Open for business as usual

On Friday March 31, 2023, mid-afternoon, I telephoned Anthony's to see if it remains open after Mardi Gras and Center Stage in Springfield, under new ownership, have closed until further notice as of April 8. The phone was answered promptly and the woman answering (presumably the bartender) said that Anthony's is open as usual, noon to 2 AM. I could hear normal conversations and music in the background. This surprised me as I had the impression that Anthony's was under the same ownership as Mardi Gras and Center Stage.

In a couple of weekday afternoon visits to Anthony's in late 2022, there was nobody dancing on stage. There were 2-5 strippers at the bar engaged in converations with clients, sometimes one engaged in a lap dance. You would have to "break into" one of these conversations to start a chat with a stripper. I found the atmosphere quite uninviting.

The atmosphere is very different from Center Stage in Springfield (currently closed, sadly). There one found multiple dancers on stage at most times, making it easy to start a chat and get an impression of the dancer to see if you want a lapdance. Also some of the dancers at Center Stage were willing to have a conversation, get to know you, and cuddle a bit before one commits to a lap dance. Over a decade ago, Anthony's was my favorite, but in recent years, Center Stage had been much more to my liking.