’re cool with it.”
Arena said bringing Harrington on board for the grand opening was like hiring any other vendor. If Harrington’s work brings in more money, the business relationship might continue. If not, Arena said he’ll move on.
“If it does my business well -- hallelujah,” he said. “All I’m trying to do is promote my business.
“I’ll have all my ducks in a row, and whoever is doing something for me is doing it right.”
Harrington, the 39-year-old who helped create porn star Melissa Midwest, is promoting and marketing Saturday's official grand opening of The Foxy Gentlemen’s Club at 18th and O streets, and he’s been recruiting and training strippers to dance at the club, offering them a $1,500 signing bonus.
The club formerly called the Foxy Lady closed over the summer for extensive remodeling and re-opened six weeks ago, owner Don Arena said.
If Harrington does a good job with re-opening the club and recruiting dancers, Arena said there’ll be more Harrington-fueled events in the future.
“This works perfect for me,” Harrington said in a Facebook message. “I get to do all the things I love doing and I am great at, so I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
He’s bringing out the big guns for the grand opening: Valerie Dodds, aka Val Midwest, will appear. Dodds, 20, was in the news last year when she did a nighttime photo shoot naked at Pius X High School. She was arrested and got a 45-day jail sentence for trespassing and public nudity.
Harrington spent two years trying to get a liquor license for Club Smooth, which he wanted to open a block and a half from Foxy, to transform Lincoln’s nightlife. He wanted to create a club like the ones he’d seen in bigger cities like Las Vegas and Miami, featuring aquariums, go-go dancers, velvet curtains and his premium Smooth vodka.
But the state Liquor Control Commission denied his request for a license in 2011. Harrington sold the bar to his general manager a year later, but commissioners denied her application, too, saying she was acting as a straw man for Harrington.
In August, he sued city and state officials for $25 million, saying they wrongfully denied him the license. Lawyers with the state attorney general’s office pushed to dismiss the suit late last month, but a judge hasn’t ruled on the motion.
Liquor Control Commission Executive Director Hobart Rupe said the law doesn’t forbid Harrington from working for Arena or being a Foxy employee so long as he’s not a hidden owner or partner.
Lincoln police know about Harrington’s involvement and don’t think it violates liquor laws, Officer Katie Flood said Friday afternoon.
Arena said police called him twice after they learned of Harrington’s involvement.
“They must be worried about something,” he said. “But they know what he’s doing, and they’re cool with it.”
Arena said bringing Harrington on board for the grand opening was like hiring any other vendor. If Harrington’s work brings in more money, the business relationship might continue. If not, Arena said he’ll move on.
“If it does my business well -- hallelujah,” he said. “All I’m trying to do is promote my business.
“I’ll have all my ducks in a row, and whoever is doing something for me is doing it right.”
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6 comments
Johnny Foosball got a $4.3 million signing bonus and he ain't even starting.
Booooom ! Dooookie wins !!!
As for the bonus, I'm sure there are college students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who look at $1500 and see that as easy money.
In the end, it probably draws some in for a while, probably stealing some dancers from the other two Lincoln strip clubs and Shakers the nude juice bar in Waverly, but I don't see it being a real game changer in Lincoln. I wouldn't be surprised if 5 years from now, they are back to hiring the same type of old tired dancers they did before, if they just don't close up completely.