Doc here to share a few minutes with you to discuss the 15th Avenue Adult Books and Theater in Melrose Park, IL (a western burb of Chicago).
After a period decidedly quieter than the first 2 1/2 years of operation, word reaching The Good Doctor's office (in The Valley near the small women's college) is that traffic is picking up, and couples are starting to re-engage this adult theater (and adjoining spa).
It has been my experience that most adult theaters undergo a period of substantial success, followed by an event that throws a wet towel on the business and thus cutting back on traffic to the theater. The best example of this are the theaters in the Drew Park area of Tampa (best described as the high holy ground of adult theaters anywhere in the country). The amount of reported activity at theaters like The Playhouse, Fantasyland, Adult Cinema (on Grady), and The Love Shack was like no other place in the country.
This came to a grinding halt in June of 2008, when Tampa officials allocated funding for a crack down of the theaters in Drew Park. Arrests followed, and thus the aforementioned wet towel was thrown over these businesses. Ownership even changed at Fantasyland during this period.
Let's fast-forward to today. Senior field reporter EJ submitted an excellent field report from Tampa, which was one of the first reports in many months discussing the Tampa scene. I am very encouraged by what I am hearing from Tampa, and hopefully one day soon I will be able to make a few "House Calls" to the theaters in Drew Park.
This story about Tampa is mirrored to a degree by the 15th Avenue Adult Books & Theater. Success, followed by LE intervention and disruption, and now hopefully positive steps back. Sure, there have been some changes to the theater (still one of the best layouts in the country), and the place is kept super clean. The biggest changes came to the arcade section, where doors were removed and half-dividers put up in their place.
Our good friend (and Canada's Greatest Natural Resource) Velvet Skye, spent 3 days at various times at 15th Avenue entertaining the troops. There are regular couples announcing trips there via CL or Yahoo. These are all positive things, and we here at The Journal hope that it continues.
If you have been to 15th Avenue recently and have anything to report, please e-mail The Good Doctor at emiliolizardo1@gmail.com. I'll get your report up, and you will just feel better about yourself for doing so!
Thanks,
Doc