All three strip clubs in Sandy Springs have decided to close prior to a judge’s ruling on an injunction against their operations.
The three clubs, Coronet Club/Doll House, Mardi Gras and Flasher’s, have all decided to voluntarily close, according to an attorney and social media posts.
Adult businesses are prohibited in parts of Sandy Springs under zoning rules that were challenged by the clubs. The case died in June after the U.S. Supreme Court, the clubs’ last option, opted not to review it. The city previously won in lower courts.
Two adult bookstores that also are prohibited under the zoning regulations, Inserection and Love Shack, have not closed, according to attorney Cary Wiggins.
Most of the businesses are located on Roswell Road, except Mardi Gras, which is located on Powers Ferry Road.
Wiggins, who also represents Mardi Gras and Flasher’s, confirmed both those clubs have opted to close after a Fulton County Superior Court hearing on Sept. 5. Wiggins expects the judge’s ruling later this week.
A post on the Facebook account for the Coronet Club/Doll House announced the club’s closure.
“Unfortunately, the city of Sandy Springs disapproves of our industry and will no longer allows us to operate our business,” the post said. “We are closed indefinitely.”
It is unclear if any of the businesses will relocate to a part of the city they are allowed to operate or to another location.
City Attorney Dan Lee said he was “glad” the wishes of Sandy Springs residents, who voted for the mayor and City Council who created the regulations, could be enforced.
“It’s tough that it had to go on that long,” Lee said. “They fought a fight that they lost,” he said of the clubs.
A woman who said she works at Mardi Gras spoke on behalf of the club at the Sept. 4 Sandy Springs City Council meeting, asking them to reconsider closing the businesses.
She also said there is no data to show that the club has decreased nearby property values or caused crime.
“This is an unprecedented attack on an already marginalized group of men and women, myself included,” she said. “You will be forcing many of us into clubs that are running rampant with drugs and prostitution and the rest of us will simply be facing unemployment.”
She said the closure will have ripple effects that would harm not only dancers, but waitresses, valets, cab drivers and DJs, she said.
“The effects of our club closing does not stop at the door,” she said.
The city has said it has no problem with adult entertainment per se, but argues that it produces crime as a side effect that needs to be controlled. The businesses argued that the city’s laws are motivated by a bias against their work and intended to make it impossible for them to operate. The businesses sued, claiming violations of the U.S. Constitution’s First and Fourteenth Amendments, but they ultimately lost in state and federal courts.