Mermaids Gentlemen's Club Welcomes RNC

The Republican National Convention is coming, and the hotels aren't the only ones promoting themselves for the politically minded visitors.

Adults-only "gentlemen's clubs" around Tampa Bay are prepping for the event by sprucing up establishments and hiring new entertainers to take advantage of the surge of visitors that will be in Tampa Bay.

For those uninformed, gentlemen's clubs are the not the Victorian Era male-only meeting places of yore, but a modern-day euphemism for strip clubs and bikini bars. In other words, don't expect top hats and canes but dancing girls and poles.

Thee Dollhouse in Tampa has gone as far as to undergo major renovations costing $1 million and hire a Sarah Palin lookalike entertainer for the convention, according to NYDailyNews.com.

Mermaids on St. Pete Beach, which is classified as a bikini bar and has no nudity, is taking a different approach though. With a sign welcoming the RNC outside, the club is seeking to invite visitors to Tampa Bay to see the quality of the club, said Richard Matthis, general manager of Mermaids.

"We welcome everybody. We're throwing out the red carpet for anyone who chooses to come (to Mermaids)," Matthis said.

Previously, Mermaids has welcomed the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and any large event visiting the Pinellas area.

Some of the adult businesses in the area are hoping that their business will quadruple while the RNC is in town, according to the Daily Caller. Matthis, on the other hand, is looking for a boost in all businesses across the beach area, not just his own.

"I'm hoping it will be a shot in the arm for our businesses (on the beach) since August and September are our worst months," Matthis said. "I want the whole beach area to do well."