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Unionized ‘sex-positive’ strip club manages to fail to make a profit

Sarah Hofmann Contributor
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San Francisco strip club Lusty Lady will close in two weeks after failing to pay their rent. The strippers, that own the business, are blaming Internet porn for its demise.

“Why would someone get in their car and drive from Palo Alto or wherever, find parking, to see a naked girl when they can do it from home?” asked Prince$$, a dancer, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The general manager Scott Farrell thinks there’s more than just Internet porn to blame for the lack of revenue. “First of all, the place is disgusting. It’s terrible looking inside and out,” said Farrell.

The rent has risen from $5,500 in 2001 to $16,500 currently. Although the strippers tried bargaining with the owner of the building, Roger Forbes, he would not accept their offer to pay him $8,500.

The club made a splash first in 1996 by creating the first stripper’s union and then again in 2003 when the strippers bought the business from the owners. They are one of the few venues to offer health insurance and 401(k)s to employees.

Lusty Lady also created a name for itself by being “sex-positive” and utilizing a dancers with a wide variety of body types. However, that attitude wasn’t enough to keep them from getting evicted.

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Sarah Hofmann