The champion newspaper. (Decatur, GA) 19??-current, August 04, 2016, Image 10

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The champion newspaper., August 04, 2016, Image 10

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Newspaper Page TextLOCAL CHAMPION Aug. 4-10, 2016 • Page 10A Bill Gamble, owner of Strokers Entertainment Club in Clarkston, addressed the city’s public safety committee to discuss how a proposed tobacco ordinance would affect his business. Up in smoke Clarkston business owner voices concerns over tightened tobacco rules by R. Scott Belzer sbelzer@dekalbchamp.com An owner of an adult entertainment strip club voiced concerns on a smoke-free Clarkston July 26 during a public safety committee meeting. Bill Gamble, owner of Strokers Entertainment Club, said a pro posed ordinance banning smoking indoors could cause the 25-year- old Clarkston business to fail. “Having a smoking ban would be seriously detrimental to my business,” Gamble said. “I estimate 75 percent of our customers and employees use tobacco products.” Gamble said other problems for his business involve customers being forced outside to smoke when there is a cover charge, not allowing anyone younger than 21 to enter and mandatory security pat-downs. He also said the overall layout of the building is not conducive to having an outdoor patio. “We’re located in a strip mall,” Gamble said. “There is constant traffic in the front. The ordinance says you have to be 30 feet away. This is impossible.” Similarly, Gamble also said employees would have nowhere to use tobacco products and be forced to fully dress before going outside. The business owner said the ban would make it hard to compete in the adult entertainment business, as similar clubs close to Strokers do not have smoking bans. “Doing a smoking ban would greatly increase the discomfort of our customers,” Gamble said. “They have other options. They come from all over the metropolitan area. They drive past other options to get to our business in Clarkston.” According to a study by Priceonomics in 2015, the Atlanta area has 30 strip clubs equating to 6.7 clubs per 100,000 people. The study lists Atlanta as number five in the nation in number of strip clubs. Strokers’ closest competition is Pin Ups in Decatur, located on East Ponce de Leon Avenue, less than five miles away. Gamble said there was a strong possibility his business would have to shut down if the ordinance were to pass. The July 26 meeting was called specifically to hear from owners such as Gamble. The committee has the option to change the ordinance to suit the needs of various business owners and has done so with hookah lounges in Clarkston. Public safety committee member Mario Williams said he feels it would be unfair to pass an ordinance that negatively affects businesses in the city. He referenced New Orleans, where smoking is prohibited and expressed interest in viewing similar statistics when available. “We’ve met twice about the tobacco ordinance and it’s taken a progression,” Williams said. “It started off with being a general prohibition of indoor smoking. It has morphed into including hookah lounges with a grandfather clause. There is also a grandfather clause for the adult entertainment industry.” The ordinance prohibits “vaping” or using an electronic cigarette indoors and restricts smoking to 30 feet from a business’s entrance. Williams said complications would arise if a permanent grandfather clause were implemented for an adult entertainment industry and not hookah lounges or smoking lounges. Committee member and city councilman Dean Moore asked Gamble whether his business may increase for being a non-smoking adult entertainment establishment. “There are health conscious j people that go there,” Gamble said. “Without hard numbers in front of me, I can’t imagine that would be enough of our customer base.” Council member Robert Hogan said the grandfather clause could give customers and other residents in Clarkston time to acclimate to the proposed change. “No one wants to see businesses suffer,” Hogan said. “But when you see the health of our constituents suffer because of a business, it becomes something we want to look at and seriously consider.” Gamble said he might challenge the ordinance’s legality should it pass. He also said he would consider basing his business on clubs that operate smoke-free. Williams said Clarkston City Council will likely vote on the ordinance at its August meeting.