The Glass Slipper, a theater for exoticdancing, sits just two blocks east of the WangCenter for the Performing Arts.
Male and female patrons converse over vodkamixers in the dimly-lit establishment while a nudewoman dances erotically on the bar.
A regular crowd still frequents the La GrangeStreet strip bar on most early evenings. Theowners of The Glass Slipper attribute theirstaying power to the invisible hand that guidesall capitalist markets.
"There's a need for it," says William, one ofThe Glass Slipper's owners, who refused to givehis last name. "If there wasn't a need for it, noone would come in, and we'd have to close down."
William, who owns three other clubs around thecountry and has operated the La Grange Streetfixture for 27 years, says Boston's pastbelligerence toward his industry was unusual.
"Every major city has them," he says. "Most ofthe cities condone it."
He says he did not think establishments likeThe Glass Slipper foster criminal activity andsuggests they may even promote family values.
"Two of my sons work here, and my wife workedin another club for many years," he says.
Good Neighbor Policy
Many store and restaurant owners on WashingtonStreet say the close proximity ofsexually-oriented industries does not harm theirinvestments.
"They do their business. Our customers don'tcomplain about it," says James C. Toh, the managerof Penang, a Malaysian restaurant located nextdoor to the Erotic Entertainment Center onWashington Street.
Toh, whose 14-month-old, family-orientedrestaurant has garnered Best of Boston accoladesfrom Boston Magazine, says he went into businessdespite the presence of a neighboring X-ratedstore.
"This type of business before us was alreadyestablished," he says of the adult book, video andaccessory seller next door. "Before we opened up,we thought about what effect it would have."
Since moving in, Toh has grown to accept thenearby source of fantasy flicks.
"The city has already cut down" the number ofpornography vendors in the area, he says,defending the Erotic Entertainment Center's rightto stay in business. "They should not cut out toomany more."
Read more in News
AIDS Fundraiser Going WellRecommended Articles
-
City Council Rejects Manager's Parking Zone PlanIn response to public uproar over a proposal that would severely limit parking rights by dividing the city into four
-
Harvard Prof To Design City?Recent media speculation surrounding Professor in Practice of Urban Design Alex Krieger’s placement on a long list of candidates to
-
Bill Targets Campus GrowthThere are few things that unite Harvard planners, Allston residents, and city officials. But in this case all groups agree:
-
Election Ends Political AnxietyThe election of Cambridge City Councillor Anthony D. Galluccio to the Massachusetts state senate not only effectively filled a vacant
-
Students Shop Off the Beaten PathWhile more than 1,000 students debated the motives for violence in Moral Reasoning 22, “Justice,” a handful bypassed their moral
-
Lafayette, We Are Here!It is important to note, the admission of women to the frontline comes a little late. The term “front line” is somewhat past its prime, and women have already been fighting on it for many years.
