THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, September 5, 1994 TAG: 9409050040
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
If there is such a thing as a tasteful topless bar, Frazier T. Boyd III says he runs one.
Boyd owns a Richmond nightclub that he says caters to a clientele more likely to be dressed in pin stripes and slacks than biker jackets and torn jeans. The club, called Paper Moon, features dancers who are prohibited from sporting visible tattoos, a clean interior decorated in crisp purple tones, security guards who patrol for rowdiness on weekends and a sign outside that proclaims, `No Tank Tops.'
``We're a different kind of club,'' said Boyd, a 29-year-old former computer consultant.
Boyd plans to spin off his club to other sites in the city and hopes over the next few years to open in Northern Virginia, Newport News, Raleigh, N.C., and other medium-size locales. He says his customers come to enjoy hearty food, more than 20 different drafts on tap and some harmless fun.
As required by Virginia law for establishments that serve wine and beer, Boyd's dancers must wear coverings such as pasties and a bikini thong over their genital areas. Dancers cannot touch customers while performing.
``It's safe sex in itself,'' Boyd said. Customers ``have a good time and then go home.''
But despite Boyd's claims of refinement, critics say the idea of a classy topless bar is nonsense.
A contingent of business owners sued Boyd over his plans to open a club in the city's historic Shockoe Bottom district. A Richmond Circuit Court judge said Tuesday that Boyd could not open the new bar until a hearing this fall resolves the question of the legality of putting a topless club in the area. Now Boyd says he'll modify his plans by opening the club sans topless dancers while the case is pending.
``They are working hard to redevelop this area of the city,'' said John Rick, an attorney for the business owners. ``Even if it's Mr. Boyd's `high class' type of topless bar, it's the first step toward turning the area into more of a red-light district.''
And some other critics say that no matter who patronizes them and how they are decorated, topless bars still exploit women.
``I don't care what your target audience is,'' said Lynn Bradford, president of the Richmond chapter of the National Organization for Women. ``Treating women as objects is wrong.''
Bradford said she has not been to Boyd's club.
Boyd said his club represents a growing industry. He said he studied the market for several years before opening the Paper Moon last November and works 16-hour days to make the club a success. He won't release sales figures, but said business is good.
And on a recent weekday afternoon, the place was packed. Patrons munched on sandwiches and chips while watching an 18-year-old dancer in 4-inch stiletto heels writhe and shake onstage to the beat of Top 40 hits.
Michael Bare, the owner and president of Fairfax-based Restaurant and Hotel Services, said Boyd's upscale approach to toplessness is not unique. Such clubs are popping up in many places because owners can operate on low overheads and charge high drink prices, he said.
Most clubs succeed as long as they are well-run and owners can maneuver through the legal maze associated with toplessness, said Bare, whose firm provides undercover customer reports to more than 3,500 clients nationwide, including some topless bar chains.
Bare said many such clubs appeal to people who would not patronize a shabby, go-go establishment.
``The tables aren't broken. There's not ripped upholstery. They're not seedy,'' he said. ``They're upscale.''
Jerry Reid, owner and manager of three topless clubs in central North Carolina, said clubs must follow state laws to the letter if they want to stay in business.
``You have to do things better than anyone else because you're under the gun all the time,'' he said.
Reid said upscale topless clubs must also take a new approach to entertainment so they can be competitive. One of his clubs has a well-attended Friday buffet lunch. ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Owner Frazier T. Boyd III says the Paper Moon is ``a different kind
of club.''
KEYWORDS: TOPLESS BAR by CNB