Lavish owner says he's not trying to bring a second strip club to Dundas Place
CBC
The downtown London businessman behind an application to amend an existing adult live entertainment parlour licence says his plan is not to bring a second Solid Gold-style strip club to Dundas Place.
That's the message Lavish restaurant owner Zoltan Harasty has for the downtown community buzzing ever since notices went out about an application to move an existing adult live entertainment parlour licence from an address on Dundas Street East near Clarke Road to Lavish, which is located at 238 Dundas St., just steps away from the Solid Gold.
Harasty was reluctant to speak to CBC News about the application, which he said is intended to offer more entertainment options for his patrons, who are made up largely by members of the LGTBQ community.
"Using this licence will complement the business in a very positive way for the LGBTQ community," he said. "It allows us so many other positive opportunities to enter into the art world, and unique performances that will target the LGBTQ community."
The application would re-locate a licence for a strip club that once operated out of 2010 Dundas St. E., just east of Clarke Road. That location hasn't operated as a strip club for three years and is currently a Travelodge hotel.
Harasty said he's partnered with the owner of the licence to transfer it to Lavish, but wouldn't name the partner.
News of the application raised concerns from some business owners on Dundas Place, who are worried it would bring a second strip club to what's intended to be a marquee destination for family-themed events.
However Harasty says that's not his intention and that his application — if it survives scrutiny by city staff and council — will allow him to provide more "adult themed" entertainment for his patrons.
Harasty wouldn't get specific about exactly what new services the licence change would allow him to offer. He said some clubs that cater to an LGBTQ clientele in other cities are able to offer burlesque-style shows, which he says would require him to have the adult entertainment licence to do legally.
"We are currently still doing market research, we're looking at other cities in North America to see what they are doing," he said.
Harasty said he wants to expand his entertainment offerings as he works to recover his business from the shutdowns and capacity limits caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said Lavish will continue to operate as a safe and welcome space for members of the LGTBQ community to gather and socialize.
"The clientele of the business is not changing," he said.
He also said any downtown business owners with questions about the licence application are welcome to contact him.
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