Historic Vancouver Island strip club closes

It's the end of an era for a Victoria institution in erotic entertainment. One of the last remaining strip clubs on Vancouver Island, the Fox Showroom Pub, has permanently closed its doors due to financial pressures.

General manager Loran Werrun says it's a sign of the times as fewer people attend strip clubs.

"We had been expecting it to come at some point...it came a little sooner than we originally thought," Werrun said.

In a Facebook post earlier this week, the club told its more than 4,000 Facebook followers the news. "For reasons beyond our control, we are sorry to announce the permanent closure of the Fox."

The club opened its doors in 1987 and instantly became a mainstay in Victoria.

Werrun first set foot in the club in 1991 and started working there two years later. As time went on, Werrun's commitment to the Fox deepened. He became a manager six years ago, and prior to that, was its entertainment manager.

Decline in customers

Back then, Werrun said the atmosphere was different — a smoky bar, with rock and roll blasting through the speakers, and countless regulars crowding the bar. "Just a good time atmosphere, [with] a lot of blue collar workers in the bar at the time," he said.

Over the years, Werrun started to notice a drop in customers. The number of club patrons dwindled in the early 2000s, but he said everything changed during the economic recession in 2008. Suddenly, there didn't seem to be a lunch or dinner rush anymore.

As times got tougher, Werrun said the club had to restructure its business and reduce the dancers' wages.

The Fox was a respectable exotic club, Werrun said, where management protected the dancers.

"We were probably the strictest venue in Western Canada...it was more like a working vacation [for the dancers]," he said.

A 'special' place

Jess Wall performed at amateur night there a couple times about four years ago. Wall said it was a special place where everyone from the DJ to the manager facilitated a welcoming and open space.

"I never once felt threatened...I had a great time, I loved it. We had a really nice thing going," Wall said.

In recent years, the showroom started to incorporate different nights like drag nights.

The saddest part for Wall is that dancers won't come to the island anymore to perform. "It's going to push performers to other parts of B.C. or Alberta."