Closure leaves workers, patrons in somber mood

Thursday, Sept. 16, 2004 | 10:58 a.m.

Treasures closed its doors at 11:45 p.m. on Wednesday and the last dancer tucked two pairs of platform heels, one silver, the other black, in her car and drove away at midnight.

Club employees said that the gentlemen's club would reopen at 6 p.m. today serving non-alcoholic beverages. They said it would take time to remove the liquor from the club.

A sign on the door read:

"We will be unable to serve alcoholic beverages after Wednesday, September 15, 2004 due to a license issue.

"Treasures would like to thank all of our customers for their support in the past and look forward to serving them again in the future."

A doorman who would not give his name said that Treasures has a gourmet restaurant that would also remain open.

The club had been operating with a temporary liquor license but the Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday denied a permanent license. The ruling went into effect at midnight.

One dancer leaving the club Wednesday night brightened at the thought of going out on the town instead of onstage. "If you can't work, might as well party," she said.

Most of the dancers, waitresses, waiters, bodyguards and bus boys left in a somber mood each going to their cars or pickup trucks and leaving.

For cocktail waitress Samantha Welling, 24, who arrived at 11:40 p.m. for her graveyard shift, the closed doors came as a shock.

Welling moved to Las Vegas from Denver in January.

"It took me four months to find a job here," Welling said. Supervisors told her it would be two weeks to a month before she can expect to work again.

Customers leaving the gentlemen's club near Sahara Avenue and Highland Drive were disappointed.

Eric Cortez of San Diego said there were about 20 customers in the club Wednesday night, not like Aug. 25 when he was there celebrating a friend's birthday.

"It's definitely not going to be the same," Cortez said. "It's so classy."

Fallon Cocoran called it "outrageous" and said she felt safe at the club. "I'd come back, it's comfortable."

A doorman shooed taxi cabs away from the front of the club after the last customer had left and swung the black wrought iron gate across the entrance at 12:10 a.m.