Post by Logan on Apr 30, 2016 3:18:22 GMT -6
Denied exotic dancers, Heartbreakers will soon become region’s first gay & lesbian bar
WILLISTON — In the wake of the city's decision to separate exotic dancing from drinking by the end of next week, the owner of Williston's last remaining strip club says he will turn the business into a gathering spot for the LGBT community.
"We're just going to relinquish our cabaret license," said Jarod Holbrook of Heartbreakers.
Topless dancers will perform at the club until May 6, after which Holbrook plans to shut down and re-open in mid-May as a gay and lesbian bar.
Plans for the metamorphosis were finalized after Tuesday's Williston City Commission meeting, where Heartbreakers' request to continue to operate as a strip club for a year while adjusting to new regulations was nixed by officials.
Grounds for the denial came from new ordinances passed in January that pushed strip clubs into industrial zones and banned the sale of alcohol at such establishments. Following a public hearing and unanimous vote, confusion over whether the new guidelines allowed clubs a subsequent year of operation with both dancing and alcohol service was compounded by a letter sent from the city in February that set a deadline of 90 days for Heartbreakers to surrender either its cabaret or alcohol license.
Read more: bismarcktribune.com/news/state-and-regional/denied-exotic-dancers-heartbreakers-will-soon-become-region-s-first/article_c3e4a99b-9aad-556f-9cc0-2625bfdda5c6.html
WILLISTON — In the wake of the city's decision to separate exotic dancing from drinking by the end of next week, the owner of Williston's last remaining strip club says he will turn the business into a gathering spot for the LGBT community.
"We're just going to relinquish our cabaret license," said Jarod Holbrook of Heartbreakers.
Topless dancers will perform at the club until May 6, after which Holbrook plans to shut down and re-open in mid-May as a gay and lesbian bar.
Plans for the metamorphosis were finalized after Tuesday's Williston City Commission meeting, where Heartbreakers' request to continue to operate as a strip club for a year while adjusting to new regulations was nixed by officials.
Grounds for the denial came from new ordinances passed in January that pushed strip clubs into industrial zones and banned the sale of alcohol at such establishments. Following a public hearing and unanimous vote, confusion over whether the new guidelines allowed clubs a subsequent year of operation with both dancing and alcohol service was compounded by a letter sent from the city in February that set a deadline of 90 days for Heartbreakers to surrender either its cabaret or alcohol license.
Read more: bismarcktribune.com/news/state-and-regional/denied-exotic-dancers-heartbreakers-will-soon-become-region-s-first/article_c3e4a99b-9aad-556f-9cc0-2625bfdda5c6.html