Interesting! It was rumored last year that DJV had bought the place, but SESTA/FOSTA killed off teh reliable sources of info, so wasn't 100%sure the sale went through ... evidently, it didn't
Hmmm. I haven't visited San Francisco in quite a while but in general its strip club scene was disappointing with the exception of MBOT, although MBOT was overpriced. For a city that prides itself on tolerance and progressive sexual attitudes, why is the San Francisco strip club scene so lame? Perhaps it is because the Deja Vu chain seems to control many of the clubs in the city?
Deja Vu corporate-izing the scene (they own all but 2 of the clubs) is definitely part of it -- I don't think it's just a coincidence that the SC scene here was amazing pre-DV
MBOT, of course, is its own story, since it's one of the two clubs that isn't owned by DV. As I've asserted many times before, I feel that it is the best strip club that's ever existed in the US... Vegas-level hotness plus full open extras is a pretty good combination, even though it was always a bit expensive. But the club never recovered from the 2007 consent decree after the stripper lawsuit -- I can only assume that the structure of that so tied the hands of management, and was such a lead weight financially (e.g., the strippers are employees with health benefits!), that they had little room to maneuver. I just know that pre-consent-decree MBOT = best US SC ever, post-consent-decree MBOT = giant increase in costs, giant drop in customer with commensurate drop in girls and quality, etc.
This is over a decade ago, but I used take my road bike on the Alameda ferry into SF, dressed in cycling clothes. I remember going into one of the SF clubs and getting FS up in one of the rooms upstairs -- dirty and stinking of sweat. I remember apologizing for smelling bad, and the dancer said "that's okay -- pheromones." I can't remember which club it was; been too long.
"FS up in one of the rooms upstairs", sounds like New Century Theater. At least, if you remember riding into the Tenderloin, rather than being on Broadway...
I took the DS there on a trip to SF with her. It was mostly worn down and kinda gross but I could see why it used to be such a popular place years ago.
This article makes it look like the building is for sale or lease, i.e. like MBOT is not being sold, that it is slated to close? Just like Market Street Cinema?
When lap dancing started, it was all front room, very few rules.
Astronomical land prices is a big part of how Deja Vu has been able to take over in San Francisco. And so since Market Street Cinema ended up getting closed, it would not be a surprise if the next wildest club, MBOT, ended up closing, land getting redeveloped.
Very hard for any kind of strip club to operate in San Francisco except a clip joint. Land prices just too high.
Yeah, my prediction is, a developer buys the land, demolishes the building, and puts up highrise apartments. $10M price for the land is chump change compared to what he'll make from the apartments
^^^^^ what you are describing is exactly what happened to MSC. And with zoning laws and all it would be very hard to open another strip club. So this means it is DV.
Now a hooker bar, and in Oakland? Maybe. Pink Diamonds seems to have started as something like that.
So usually a business owner can get the most money by selling the business to someone who intends to continue operating it. So why would anyone want to not operate a strip club, MSC or MBOT? It's because the market is already locked up by one operator who over regulates the clubs. This one operator wants to see the market contract, rather than expand.
So how do we save San Francisco?
We need to invent some other kind of venue which is not so effected by high real estate prices and by LE. We need to invent something which can be started much more cheaply and which is a less attractive target for LE.
LE will not want to strike at a target if they think the manpower investment is too great for the scale of bust they will get. And when there is no argument that the business is a danger to the public, there is little political support for expending the manpower. They also don't like being in situations where their officers are likely to get compromised.
So right now the strip club scene in San Francisco is static. We need to make it into something more like a game of Whack-a-Mole.
So look at Strip Clubs, AMPs, Swinger's Clubs, and Hooker Bars. Figure out a way to combine the best of all of these into something which can be started cheaply, satisfies the central parts of the needs, requires no special zoning or licensing, and is not an attractive target for LE. Figure if it is to be alcohol or no alcohol, and if it is to be open retail or members only. Along with this figure out how it will be promoted, as that has a great deal to do with how much attention LE places on it.
I believe I have indeed figured all of this out, at least one way of doing it.
15 comments
MBOT, of course, is its own story, since it's one of the two clubs that isn't owned by DV. As I've asserted many times before, I feel that it is the best strip club that's ever existed in the US... Vegas-level hotness plus full open extras is a pretty good combination, even though it was always a bit expensive. But the club never recovered from the 2007 consent decree after the stripper lawsuit -- I can only assume that the structure of that so tied the hands of management, and was such a lead weight financially (e.g., the strippers are employees with health benefits!), that they had little room to maneuver. I just know that pre-consent-decree MBOT = best US SC ever, post-consent-decree MBOT = giant increase in costs, giant drop in customer with commensurate drop in girls and quality, etc.
When lap dancing started, it was all front room, very few rules.
SJG
extremely good book:
https://www.amazon.com/Bottom-Feeders-Fr…
Do you have a link to this other article?
SJG
Very hard for any kind of strip club to operate in San Francisco except a clip joint. Land prices just too high.
Link to this other article?
SJG
Now a hooker bar, and in Oakland? Maybe. Pink Diamonds seems to have started as something like that.
SJG
So how do we save San Francisco?
We need to invent some other kind of venue which is not so effected by high real estate prices and by LE. We need to invent something which can be started much more cheaply and which is a less attractive target for LE.
LE will not want to strike at a target if they think the manpower investment is too great for the scale of bust they will get. And when there is no argument that the business is a danger to the public, there is little political support for expending the manpower. They also don't like being in situations where their officers are likely to get compromised.
So right now the strip club scene in San Francisco is static. We need to make it into something more like a game of Whack-a-Mole.
So look at Strip Clubs, AMPs, Swinger's Clubs, and Hooker Bars. Figure out a way to combine the best of all of these into something which can be started cheaply, satisfies the central parts of the needs, requires no special zoning or licensing, and is not an attractive target for LE. Figure if it is to be alcohol or no alcohol, and if it is to be open retail or members only. Along with this figure out how it will be promoted, as that has a great deal to do with how much attention LE places on it.
I believe I have indeed figured all of this out, at least one way of doing it.
SJG
Has a lot of books:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOw7brwD…
Baker Gurvitz Army
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkJC6XQ5…
https://www.wickedtemptations.com/standa…
https://www.wickedtemptations.com/standa…