since I was around 15, I’ve been fascinated with burlesque, vaudeville, and cabaret shows. They feel naughty yet vintage. I just love the immersion of “trash” and “class” in one venue.
Ten years later, I live in a city that could actually support a club like that. I’ve done a small demographics sample and the average age of the town is 35 (good for nightlife), there’s a large LGBTQ population (LGBTQ has very deep roots in vaudeville and I would have drag acts), and people here have money to spend as the average income is 96k just under 6 figures.
I love the idea, but it just feels like a pipe dream. How much money do I need to save to secure and renovate a venue? What do I do about a loan? Would I charge a fee at the door? How much would I charge for drinks? How much would I pay my employees? How many employees could I actually even afford? would the performers just be contract employees? The venue would have to be large enough so there could be ample room for stage performers. But what if we don’t draw in enough customers to meet overhead?
a couple friends told me I should try my hand at business ownership with something safer like a cafe. But I have no passion for a cafe. If I’m going to sink my time and money into something, I want it to be something that I actually care about even if it’s not the safe option.
Tldr; can I realistically open and run a burlesque club?