Chicas is a mixed bag

I visit Chicas in the evening roughly every couple of weeks. It has an interesting history. Under another name it was primarily a club with black dancers and black customers, though not to the exclusion of others. It was a dump but after a change in management, major and minor remodels, and a re-focus on the latino community, it is much improved with some minuses. The refocus meant the heavy emphasis on rap music, though not excluded, gave time to more latino sounds and rhythms, with occasional mexican banda tunes. Since June 2015, the big change has been the firing of many dancers, mostly replaced with latinas and the occasional white dancer. It’s good and bad. If you wanted to meet black dancers, this used to be the place to go. You can still meet some in the evening but they are in the minority now. On a typical Saturday evening, you might see 10 latinas, two or three white dancers, and two or three black dancers. Definitely the place to go in Phoenix for latina dancers, with perhaps T&A on Central as a tie or second place. Like the dancers, the customers are primarily latino now.

The club is much improved from its earlier identity. Better outdoor signage (it was very easy to drive by and not notice the club on your first visit), now there is a big outdoor but unlighted sign. The interior is a major upgrade. Better seats, better lighting, and better decor. Some long time dancers liked the old stage which was a semi circle big enough for two or three dancers at once. They associated that stage with customers who would “make it rain”, showering the stage with clouds of singles. Unfortunately those memories were also a part of the Housing Bubble when every trade involved with that industry had lots of money to throw around (literally). Before the Bubble burst in 2008, the realtors and lenders threw their money at places like Bourbon Street and Hi Liter, but the blue collar and landscaping trades went to the (now) Chicas location. The big round stage has been replaced with one smaller main stage in the middle of the club, and two auxiliary stages: one near the front door, and a space up at one of the elevated VIP areas. These aux stages only get used when the club is crowded and there are lots of dancers.

I should say a word about parking. Yes, it’s terrible. When I visit in the evening I find a spot nearby outside the club property. Day or night, the most accessible is the parking lot of the closed convenience store/market adjacent to the club. At night I will also consider the parking lots of other nearby business and walk the short distance to the club.