We knew it was coming, but the state Liquor Board dropped the hammer on Centerfolds this week. The parent company of Centerfolds "voluntarily" surrendered its liquor license, and most likely will never get it back. Good. Screw 'em. The manager and bouncer are still awaiting trial, hopefully followed by a well-attended hanging.
I had two people over the last year say they were roughed up by a bouncer at Centerfolds. I only went to the place once so I can't state what he is like, but their story is consistent, basically if you didn't go along with what the dancer said when she over counted for dances, and you didn't comply then the bouncer physically beat you.
My only visit there was 8 years ago. At the time, CF was sectioned off into 2 different clubs- one topless with alcohol, the other nude, non-alcohol. I spent most of time (and $$) on the topless side where I met a highly regarded monger on Tuscl and other boards. Club experience was positive, but a lot can change in 8 years.
In any event, I regarded CF as a good change of pace club, as it's not in the most convenient location for most Phoenix visitors. If CF operates as a nude juice bar, I wouldn''t be terribly motivated to go out of my way for a visit since there may be some low hanging bad apples still around.
There was a point when CF was an excellent top tier club with the best VIP section in the city, but that was in the oo's. Was still a good place for a change-up, but dayshift vibe was 180* different from night shift. Rarely ventured there at night over the past 6-7 years.
Alaskan Bush Company used to be a BYOB club back in late 80s. One of the most raucous, fun clubs I've ever been in, club was so crowded you had park 1/4 mile down the street to find a spot. The year they changed to a "regular" club, nothing but crickets. 10% of the previous crowds, hottest dancers left for greener pastures.
CF's was a great club. Day shift honeys were a blast. Best pole work in the valley with sweet and sexy bartenders. I hope all those fun sexy honeys land on their feet at other clubs. This is a very sad event for the valley's SC scene. RIP.
Scrub has a point; most clubs in this town can't do any meaningful additions or improvements to the buildings because the city won't grant the necessary permits. Just running out the clock until the places decompose enough that they can be condemned.
You shouldn't need permits for maintenance, especially if that maintenance is for safety reasons. And failing to issue permits for property improvement, and the consequent tax increase, is just plain stupid, and might be illegal.
Regarding not doing any meaningful improvements or renovations, that's simply not a true statement. When Sugar 44 burned down a couple years ago, it was immediately rebuilt. Christie's in Phoenix is undergoing an extensive renovation; I ought to know, my company is doing a chunk of it. We also do a shit ton of work for the dude who owns Christie's as well as about 6 other clubs in town, all of which have done some type of remodeling. Let me tell you, that guy is completely connected and there is no one in Phoenix who can or would try to stop him from doing whatever he wants. Hell, even dives like Chica's has done some major remodeling lately, as did Centerfolds first when it became the half nude/half topless club, then again, when it completely redid its VIP area.
If some clubs look like shit, it's only because their owners are trying to bleed every last cent of the places, not because of some unspoken conspiracy to get rid strip clubs.
I believe this is a good thing to rid the city of this one club. There is a dilution of strippers working, and the quality is lacking to service old dudes on a fixed budget along with those who have the funds to be a whale.
The way I see it if some of the attractive dancers have to go to fill up some other clubs' lineup, the competition will be good for the consumer. At least I won't have to wait for a whale to leave to grab the only hot girl dancing. If the ratio of dancers go up, in the end it's a good thing especially if Centerfolds was a club I didn't attend.
I'll echo what CP and LW said, Centerfolds used to be a rocking club maybe 10 years ago. Their VIP couches were the best setup in town for comfort and reasonable privacy, and for a while they had a playmate quality lineup both night and day. I have some great memories from that place, and am sad to see it closed. I know some of their dancers have landed at HiLiter, and probably up at Bliss and Candy Store which are closer. I'm curious if dayshift Sandy with the gigantic fake rack and back tattoos has landed anywhere. She was a dayshift anchor at CFs for as long as I can remember, and was still my occasional fix for a faceful of giant tits. She was older, so maybe retired, but if anyone has seen her land at another club, send me a PM to let me know.
In the late 80s I was working for a small contractor was liable to take any job whatsoever, and generally lost his ass when he got involved with the bar and hospitality industry. He'd bought a mess of material in the hopes of getting an addition contract for Band-Aids, and was schmoozing the hell out of the owners of the Candy Store. They were talking about expanding the club by about 800 square feet. Band-Aids bailed because they just didn't have any room to expand, and the Candy Store claimed they were told they would "not get a permit for expansion until the second coming, if then." Turns out they were under investigation by the MCSO for everything up to and including spitting on the sidewalk, and they turned out to be guilty of just about everything. Sheriff Tom Agnos dropped "Operation Aladdin" on their heads, and they eventually had to sell out. I have no idea how they stayed out of prison, and may have been deported. Years later, I helped build new stages there, and I think the secondary stage is one of those.
13 comments
Latest
Although I assume they could operate as a BYOB club, are there any BYOB SCs in PHX?
In any event, I regarded CF as a good change of pace club, as it's not in the most convenient location for most Phoenix visitors. If CF operates as a nude juice bar, I wouldn''t be terribly motivated to go out of my way for a visit since there may be some low hanging bad apples still around.
Alaskan Bush Company used to be a BYOB club back in late 80s. One of the most raucous, fun clubs I've ever been in, club was so crowded you had park 1/4 mile down the street to find a spot. The year they changed to a "regular" club, nothing but crickets. 10% of the previous crowds, hottest dancers left for greener pastures.
CP
If some clubs look like shit, it's only because their owners are trying to bleed every last cent of the places, not because of some unspoken conspiracy to get rid strip clubs.
CP
The way I see it if some of the attractive dancers have to go to fill up some other clubs' lineup, the competition will be good for the consumer. At least I won't have to wait for a whale to leave to grab the only hot girl dancing. If the ratio of dancers go up, in the end it's a good thing especially if Centerfolds was a club I didn't attend.
In the late 80s I was working for a small contractor was liable to take any job whatsoever, and generally lost his ass when he got involved with the bar and hospitality industry. He'd bought a mess of material in the hopes of getting an addition contract for Band-Aids, and was schmoozing the hell out of the owners of the Candy Store. They were talking about expanding the club by about 800 square feet. Band-Aids bailed because they just didn't have any room to expand, and the Candy Store claimed they were told they would "not get a permit for expansion until the second coming, if then." Turns out they were under investigation by the MCSO for everything up to and including spitting on the sidewalk, and they turned out to be guilty of just about everything. Sheriff Tom Agnos dropped "Operation Aladdin" on their heads, and they eventually had to sell out. I have no idea how they stayed out of prison, and may have been deported. Years later, I helped build new stages there, and I think the secondary stage is one of those.