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Showgirls Out, Karaoke In At Brandon Business

Tribune file photo (2006)

The last pole dance at Showgirls was Sunday.

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By TOM BRENNAN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 26, 2008

BRANDON - Showgirls, Brandon's controversial bikini bar, has closed its doors.

A family-oriented watering hole will soon open in its place.

Chris Jordan, one of new owners, said it is hard to describe what the Hi-Life Bar and Grill at 1602 E. Brandon Blvd. will be like.

"We're going to be an All-American, everything bar," he said.

"We will have plasma TVs for the sports fans; a stage for live music fans; a dance floor; a game room; and in the future we will have food."

He said there will be karaoke and comedy nights.

The last pole dance was Sunday. Jordan said crews started remodeling the building Monday.

He said the only thing adult about the place will be the beverages.

"The feedback we're getting is that a whole lot of local residents will be glad not to see it (the Showgirls Men's Club) there," Jordan said. "If they are happy about the change, maybe they will come in and see what's here."

Showgirls opened in February 2006, but only after a federal magistrate ordered county officials to stop dragging their feet and issue the necessary permits. The county eventually paid the club's owners $49,000 to settle a federal lawsuit claiming county officials manipulated procedures and county employees to block the opening.

Plans for Showgirls drew the ire of some local residents and religious groups. The opposition was led by Ronda Storms, a state senator who was then a county commissioner. Storms could not be reached for comment about the closing.

Jordan hopes any controversy is history.

"It has nothing to do with us," he said.

Jordan, his brother Mike and family friend Dave Langsam have struck a deal to buy the business and the building that houses it. He said lawyers are still hammering out the details and the sale should be final in the next few weeks.

The location has been the home for a number of businesses that have since closed. Jordan said he and his partners are not afraid of its track record.

"We always felt this location is great," he said, noting its proximity to a Lowe's, Home Depot and Wal-Mart. "This is one of the hottest corners in town."

Jordan said the bar should serve the growing surrounding suburbs.

He said they hope to be open by the Super Bowl on Feb. 1. He said the kitchen will come a bit later because of different regulatory requirements.

Jordan said he and his partners are only making cosmetic changes to the old dance hall.

The bar will remain unchanged. The stage will remain, but bands will replace dancers. The private dance area in the back is being converted to a dance floor and game area.

Jordan and his partners also own Kings Executive Limo and Kings Realty.

"We weren't looking to open a bar," he said. "This was an opportunity, something we were presented with."

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