Meet Joe Redner, “Tampa’s Strip-Club King“:
… More than sunshine, cigars or the rollercoasters at Busch Gardens, Tampa is known for its naked ladies.
And the man in the thick of this spectacle is Joe Redner, who almost single-handedly made Tampa’s adult entertainment world famous. He’s a wiry 72-year-old with a bemused smile and skeptical brown eyes who owns what is arguably the most notorious of Tampa’s all-nude clubs: Mons Venus.
The club — located less than 6 miles from where the Republicans will gather to nominate former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as their presidential candidate — isn’t much to look at. The blue-and-purple building sits on a busy stretch of road next to a Taco Bell and near where the NFL champion Buccaneers play home games. There’s a sign outside that says “Home of the Most Beautiful Women in the World,” and another: “Live NUDE Shows.”
“I don’t expect the RNC to be as busy as Super Bowl,” Redner said, with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I don’t think those people are coming to party.” …
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He’s still involved in community issues. He goes to county commission meetings and recently, stopped in to an ACLU meeting about the RNC. He’s worried that protests will get out of hand and that police will use too much force on demonstrators — especially since he’s letting some Occupy Tampa members camp and protest 24/7 on a private lot he owns west of downtown. Redner’s been in the news for that, lately, as well; residents of the area are fed up with the campers and are worried the RNC will draw thousands of people to the neighborhood.Redner doesn’t talk much about the actual Republicans coming to town; he considers himself a very liberal progressive. He doesn’t like the Republicans’ politics, but is hopeful that will bring money into the community. His club’s business is down by 50 percent since its heyday in the late 90s, he said. Tampa is in a recession. …
Other strip club owners in Tampa are more optimistic than Lange about seeing more customers; 2001 Odyssey’s Kleinhans said he’s put in a VIP area for the RNC, complete with a private entrance around the side of the club, so anyone who wants to sneak in unannounced can do so.
Redner refuses to do that for his customers.
“I can’t play to that part of human nature,” sniffs Redner. “If you gotta hide from what you’re doing, you shouldn’t be doing it.”
Folks have been wondering what Redner will do during the RNC. Will he protest and get arrested, like he did when President George W. Bush and his brother, Jeb, held a Tampa rally in 2008? Will he offer some outrageous promotion at The Mons? Tip reporters off if a famous politician comes into the club?
Nope. None of that.
He’s going to be in Vegas, for a gentlemen’s club expo. He’s the keynote speaker.
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Bonus extra for those conventioneers (and media snoops) who prefer a less passive, more open-ended introduction to Tampa’s entertainment options: Via commentor Dr. BDH, let me introduce you to GaYBOR, “the center of Tampa Bay’s GLBTA community!”
Open Thread: Alternate RNC Entertainment OptionsPost + Comments (86)