Offbeat question: why did Super Fuego, the Maryland strip club close?

avatar for gothamyte
gothamyte
from that Adam Westsiiiide of Gotham
I know, I know: many if you aren't living in this area; Maryland.

But maybe you can still take a stab at it and answer the question for me.

The Covid Pandemic was in the year 2020. The Maryland strip club Super Fuego closed at some point during 2020. It couldn't outlast the pandemic...

Not a big deal, right? Shit happens, right? I should just read their YMMV reviews, right?

Here's the thing tho: Super Fuego, as I remember started off as Diabo's. But in a different, smaller building. In a different part of town, miles away. It was a predominantly black club. Small venue. Just another low-key, random, small-ish strip club. I didn't get the Spanish name for the club since it was predominantly black. Maybe one of the owners had Spanish roots. I dunno. I visited when I could. The kinda low-key strip club that could either disappear overnight at any time without any warning. Or, be around as-is, exactly at the same spot for another maybe 5 years.

But next thing you know, Diablo's moved. To a different part of town. Into a big-ass warehouse with high-ass ceilings. We were dwarfed in that space. Felt like we always only used 5-10% of that space in that empty big-ass warehouse. The rest was unlit, in darkness. I raised an eyebrow like oh, you're trying to keep this thing going? Sometimes they had day strip club parties. Once there was even a moon bounce in the strip club left over from a civilian community party. We used the moonbounce for the strip club at night.

Diablo's changed it's name to D2s. By the way, Diablo's and D2s both operated nightly. When it was a smaller club, it didn't feel so 'empty'. But in the warehouse, it felt empty. Tall ceilings. Drab walls. Most of it in darkness. I kinda liked it, all the darkness. Felt like Halloween overnight in there. It was in a blue collar industrial area. D2s would have wild promos to entice patronage. Yo, I kinda remember flyers offering explicit stuff at the club placed on car windshields in parking lots.

Thing is this club just kept hobbling on. In a big-ass warehouse. Nightly. Diablo's to D2s. Then next thing you know, it changed from a dinky strip club to a 'gentlman's club'. Not really but they brought in furniture, couches, neon lights, a bar, booths, whatever, a real stage, a DJ booth. Maybe it was new owners. I raised my eyebrows like oh you're trying to keep this thing going?

Now it was called Fuego. And added Spanish women. And all international women. From wherever in the globe. It became glitzy. They had ads on the radio. They had a buzz on the street. Was it a perfect spot. Hell no. But it was a different atmosphere, much much brighter inside that warehouse, now furnished, full dancing staff, international dancers. But the forefront attraction became the different Spanish women, but there were black women too. More local Spanish guys were the patrons. Some nights this club was really rocking. Was it perfect, no. But business was hittin.

Changed it's name to Super Fuego. Ads on the radio. Tension with the international dancing staff, not all ethnicities would get along, the DJ had to play everything for the ladies and the different races and ethnicity in the building, a few Asians too. It was an interesting idea. All that culture in one building. Sure YMMV with all the different girls and culture all in one building.

Business was waning, but no clear reason why. During the years sometimes it'd be closed for awhile without a clear reason. Maybe renovations. Maybe legal issues. But it always came back. Pandemic hits and the club just disappears after awhile. It closed. Sure there were fights and violence over the years. But it's now been closed permanently.

My thing is, this SC has been around over 20 years since I visited when it was merely Diablo's. Back when you'd never predict it would one day become Super Fuego with glitz, radio ads, etc. Seemed like nothing could kill this club.

You know how many dinky clubs fold? You know how many dinky clubs never change names, never move locations, never have different lifetimes. What ended this club?

I'm just wondering aloud. I'm sure it's money or management.

The story of Diablo's is kinda like the rise of Tony Montana from Scarface lol.

Anyway I'm just wondering aloud what the hell happened. This club made it in shoestring nights in a big-ass warehouse as D2s with barely any furniture, just church folding chairs. But as a furnished club Super Fuego, it dies.

17 comments

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avatar for gothamyte
gothamyte
6 months ago
By the way, when it was Diablo's it was the mid-to late 90s when I first visited this club. It went from the late 90s to 2020.

Some strip clubs are like roaches in a house. Always around, just can't kill it. I wouldn't care if I hadn't seen it reinvent itself so many times and be a survivor. I can't believe it 'died'...
avatar for funonthaside
funonthaside
6 months ago
OP's final sentence says it all. Got too fancy; lost its original appeal. No different than a mainstream business, once it loses its focus or cares more amount furnishings than the core business, it fails.
avatar for twentyfive
twentyfive
6 months ago
Things change, very few nightclubs of any type last more than 10-15 years.
avatar for ww
ww
6 months ago
AFAIK, almost all of the urban clubs outside of Baltimore have closed.

Fuego, Sinsaysionals, Bazz & Crue, Irvings, etc.

Only ones left I think are Ebony Inn, Bodyshop and Mustangs and wouldn't surprise, if they haven't closed yet, are very close to it.
avatar for Jascoi
Jascoi
6 months ago
a crowded small place is better than a big place.(looks empty with same number of people.)
avatar for Book Guy
Book Guy
6 months ago
We're doing pretty well here in New Orleans, there are some locations that can boast near fifty years as burlesque / hootchie-kootchie / strip clubs. The out-of-the-way neighborhood-y club "where the locals go" has been a stripper joint (under two names, or maybe three) since the early 1990s (IIRC). There have been a few major changes in the overall scene, due to factors entirely outside the control of management or ownership -- hurricane, new by-laws about smoking indoors, f.e..
avatar for IfIGottaBeDamned
IfIGottaBeDamned
6 months ago
There was a political & law enforcement pressure campaign against the Prince George’s county strip clubs before COVID that I suspect harmed many of the clubs that ended up closed. I have no direct knowledge about Super F., but I wouldn’t be surprised if that played a role too.
avatar for wallanon
wallanon
6 months ago
Irving's was legendary. Rough crowd but there was so much tail to be had there. Now that I'm older I realize how great the place was even if it was ratchet before the world knew what ratchet was lol.

I thought the various forms of Fuego were ok (the Fuego days were the best when they were just starting to charge for the vip row off on the side and the room in the back) but that location was a pita to get to and the parking was always ass. My friends were always higher on it than I was.
avatar for gothamyte
gothamyte
6 months ago
Thanks for the responses.

I know businesses change and times change. No one needs to wonder why Super Fuego closed.

But hold up. I wonder. Because something isn't adding up. Just when it comes to Fuego. lol.

Someone mentioned: PG County. Yes; true. PG County shut down a bunch of its iconic legendary strip clubs: Sinsaysionals, Irving's, Harley Riders. But PG County did that in 2016. I'll never forget the year because it was the year all the celebs died: Muhammad Ali, Price, Princess Leia, David Bowie. 2016. Fuego survived that. So did Sinsaysionals; both survived the 2016 axe. Sinsay didn't die until 2022.

Believe it or not, the original Diablo's was arguably walking distance to Showcase theater strip club. And Showcase is still around. Now Body Shop is neighbors with Showcase. And I wouldn't be surprised if Body Shop is somehow the reincarnated Fuego. But I don't think so.

The numbers don't add up to me. Showcase Theater is still around. Sinsaysionals was struggling hard before it died in 2022. But Fuego had reinventef itself 4 different times.

Dint mind me, I'm just thinking aloud here. Again, I started going to Diablo's in the late 90s. Same time I heard about Showcase Theater. So let's say Diablo's is roughly 20 years old since it died in 2020. We could loosely say, the exaggerated story of Diablo's is a story of 4 quarters like football. We can loosely say the first quarter was 5 years: Diablo's not to far from Showcase theater which is still around today. A hole in the wall strip club. Forgettable. Quaint. Modest. Second Quarter: D2s -- took the first name of Diablo's and decided to make it's second coming. Now moved into a different building, county. A big warehouse, no furniture, tons of wasted space. Still in anonymity. Still a hole in the wall, strip club like any. It's now been this way for 2 quarters, 5 yrs Diablo's, roughly 5 years as D2.

Third quarter: name change. Furniture. Neon lights. Next 5 years. More Dancers. International dancers. Notoriety. Local fame. Buzz on the street. Name change of Fuego salutes the original Diablo's theme : Spanish, devil, fire. We are now roughly 15 years in.

Fourth quarter: last name change. Super Fuego now. This last 5 years is to maintain the grind of the first 5 and to keep it going. But it's not working. Yet there are constant radio ads. One of the very very very few strip clubs with constant radio ads on local radio. People would get upset these radio ads came on during the afternoon every once in awhile by mistake where kids could hear. Seemed like everyone had been to Super Fuego's once, even if you knew nothing about strip clubs or hated them..

Then Covid hits and the spot punts in re-opening. What gives? This venture had now gone 20 years. Successfully reinventing itself. Many DMV stripclubs have not moved locations. Few have gone through any name changes. Diablo's did that and more. Diablo's seemed to be a survivor. Diablo's seemed to have an armor. We are now 4 years post Covid and Super Fuego is still gone 4 yrs later. What happened? There are stripclubs in the area clinging for deal life but still around. This should've been Super Fuego in 2023 once a 'neighbor' of Showcase Theater which is still around, never moved from its general block.

It's like watching someone get married 4 times and 5 years after their 4th marriage suddenly committing suicide. You're like don't tell me your 4th marriage ain't make you happy lol.

I expected Fuego to move again. Or switch up again the business model. Something. Not just die lol
avatar for gothamyte
gothamyte
6 months ago
If you have Facebook, just type 'Super Fuego DMV' and check out their FB page. Keep in mind March 2020 is when Covid shut everything down. March 202O are the last posts of Super Fuego in FB.

They were offering food. They were closing late. They were keeping up with the website...

They had radio ads on the radio, man! Announcing the upcoming weekend each coming weekend.

Just disappears. SMH.
avatar for Hank Moody
Hank Moody
6 months ago
I never had a chance to go to Fuego or Sinsaytionals but were they BYOB? Showcase and Body Shop are BYOB. Much harder for the county to shut down BYOB clubs as there is much more enforcement power available re the liquor license.
avatar for ww
ww
6 months ago
Sinsayionals was definitely BYOB.

@gothamyte - For Super Fuego, there are a lot of businesses that failed during COVID. I know you mentioned all the various rebrands and changes that allowed the club to keep surviving.

But COVID was "special". It shutdown a good chunk of long-running businesses. And some of them have still not fully recovered.

Honestly, based on the timing, it feels like the club was just a victim of the pandemic. Even possible the owner(s) fell to covid before they could sell the club to someone else.
avatar for ilbbaicnl
ilbbaicnl
6 months ago
It sounds like the name of President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Camacho's favorite strip club.
avatar for gothamyte
gothamyte
6 months ago
YAY!
I GOT MY ANSWER!
DON'T MEAN TO YELL, BUT I WANTED Y'ALL TO KNOW THERE IS AN ANSWER!

SUPER FUEGO IS NOW JUST A REGULAR CLUB FOR CIVVIES / CIVILIANS.
IT'S NOW CALLED 'RESTAURANT 55'.

SEE, THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!
I COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT STRIP CLUB THAT WAS BORN IN THE 1990s, WENT THROUGH DIFFERENT IDENTITIES AND NAME CHANGES AND BUSINESS MODELS WOULD JUST VANISH....BECAUSE OF COVID? REALLY?

SO, .YO, THIS STRIP CLUB HAS RE-INVENTED ITSELF ONCE MORE, I GUESS. IT'S NOW A REGULAR LOUNGE. CALLED RESTAURANT 55.

I WAS GONNA SAY. I MEAN, THEY HAD ALL THAT FURNITURE THERE. MAN. THEY REMODELED THAT PLACE AND STUFF. I MEAN, I COULDN'T BELEIVE THEY'D JUST LIQUIDATE ALL THAT STUFF WHEN THEY'VE RE-INVENTED THEMSELVES SO MANY TIMES BEFORE.

YAY! SO GLAD I GOT MY ANSWER. AND THE WORLD CONTINUES TO MAKE SENSE.
avatar for gothamyte
gothamyte
6 months ago
https://www.restaurant-55.com/

check out the pictures inside. see, this is kinda what it kinda once kinda looked like as a strip club. back when it was hopping. i'm sure they've made more furniture changes. i'm saying this is kinda gonna give you an idea of what it could've looked like in there as a strip club.

now imagine that just disappearing after covid. imagine that just disappearing when it's been around since the 1990s. imagine that just disappearing after 4 US Presidencies --- Clinton, Bush II, Obama, Trump all of a sudden. imagine being there for every reinvention and seeing it still survive.

yeah and i remember them serving food in the latter years as a strip club. so it seems now it's gone fully serving food. might have to check this place out.
avatar for ww
ww
6 months ago
How do you know it's the same owners as who owned the stripclub?

The Follies building in Atlanta became a restaurant also, but it has nothing to do with the previous Follies owners and management.
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