ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Sunday, May 19, 1996                   TAG: 9605170024
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MARK MORRISON 

BUT IS THE IROQUOIS ITSELF FOR SALE?

The answer, according to Iroquois Club owner Shirley Thomas, is yes and no.

No, she hasn't agreed to sell the nightclub she has owned for the past 15 years - not yet at least. She hasn't signed any papers, she hasn't met with her lawyer or shook hands on any deals.

But she says she's currently entertaining a pair of pretty serious offers to buy the venue.

``It's a possibility.''

Thomas says it's too early to name either of the potential buyers, and she says that today's auction is not to prepare for selling out. She just wants to clean out the club's basement and earn a little extra cash for the house she's renovating in Old Southwest.

After 15 years, however, she says she's ready to wind down her career as a nightclub owner, whether these offers pan out or not. She is 60 years old. Her husband, Ronald, is 64.

``Eventually, it's gonna happen,'' she says.

LENGTH: Short :   29 lines