Cassa Niedringhaus

cniedringhaus@coloradoan.com

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When Larimer County's only strip club closed in September 2013, Jana Knapp Sanchez saw an opportunity.

The local business owner and writer decided to open a new establishment in A Hunt Club's stead.

"The Hunt Club closed, and I'm like, 'How is it that we're a town of 160,000 people with a college and we don't have a strip club here?'" said Sanchez.

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City and county restrictions, mounting startup costs and real estate woes prevented Sanchez from opening a club. They pose significant hurdles and likely have prevented others from doing the same.

A Hunt Club, at 400 S. Link Lane, was located just outside city limits because of city regulations that ban strip clubs.

Fort Collins' municipal code includes a section entitled: Offenses Against Decency. It bans, among other things, the public display of material that "appeals to the prurient interest of the average person.” This includes sexual conduct and live sexual performances.

Larimer County's municipal code has restrictions on the hours of operation, minimum age of occupants and location of such establishments. County commissioners drafted the adult entertainment ordinance in response to the notorious topless doughnut shop Debbie Duz Donuts, which appeared near Mulberry Road and Interstate 25 in 1989 and caused a community-wide uproar.

Sanchez, a former Coloradoan advertising employee, grappled with the idea that even if she opened a club, she might not be able to obtain a liquor license due to complicated county codes. These codes require applicants to circulate petitions in the areas surrounding the proposed business to sample whether neighbors want an establishment selling alcohol in their neighborhood. Applicants must bring these petitions and other paperwork to a public hearing in front of the Board of County Commissioners.

Sanchez had three options for her venture: buy an existing liquor license, launch a monthslong process that would likely be futile, or open a club without liquor.

And the banks weren't exactly opening their vaults for her, either. National banks turned up their noses at a startup with one financial backer, and local banks shied away from funding a venture that could offend clients.

Sanchez said that in response to her pitch a local banker said, "Our clients will kill us."

Sanchez's breaking point came when she began touring real estate. Her choices were narrowed as many property owners recoiled at the idea of such an establishment on their property. She spent more than 45 days touring real estate that would require heavy renovations to fit her vision. Her project came with an estimated $2 million price tag.

That's when she decided to call it quits.

Although Fort Collins culture didn't play a role in Sanchez's decision not to open a strip club, it likely plays a role in the overall lack of such clubs.

People are opposed to strip clubs because they find them morally reprehensible, believe they degrade women and feel that they attract an unwanted criminal element, said Larry Bloom — a Colorado State University professor of psychology and licensed clinical psychologist with expertise in human sexuality.

"It's not a single instrument; it's more of a symphony," he said.

He said he didn't think religion was as a large a factor, at least here in Fort Collins.

The fact that a church now stands in A Hunt Club's location might suggest otherwise. So, too, might the uproar that exploded in the wake of Debbie Duz Donuts. Residents organized rallies, bought full-page newspaper ads and protested, holding signs with such messages as, "Do not be led into temptation."

Despite this reaction, and though Larimer County no longer sports a club, the region is speckled with them: The Clown's Den Gentleman's Club along U.S. Highway 85 near the Colorado-Wyoming border south of Cheyenne, Nitro Club and The Bustop in Boulder and the Goodtime Towne Tavern in Greeley.