As strip clubs struggle to retain customers due in part to the rise of online pornography, one chain has turned to a new crop of performers to put butts in seats — influencers and reality TV stars.
Mike Dickinson, regional operator of Pony Clubs in the South and Midwest, said he got the idea to book influencers — such as viral jiggle joint phenom “Honey Boo Boo” star Pumpkin — after realizing they could stimulate some cash flow.
“You don’t want to be Blockbuster in a Netflix world,” Dickinson told The Post.
He said he originally booked strippers with massive online followings before expanding out further and landing influencers who had never danced in a jiggle joint before — such as Pumpkin, real name Lauryn Efird.
“She was someone that you wouldn’t think would be a big draw in a strip club, but she’s phenomenal. People come, they line up early to see her,” Dickinson said.
Big-name influencers are paid an appearance fee ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 to show up at his clubs on a weekend, Dickinson said. They also make tips, and some will give private dances in the VIP room for a fee, depending on the influencer, he said.
Pumpkin said she’s loved her foray into the world of exotic dancing and that her appeal as an influencer has brought people who would never otherwise go to a strip club out to see her.
“My fans follow me everywhere I go, the crowds are insane, at the Pony in Chattanooga we had 200 people in the door before midnight,” she said.
Pumpkin, who began stripping shortly after launching her OnlyFans, said that she’s found her performances to be a real “confidence booster,” but won’t become a full-time dancer anytime soon.
“Me and my boyfriend tell people it’s a fun event to do once or twice a month, but not something I could do every night,” she said.
And the money isn’t bad, either. Pumpkin said her star power can generate up to $10,000 on a good night of dancing.
Dickinson’s embrace of influencers comes as strip clubs have seen a downturn of revenue since the COVID pandemic, industry experts said.
“The strip club industry never bounced back after COVID; young people have changed, they’re on their phones, they’re not drinking, they’re not having sex anymore,” Frank Bane, owner of Continental Agency, which provides representation for strippers, said.
Shanna Brooks, a porn star turned stand-up comedian, has performed comedy topless at Dickinson’s clubs and said that the patrons were caught off guard by her performance.
“It’s not what they’re used to, but by the end they gave me a really positive response, people were handing me tips after the show,” she said.
Former UFC and WWE star Matt Riddle, who was booked by Dickinson to judge a butt-slapping contest at one of his clubs, said that influencers are good for the strip club industry.
“The girls are excited to have someone to have in their besides customers. It helped everybody out, not just me but the business, the girls,” Riddle said.
