Café Cléopâtre “This isn't heritage. It's just a nude dance club.”

[YouVantOption]

There's an article in today's Globe and Mail about Café Cléopâtre

A flickering last stand for a red-light landmark
Cafe Cleopatre is the last vestige of St. Laurent Boulevard's storied past.
Montreal's Café Cléopâtre is fighting to keep the bad old ways alive

 

[shijak]

[QUOTE: thepukeyGlobe&Mail]Christian Yaccarini, president of Angus Development Corp., a non-profit company leading the redevelopment, says some people are clinging to a romantic and outdated view of the street.

“People are creating folklore. This part of St. Laurent is in a catastrophic state,” said Mr. Yaccarini, who says he has visited some roomers on the street. “Behind the myth of St. Laurent Boulevard are real people, and misery. The area has completely deteriorated. We've let it go.”

As for the Café Cléopâtre, he said: “This isn't heritage. It's just a nude dance club.”[/QUOTE]

This guy is part of the problem. He won't actually come out and say they actually have no plans to have this famous part of St-Laurent street be anything other than just another downtown office complex area, to become another in a long line of quaint, interesting neighbourhoods pulverized into oblivion and sterilized to make room for yet another corporate concrete box filled with unthinking worker drones. Oh, and we're sure to make some space for another Tim Horton's outlet, or a McDonald's, or a Jean Coutu, cuz we sure could use another one...
Just as the once-famous Blue Bonnets race track has finally been tackled to the ground so the long-salivating condo-developers can have a brand-new juicy piece of prime real-estate and plant about 50 nearly identical duplexes stacked neatly one next to the other. I'm sure they're impatiently waiting for religious fervour to keep dwindling even more, the better to plow through the Mount-Royal Oratory (can you imagine how much money can be made with hillside developments? )
Of course developers are going after the Lower St-Laurent area first, since they know they will have little public outcry. If they succeed, they'll likely go after....hmmm, say, higher up on St-Laurent where Schwartz is located, under the pretext its building is an eyesore and of course everyone would be so much happier if it relocated somewhere else in a brand-new building, right? In Schwartz's place, you just know they'll put another Ultramar concession with drive-thru fast food crap...

One more win for the big multi-national corporations, hip hip...

 

[YouVantOption]

Just as the once-famous Blue Bonnets race track has finally been tackled to the ground so the long-salivating condo-developers can have a brand-new juicy piece of prime real-estate and plant about 50 nearly identical duplexes stacked neatly one next to the other. I'm sure they're impatiently waiting for religious fervour to keep dwindling even more, the better to plow through the Mount-Royal Oratory (can you imagine how much money can be made with hillside developments? ).

Nice rant. Too bad it is wrong. Leaving aside all the baggage of religious orders insinuating themselves into governmental affairs, St. Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal is a Canadian government designated heritage site. As to Blue Bonnets, the place was dying for years. People don't want to go to 'the track'.

As it turns out, Loto Quebec thinks they want to stay home and gamble.

Anyway, this part of St. Laurent is only surpassed by the Lambert Closse to Fort as a stretch of urban road that is more run-down. I, for one, will not be mourning the passing of a strip club. They have the university at one end of the street, and Club Soda opposite, this development should make things a lot nicer for those two legitimate businesses. Sorry. I think we have plenty of sleazy strip bars, one less won't make a difference, at least, not to me.

 

[HornyForEver]

Christian Yaccarini "This isn't a businessman, He is just a thief

The Company We Keep

Trois édifices phares confiés à un homme au passé criminel


Enough said. As for the arrogant in chief, nobody really cares if you will ever miss Cleo's or not (how many times have you been to Cleo's, my guess is that this ranges from 0 to null).

 

[shijak]

Anyway, this part of St. Laurent is only surpassed by the Lambert Closse to Fort as a stretch of urban road that is more run-down. I, for one, will not be mourning the passing of a strip club. They have the university at one end of the street, and Club Soda opposite, this development should make things a lot nicer for those two legitimate businesses. Sorry. I think we have plenty of sleazy strip bars, one less won't make a difference, at least, not to me.

You're not getting my point, but then again from your prior-posted opinion on Cleo's fate, I hadn't expected you to. That YOU personally and others don't much care that Cleo's (and Club Soda, and the neighboring Peep Shows and dance clubs and Hot Dog places and etc.) be allowed to exist is NOT important, because your tastes are not the same as mine, or Joe Schmoe's across the street, or Susie Homemaker's from Blandville.

What I AM trying to put across is that society needs for these places to exist, the rundown clubs where young musical hopefuls can have their first gig in front of a crowd of 10 people, the cheap hot dog place you stop at at 5:30 in the morning after a bender, the sleazy bar filled with weird social outcasts that nonetheless are lively and inoffensive, the dusty pool hall that is heaven for cash-strapped students with cheap beer and long pool-playing hours on their minds...
Sure it's not always pretty, but I don't want my life to be pre-processed, shrink-wrapped and micro-managed. The people who want it that way moved long ago to the suburbs. I can enjoy an evening at the opera with my best suit on just as much as I can appreciate a AC/DC cover band at a hole in the wall dive...
I want these places to keep existing and to be allowed to keep existing. Cleo's and its neighbours won't be forced to close because it went out of business, it will close because some greedy, weaselly outside interests want to blow and swallow from corporate america's big one...
Yes, Blue Bonnets (the hippodrome if you will) IS almost deserted if it isn't already. Has anyone planned to do anything with the property other than putting up interminable line-ups of identical condos? Of course not...A baseball stadium, an opera house, an amusement parc,anything else? condos, condos, condos, straight from the mouths of many of my acquaintances in real estate...
And don't fool yourself about the Oratory. Protected or not, there are many, many people that are simply dying to get their hands on even a PORTION of that property, and they are willing to wait. It took over 20-to 30 years for the Hyppodrome property to get as close as it has to falling into public hands. With the right set of circumstances, even THAT beloved landmark can fall...

 

[orallover]

I heard U2 is going to play at that blue bonnett next year?

 

[Techman]

In September, city council approved plans that include a 12-storey office tower for Hydro-Québec employees and commercial space on the street, part of a larger urban overhaul to create an entertainment district.

I'm still waiting for someone to explain what a 12 story Hydro Quebec office complex has to do with entertainment. Hydro keeps hiking the rates we pay claiming they need more money but they have the money to build this monstrosity?

“People are creating folklore. This part of St. Laurent is in a catastrophic state,” said Mr. Yaccarini, who says he has visited some roomers on the street. “Behind the myth of St. Laurent Boulevard are real people, and misery. The area has completely deteriorated. We've let it go.”

Who exactly are those 'We'? The city, that's who they are. They could have stepped in many years ago with building inspectors and made improvements to the area but they were more than happy to see it fall apart so that they could come in with their great plan of a pseudo cultural entertainment district of which we have seen little evidence of. A Hydro Quebec office complex with commercial space on the first floor is hardly fitting within the concept of an entertainment district.

But in the end I don't think anything anyone does will save Cleo's. The only chance was in the last election but for some reason Tremblay was re-elected and I think that sealed the Lower Main's fate. It's a shame that we have homeless people in the streets but building an office building and erasing the past are more important than putting the money where it will actually do some good.

 

[Gotsome]

I heard from a dancer there that the owner is simply holding out for a better offer from the city and using the "last vestige of the burlesque" debate as a bargaining chip. I have no idea how true this is, but it makes sense. I think cleo's days are numbered. I have good memmories of this place and seen all of the booths each quite a few times, but lately everythings getting old; I'm getting old, some of the ladies are getting old and most don't even notice me sitting there anymore. I will no longer be going there anymore whether or not the place closes, but if it does close, I think it will be missed by a lot of people when its gone.

 

[Techman]

As far as I'm concerned, Cleo's is the last real strip club in the city. All of the others have moved upscale charging ridiculous prices for drinks and dances and turning into so called gentlemen's clubs. When Cleo's finally closes it will truly be the end of an era not only for the Main but for strip clubs in Montreal. And it will be a sad day when that happens.

If Johnny is holding out for as much as he can get, all power to him. He's fighting a battle he has no chance of winning so why shouldn't he try to get as much as he can out of the deal?

With all the talk about GTs lately, it would be nice to get everyone together for one last Cleo's GT before the doors close for good. So let's keep an eye on the developements and set something up before the wrecking ball beats us to it and we lose the chance to say a proper goodbye. With a bit of luck, we'll have until the spring but if things start to move faster than that let's be ready!

 

[HornyForEver]

I'm still waiting for someone to explain what a 12 story Hydro Quebec office complex has to do with entertainment. Hydro keeps hiking the rates we pay claiming they need more money but they have the money to build this monstrosity?

Shows require electricity and Hydro produces electricity. Le Quartier des Spectacles seems to be another project designed by some Megalomaniac people (like the Olympic stadium and Mirabel airport). I don't recall seeing that many people attending the Jazz fest. last summer. All these buildingsmight end up being deserted a good part of the year.

 

[HornyForEver]

Cleo's is much more than a nude bar as Christian Whateverani keeps mentioning in the media.

I go to Cleo's once a week. I have never been a real strip clubs goer before discovering Cleo's. I did not step inside any other strip club since 2006 and very likely will stop visiting strip clubs if Cleo's closes.

I don't go to the club just to watch some naked teenagers dancing. I mostly go to Cleo's because of its warm atmosphere. The staff there is very nice. The waitresses know exactly the habits of regular customers. Just as of recently, a waitress asked me if I wanted a glass with my drink. I usually get a glass, but that time I decided to live dangerously and drink my beer out of the bottle. The waitress asked me again if I wanted a glass when she brought my order. Some time later, another waitress just came in and put a shiny glass in front of me and I didn't ask her for anything. So, if you have some rituals at Cleo's, it is hard to change them even if you wanted to And since this thread is taking a farewell tone, I would like to thank all the waitresses at Cleo's who make our visits to the club so pleasant and the DJs for playing some nice music.

Another thing I like at this club is the fact that everybody is accepted and nobody seems to be judging anybody.

Closing Cleo's will be a big blow for many people who have been visiting this place for decades and on a regular basis. I tend to be a solitary person, though many clients developed friendships in this club. It is not uncommon to see clients warmly shaking hands or hugging each other on Dec 26th or on Jan 2nd.

Of course insensitive and emotion-impaired people will just see in Cleo's just another sleazy nude bar.

 

[Techman]

What buildings? They're building an office tower. It's not like they're building new concert halls or a school for the arts. Whether or not Hydro builds an office tower, I don't see how that affects the production of electricity. What will happen to the existing Hydro Quebec building after this one is built? Will it lay empty looking for new tenants that don't exist or will it end up as another condo project to bring in the money that this supposed 'non profit' enterprise won't?

There's a lot of questions still to be answered about this project.

 

[HornyForEver]

They are supposed to build some entertainment infrastructures at the eastern corner of St-Laurent and Ste-Catherine and in the area near St-Laurent metro.

My remark re. electricity was meant to be sarcastic, though I wouldn't be surprised to use such argument.

Hydro will keep its existing building. The new building will host hydro employers who are now at Place Dupuis.

 

[Dragonatic]

Cleo's is much more than a nude bar as Christian Whateverani keeps mentioning in the media.

I go to Cleo's once a week. I have never been a real strip clubs goer before discovering Cleo's. I did not step inside any other strip club since 2006 and very likely will stop visiting strip clubs if Cleo's closes.

I don't go to the club just to watch some naked teenagers dancing. I mostly go to Cleo's because of its warm atmosphere. The staff there is very nice. The waitresses know exactly the habits of regular customers. Just as of recently, a waitress asked me if I wanted a glass with my drink. I usually get a glass, but that time I decided to live dangerously and drink my beer out of the bottle. The waitress asked me again if I wanted a glass when she brought my order. Some time later, another waitress just came in and put a shiny glass in front of me and I didn't ask her for anything. So, if you have some rituals at Cleo's, it is hard to change them even if you wanted to And since this thread is taking a farewell tone, I would like to thank all the waitresses at Cleo's who make our visits to the club so pleasant and the DJs for playing some nice music.

Another thing I like at this club is the fact that everybody is accepted and nobody seems to be judging anybody.

Closing Cleo's will be a big blow for many people who have been visiting this place for decades and on a regular basis. I tend to be a solitary person, though many clients developed friendships in this club. It is not uncommon to see clients warmly shaking hands or hugging each other on Dec 26th or on Jan 2nd.

Of course insensitive and emotion-impaired people will just see in Cleo's just another sleazy nude bar.

I'm a regular of another strip club and the waitresses know exactly the habits of regular customers too. Each time I go there the waitress bring me the beer I want before asking for it. One time I wanted something else so since she gave me the wrong beer cause I changed my choice, she gave it to me free and she remembered my choice. Now sometimes she jokes, she bring the 2 kind of beer and she ask me "wich one you want tonight" so cleo is not an exception.

Also, many clients developed friendships too in this club and noone is rejected, everyone is welcome so once again, cleo is not an exception.

Cleo is not a gold spot! Stop making it so nice and big.... and yes I will see cleo like a sleazy bar cause its a sleazy bar!! Just look what the club look like.... This is not sleazy??? lol!

 

[EagerBeaver]

I'm a regular of another strip club and the waitresses know exactly the habits of regular customers too. Each time I go there the waitress bring me the beer I want before asking for it. One time I wanted something else so since she gave me the wrong beer cause I changed my choice, she gave it to me free and she remembered my choice. Now sometimes she jokes, she bring the 2 kind of beer and she ask me "wich one you want tonight" so cleo is not an exception.

Also, many clients developed friendships too in this club and noone is rejected, everyone is welcome so once again, cleo is not an exception.

Cleo is not a gold spot! Stop making it so nice and big.... and yes I will see cleo like a sleazy bar cause its a sleazy bar!! Just look what the club look like.... This is not sleazy??? lol!

I tend to agree, to me it is just a sleazy little strip club, and it is bizarrely pretentious to pretend otherwise. Any good strip club, restaurant or bar remembers what their regular customers order. The people who work at my health and fitness club remember what kind of protein shake I like and how I like it prepared, but I don't consider them to be "warm and friendly" because they do. They are simply doing their jobs.

 

[HornyForEver]

People should really learn how to read. I never said that Cleo's is not sleazy and that's part of its charm. People who don't go to this club will certainly fail to see the difference.

I know that some people like shiny clubs and tourist traps à la Solid Gold. Personally, I prefer clubs with atmosphere and Cleo's might be the last true strip club in Montreal.

 

[Dragonatic]

I don't like the shiny tourist traps like solid gold too but a sleazy bar like cleo is not better. For exemple, just go to Cabaret SexeMania on Ontario and you will see what I mean. SexeMania is not a sleazy, old, nasty bar like cleo but not a shiny rippoff like solid gold. Its just correct for a strip club. You don't feel to be rejected or ripped-off like solid gold or Kingdom and you don't feel to be in a dump where some Cockroaches could pass under your table or even worst, in a booth!

 

[Techman]

They have enough employees in Place Dupuis to fill a 12 story building that will stretch from Ste-Catherine down to the Monument National? Somehow I have the feeling that Hydro Quebec is just a bit overstaffed.

HFE, My SC habits are similar to yours. I haven't been in any other club in years and when Cleo's goes, I will probably stop going altogether. I haven't been going very much even to Cleo's since the smoking ban, only drop in every month or so mainly in the daytime. But I think I'll be picking things up in the next while in order to say goodbye to the only queen that really matters here in Montreal.

I agree that most people have no idea of the importance of places like Cleo's in many people's lives. They are a way to leave their problems behind and see a smiling face or two in the company of other like individuals. Like you said, no one is judged there and everyone is welcome. From people who are down on their luck to lawyers and businessmen, you can see all classes of people at Cleo's.

You know what? Maybe before she closes, I will even make a visit to the upstairs lounge so that my Cleo's memories will be complete.

And I will also add my thanks and appreciation to all the waitresses, doormen who are uncharacteristically not greedy, the DJs and of course all the lovely ladies I've had the pleasure to spend time with over the years or just watch on stage. And thanks to Johnny who I hope makes out like a bandit when they finally push him out.

I also met my first merbites at Cleo's, Oliver, who is still a friend and others who have moved on but who will never be forgotten and will always be remembered fondly no matter the disagreements we may have had.

Cleo's will soon be a memory, but that memory will live forever in many of our hearts. And in a place a little lower on our bodies.

For those of you who think it's just a sleazy bar, that's your opinion and you're entitled to it. But I'll take Cleo's over any of the glitzy strip clubs that have popped up over the years like Solid Gold(diggers) or Kingdom or Chez Paree or what SuperSexe has become. The only other club that I ever felt really comfortable in is Wandas and their insane prices were what drove me away from there. I loved the late and lamented Studio 300 in Laval also as it had a similar atmosphere as Cleo's. I never saw the problem with a strip club that was exactly that - a strip club, and not trying to be some socially acceptable 'gentlemens club'. It's real, not pretentious, like the clients and the women who work there. And I'll take real to fake and silicon enhanced dancers and pretentious clients anytime.

 

[shijak]

I don't like the shiny tourist traps like solid gold too but a sleazy bar like cleo is not better. For exemple, just go to Cabaret SexeMania on Ontario and you will see what I mean. SexeMania is not a sleazy, old, nasty bar like cleo but not a shiny rippoff like solid gold. Its just correct for a strip club. You don't feel to be rejected or ripped-off like solid gold or Kingdom and you don't feel to be in a dump where some Cockroaches could pass under your table or even worst, in a booth!

Some people just don't pay attention: yes, those of us who do like Cleo's KNOW that the place is sleazy, and we like it that way. We're (or in my case, were) comfortable going to this place and are/were perfectly content to return more than once.

Dragonatic, you and others don't like Cleo's for the sleaze factor, that's fine and we won't hold it against you if you prefer never to return. There are many things I can't stand out there, such as Celine Dion music (sorry girls), the tv shows Sex and the City, Star Academie and Occupation Double to name a few. I could go on and on about how these things annoy the shit out of me, and I think their mere existence is the first sign of the apocalypse.

But at the same time, I can recognize that others do like these things, and grudgingly accept their right to enjoy them. Should I do like those of you who want to shut down Cleo's because they dislike it, form up a gang of like-minded people like myself and do everything in my power to eradicate these things I disapprove from the face of the earth?

 

[Dee]

You're not getting my point, but then again from your prior-posted opinion on Cleo's fate, I hadn't expected you to. That YOU personally and others don't much care that Cleo's (and Club Soda, and the neighboring Peep Shows and dance clubs and Hot Dog places and etc.) be allowed to exist is NOT important, because your tastes are not the same as mine, or Joe Schmoe's across the street, or Susie Homemaker's from Blandville.

What I AM trying to put across is that society needs for these places to exist, the rundown clubs where young musical hopefuls can have their first gig in front of a crowd of 10 people, the cheap hot dog place you stop at at 5:30 in the morning after a bender, the sleazy bar filled with weird social outcasts that nonetheless are lively and inoffensive, the dusty pool hall that is heaven for cash-strapped students with cheap beer and long pool-playing hours on their minds...
Sure it's not always pretty, but I don't want my life to be pre-processed, shrink-wrapped and micro-managed. The people who want it that way moved long ago to the suburbs. I can enjoy an evening at the opera with my best suit on just as much as I can appreciate a AC/DC cover band at a hole in the wall dive...
I want these places to keep existing and to be allowed to keep existing. Cleo's and its neighbours won't be forced to close because it went out of business, it will close because some greedy, weaselly outside interests want to blow and swallow from corporate america's big one...

Well said Shijak... watch the folks having a great time with the live music at the Midway on a Friday night.... it's not only presidents of Imperial Oil who are entitled to enjoy themselves...

I love Cleo's... status in life doesn't matter there... it's a friendly place.

What I wonder is why Johnny wouldn't argue for the right to open elsewhere downtown ... this would be a good bargaining chip if it looked like he was going to lose...

Hadn't seen this comment before about the fire:

Lors d'une visite de La Presse sur les lieux, cette semaine, il y avait encore une forte odeur d'essence.

Looks like the head of the takeover is a crook.... everyone can have youthful indiscretions but this boy has established a track record. Ironically it may be a good thing that the head is crooked... if there is enough of an uproar maybe Cleo's will remain. (Besides could the city afford to pay for the extensive updates to Cleo's in the last century... replacing the new booth curtains!! (Made by Carla?))