We talk about strip clubs like they've been around forever, because most of us on TUSCL can't remember a time when they weren't. The types of US strip clubs we're familiar with evolved around the mid-1900's, so you guys in your later 70s and 80s (do we have any of those right now?) would've been pioneers in the hobby. The COVID-19 shutdowns have been a prohibition-like extinction level event for the strip club industry. Has there ever been anything close that's hit the entire industry all at once?
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last commentI'm 79 and no. Just individual local governments shutting things down.
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I can't think of anything that had as much effect all at once. Second to COVID in its effect was probably the 2008 economic crash. The number of clubs was increasing before that but then started a decline. I started clubbing shortly after that. I would have dancers who had been working since before the crash tell me the clubs never really recovered from that. Here in Indianapolis about eight clubs went out of business between 2009 and 2019. Then COVID caused four more to go out of business here in just one year. A couple were bought by new owners so that limits the damage somewhat.
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No. The reactions to it should serve as a wake up call about the consequences of government incompetence and overreach. And overreach borne of incompetence.
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I know of one club that opened up last October and seems to be doing well enough for its market. I’m sure there is many more than closed for that one that one club opened.
So far I’d say they are alive and well. Especially with mask wearing seeming to be lessening. I agree that it can’t be taken for granted that clubs will always last forever though. Not saying death is inevitable, just a possibility.
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What killed a lot of regular bars and dance clubs was raising the drinking age to 21 back in the late 70s (I was ~19 then). I suspect that had an adverse effect on strip clubs as well, though I didn't frequent them at that time.
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As far as a nationwide (or worldwide) sudden event I would say yes Covid has been an unprecedented threat to the industry. Luckily it has survived the threat and should recover going forward.
As far as a total threat to the industry I would say that the changing politics around the country are a bigger threat. Between a rise in "religous" right wing nut jobs wanting to "protect our family values" and "woke" liberals wrongfully calling all sexual oriented businesses havens of human trafficking both sides are threats to the industry. Thankfully some politicians have starting pushing back against both of these threats and even pushing towards legalization of prostitution in some areas.
In the end I expect the strip club industry to continue well beyond the lifetime of anyone currently on the site. I don't know what it will look like in 10, 25 or 50 years but I have no doubt there will be places where horny men pay beautiful women to remove their clothes.
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Clubs seemed to be getting worse even before the pandemic.
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It exasperated what was already happening.
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Pandemic didn’t help but the over the top right wing politics are in the long run much more damaging
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