Hustler Illinois Strip Club Washington Park-10 miles from St. Louis
by Jack Corbett

After not interviewing anyone representing Deja Vu's management team let me just say, 1. that everything I predict is likely to be wrong, 2. I have done little research on the Deja Vu's chain and its relationship with Hustler and Larry Flynt, 3. I know little about Larry Flynt's new Hustler Club chain, and 4. That once again, many surprises are likely to await us on what is going to happen with Deja Vu's Washington Park, Illinois Club. But the word is out.  This summer the Deja Vu gentlemen's Club becomes a Hustler Illinois strip club and Larry Flynt will be at the grand opening. Hearing that the new Hustler sign was already up, I finally made it over to Deja Vu last night. It wasn't. I was elated that Mike Parker, Deja Vu's General Manager was in the club. I was disappointed that he was very busy on this Friday night but I still managed to squeeze into his hands two of the most recent issues of "Xtreme Magazine". I had two of my articles in one, including my interview of its cover girl, Gina Lynn with three articles in the other. Catching a glimpse of Mike entering his office I saw a half dozen people inside as Mike said to me, "I'll be back out to talk with you in awhile." Experience had taught me that Friday and Saturday night's were not good for getting quality time with Mike. There was always too much going on in the place and Voodoo and I had planned on going to Platinum next. Ordering two macho mugs we found ourselves standing at the bar next to a pretty blonde dancer. Half way through our macho mugs Voodoo managed to finally find a seat next to a fat guy. I stood next to him, talking to the blonde for awhile who had to take her turn at the stage once or twice. She did come back to me and I liked her a lot better than most dancers I meet at first. Once or twice Voodoo would lean over and tell me...."This guy's really full of shit." And from what I could tell, he was, since from the bits and pieces of the conversation I was picking up, this fat man knew lots of movers and shakers across the entire U.S. Who cares about the crowd that night at Deja Vu, anyway? What's important is what is to become of this club. Deja Vu's chain of clubs now surpassing 55 across the U.S. is unquestionably by far the largest in the U.S. Although I am not sure of how it all works, Larry Trost out of Springfield, Illinois owns the Washington Park Club franchise, the Springfield Deja Vu, and two or three others. For many years Mike Parker was one of Larry's top managers in his Springfield Club until Larry relocated Mike to the St Louis Metro East to manage his latest acquisition. Say what you want about Deja Vu and its ways of doing things but Parker's a savvy guy who knows what he is doing. In previous conversations with Mike I've found him to be remarkably well informed about what's happening in the adult entertainment world across the U.S. and to be very astute on management issues. A hard worker, Mike's managed to somehow retain a good natured sense of humor but if there's anything that sets him across from many other top managers, it's his superior sense of fairness. Dancers who have worked under Parker, love and respect him. So what does this have to do with the question of Deja Vu's becoming a Hustler Club? Plenty. First, I don't think that Larry Trost has any intention of relinquishing control or ownership of the Washington Park Deja Vu. There's simply too much opportunity here. For one thing, the old Jewel Box location is smack right off highway 64 a few short miles from St Louis over here on the Illinois side of the river. And although I've not been to Larry's other Deja Vu clubs, I've been in his Springfield, Illinois club a few times and believe it to be very successful. But what works in Springfield, is not going to work here in the St Louis Metro East. For one thing, you can't own a totally nude club in Springfield and serve alcohol. Like most Deja Vu's it is a juice bar. And there's no competition for Larry's Springfield club. It's the only game in town. But this is the wild and wide open Metro East where female bartenders in many traditional bars are apt to flash their breasts and where a lot of bars and clubs stay open practically all night long. The better clubs in the St Louis Metro East charge $5.25 for a bottle of beer. Not only did Larry Trost open an alcohol serving completely nude Deja Vu Club, he dropped his prices on all drinks on Tuesdays. Here a man can get a bottle of beer, a mixed drink, or a 28 ounce macho mug for just two bucks. PT's which now has five clubs in the area, introduced its 99 cent draft beer and $1.99 bottle Tuesdays at PT's Sports and recently started its two dollar drink specials on Wednesdays over at Roxies, its Brooklyn Club, to match Larry's challenge. PT's is a very difficult chain to compete against, even for Deja Vu. Undoubtably Larry's aggressive marketing of his new Washington Park Club, with its drink specials, heavy advertising, and plethora of featured entertainer acts has caused PT's to rethink part of its own marketing strategy. Nevertheless, I doubt that Deja Vu has gotten the business that I think Larry was counting on. So what would a shrewd businessman do? My guess is that Larry's been rethinking his marketing strategy trying to determine what has been working and what's not been productive. It could well be that he thinks he's been too locked into the Deja Vu's way of doing things, and that although Deja Vu's formula for success has usually worked elsewhere, it's not the ticket for him here in the St. Louis Metro East. If I'm right, the obvious solution for him is to get this club unlocked from Deja Vu's ways of doing things, which means among other things, to change the club's image. This could mean divesting himself of his Deja Vu franchise arrangement while still retaining ownership or at least majority control in the Washington Park Club. He could sell out entirely and this can be exactly what he is doing---selling his club to Larry Flynt. But this little feeling in my guts tells me this is not what Larry Trost is doing. The old Jewel Box location offers just too much opportunity. He's already got a top notch man managing the place in Mike Parker. Wouldn't it make more sense to give Larry Flynt a cut in the action to use the Hustler name while rethinking his grand strategy, which he can unleash on the St Louis Metro East Club scene? Whatever happens, there is once again going to be change on the front lines of the St. Louis Metro East Club action. I am hoping that it's going to rekindle new interest in clubs in this area and give them the shot in the arm that the better clubs deserve.