The Fox Showroom Pub, Victoria’s only strip club, has permanently closed its doors. On Monday evening, management announced the closure of the Douglas Street club via Facebook. They thanked their staff for the good times and noted that their customers had become “extended family.”
No reason for the closure was given in the Facebook post, but it concluded ominously saying the shutdown is “a sign of the times.”
“Go enjoy a nudie bar while you still can,” stated the post. “All actions have cause and effect, so make certain that everything you do has a good effect!”
Customers and dancers alike responded with sentiments of shock and anger. One wrote that they wished there had been some more notice so that customers could come and enjoy one last night at The Fox. Another asked if the customers would ever find out what caused the closure.
Jamie Wu, the owner of the Red Lion Inn and Suites, said The Fox leased from him for many years and that there are multiple reasons for the closure. He wouldn’t say what the reasons were, but pointed out that the closure wasn’t a surprise for him.
He emphasized that the dancers and staff were informed of the shutdown before the public was told.
The Red Lion is more focused on the tourist business now, said Wu. He explained that he’s still looking for a new tenant but speculates that a restaurant will take over the space.
On Tuesday, the management posted on The Fox’s Facebook page again. This time, they were addressing their dancers with sentiments about the future.
“It’s going to be okay.” “Please take with you some of the morals that I tried to instill at The Fox. No one has to touch you. If someone says otherwise, they are wrong.”
The responses to this post showed the sadness that the longtime customers are feeling. One called this the end of an era and others said they felt like a family member had died.
Management from The Fox could not be reached as the pub’s phone seems to have been disconnected. Wu also noted that The Fox’s management wouldn’t be answering questions about the closure anyways.
The Fox opened in the 1980s and became a strip club in 1987. The Fox has closed its doors in the past following a 2001 fire in Diego’s Lounge above the Fox, but officially reopened in 2003.
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