Framingham strip club would be classy, entrepreneur says

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Written by: 195 on Jul 20, 2010

FRAMINGHAM —

The Groton plumber proposing to open what he calls a "gentlemen's club" at the former Tin Alley Grill says his business would be nothing like seedy strip clubs elsewhere.

Joe Ferguson, who grew up in town, said yesterday his proposed Bright Side club on Rte. 9 would feature nude women but would be a classy establishment.

"There's going to be a dress code, it's going to be professional," he said.

Due to a mail mix-up, the Zoning Board of Appeals office did not receive until yesterday the fee to go with the application Ferguson filed for a variance, said Zoning Board Administrator Gene Kennedy.

Now that the check is in, Ferguson's proposal could go before the Zoning Board, possibly on Aug. 10 or Sept. 28, Kennedy said.

Ferguson, 28, will need the unanimous approval of the board's three members. "It's basically the prime spot for it," Ferguson said yesterday.

At the corner of Rte. 9 West and California Avenue, near Turnpike Exit 12, the property is in a manufacturing and commercial zone and just outside the town's designated adult entertainment zoning district.

Ferguson said he has a verbal agreement with the property owner to lease the building, which is "about 153 feet" outside the special zoning district.

The adult entertainment district is across the street on the eastbound side of Rte. 9, encompassing Staples headquarters and running east to upper Gates Street, south to the Pike and west to the Southborough line.

Ferguson said he would spruce up the building and grounds, put up a discreet sign with a half-sun logo and advertise by word of mouth only.

"It's certainly not, in my eyes, going to lower the town's value whatsoever," Ferguson said.

He said he has done research on higher-end clubs, and hopes to model his business on the adult nightclubs he visited in Montreal and Toronto.

"You certainly can tell the difference between one of less standards and one of higher standards, and my club will definitely have the highest of standards," he said. "There's nothing comparable in the area."

Ferguson would also need, but has yet to apply for, an adult entertainment license from the Board of Selectmen.

He said he's "going to go for full" nudity, but the dancers might not take off all their clothes every night.

He said one idea is to put men on stage on occasion and offer Chippendale-style entertainment for women.

There will be plasma TVs for people to watch sporting events.

Patrons could sit near the stage or be seated at tables to eat.

There would be surveillance cameras, and Ferguson said he would hire a police detail if necessary. He would not hesitate to throw people out.

He said he would also enforce a random drug-test policy for staff.

While Ferguson plans to seek a liquor license, he said he wouldn't want to serve shots.

"People take shots just to get drunk and I don't want it to be just another drunken bar," he said.Ferguson, who has two young children, said he lived in town until three years ago and may move back to Framingham.

In February, Ferguson was charged with felony theft in Nashua, N.H., but he said those were dropped on his first court date.

"It was a simple misunderstanding," he said.

The county attorney's office yesterday afternoon said it does not have a record of the case. That office, the Nashua District Court and Nashua Police Department could not confirm yesterday the case was dismissed.

Ferguson said he is an entrepreneur with a solid business plan.

He said he has worked "at a few nightclubs, between checking IDs to doing bouncing to promotions," and has managerial experience.

"I took a plumbing company from the ground up, turned it into a well-oiled machine," he said.

Because of the type of business he's proposing, Ferguson realizes he will have opponents.

"Everybody's not going to agree with it," he said. "I know that. But a lot of people will agree with it."

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