Déjà Vu (company) explained

Deja Vu Services, Inc.
Former Names:Deja Vu Consulting, Inc. / Deja Vu, Inc.
Type:Private Corporation
Industry:Adult Entertainment
Founded:1968
Founder:Harry Mohney
Hq Location City:Las Vegas, Nevada
Hq Location Country:USA
Num Locations:200+
Area Served:International
Revenue:$400M+ Annually
Owners:-->
Num Employees:8,000+
Website:www.dejavu.com

Deja Vu Services, Inc., is an American company that operates nearly 200 strip clubs in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, France, Canada, and Mexico.[1]

It also operates a large chain of adult retail stores, adult websites, adult production studios, gay bars, nightclubs, sports bars, karaoke bars, restaurants, and has substantial real estate holdings.

As the largest strip club operator in the world, it is also one of the largest adult businesses in history.[2] [3] Its flagship locations in Las Vegas and Tijuana are the largest adult nightclubs in the World.[4] [5]

The company is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was founded by Harry Mohney, who opened his first Deja Vu Showgirls club in Lake City, WA, in 1985 with partners Larry Flynt and Roger Forbes. Deja Vu had a humble beginning when Mohney secured employment in the early 1960s as a projectionist at a drive-in movie theater in Durand, Michigan, later converting the failing enterprise into the infamous "Durand Dirties" drive-in porn theater.[6] The company quickly grew to over 300 adult theaters and stores nationally. Mohney pioneered the concept of the modern strip club in 1971, opening various "go-go" bars in the Midwest.[7] An elusive man often referred to as the "Howard Hughes of Porn," Mohney was the largest distributor of pornography from the late '60s to the mid '90s,[8] grossing nearly $1 billion in the distribution business between 1970 and 1998. That business largely concluded with Mohney serving three years in federal prison for tax-related crimes.[9] While he was indicted over 100 times, this was the only charge that ever resulted in a conviction.

While Deja Vu's clubs operate under nearly 30 brand names, many are called Deja Vu Showgirls, Little Darlings, Dream Girls, Larry Flynt's HUSTLER Club, or HUSTLER's Barely Legal Club. Mohney's long-time friend, Larry Flynt, licensed Deja Vu the brand names for the HUSTLER Clubs and HUSTLER Hollywood stores, but was not involved in their operations. Deja Vu has monopolies or near-monopolies in many areas, including San Francisco, Washington State, and Tijuana, Mexico.[10] [11] The clubs typically aim for a clean and upscale atmosphere and offer fully nude or topless stage dancing as well as lap dances.

Deja Vu clubs are widely known for hosting industry-wide contests, including Showgirl of the Year, Pole Princess, and Showgirl Spectacular.[12] Its publicity stunts and charity events at various clubs often garner international media attention.[13]

Legal filings have indicated that Deja Vu’s affiliated entities have “ownership or controlling interest” in the real estate of more than 60% of the licensed adult entertainment clubs and stores in California.[14] [15] [16]   Its other noteworthy real estate holdings include most of Bourbon Street in New Orleans and a large portion of the real estate zoned for adult entertainment in many major cities in Minnesota, Florida, and Ohio.[17] [18] [19]

Deja Vu's operation also includes a large chain of adult retail stores with nearly 60 locations. Those businesses also operate under a variety of trade names, including HUSTLER Hollywood, The Love Boutique, Adult Emporium, and Pleasure Emporium. They sell adult merchandise such as sex toys, lingerie, DVDs, etc., with most also featuring adult theaters and arcades.

Deja Vu's Erotic Heritage Museum in Las Vegas is a non-profit educational museum that features the world's largest collection of historical erotica, sexual artifacts, antique sexual devices, and one-of-a-kind exhibits, with nearly 30,000 feet of exhibition and education space. Its grand patron is Harry Mohney, with many items borrowed from his expansive personal collection.

While Deja Vu does not publicize all of its assets, various newspaper articles and legal filings have disclosed investment in an array of companies, including various adult video production studios and websites, popular gay bars like The Gay 90's, renowned nightclubs like The World-Famous Cat's Meow, and even national restaurant chains like Dick's Last Resort.[20] [21] The company is also known for having operated various businesses that set various landmark First Amendment Supreme Court decisions, including Miller v. California, Marks v. United States, City of Los Angeles v. Alameda Books, Inc., and Barnes v. Glen Theater, Inc.

Awards

See also

Sources

Notes and References

  1. News: Home. Deja Vu Showgirls. 2016-12-17.
  2. Web site: Home. dejavu.com. 24 June 2016.
  3. Web site: Home. hustlerclubs.com. 24 June 2016.
  4. Web site:
    1. 1 GENTLEMEN'S CLUB IN THE WORLD - Déjà Vu Showgirls Tijuana
    . dejavutijuana.com. 2016-12-17.
  5. Web site: Best Las Vegas Strip Club Strip Clubs Las Vegas. vegashustlerclub.com. en-US. 2016-12-17.
  6. News: Daily Beast Article. The Daily Beast. 17 January 2015. Miller. Steve.
  7. Web site: Harry Mohney: The ED Exclusive. Manack. Dave. 2019-12-20. Exotic Dancer. en-US. 2020-04-14.
  8. Web site: 10 News Article.
  9. Web site: MLive Article. 30 June 2011.
  10. Web site: Seattle Has a Strip Club Monopoly and It's Bad for Our Strippers. Mar 12. Nathalie Graham •. Am. 2019 at 8:55. The Stranger. en. 2020-04-14.
  11. Web site: 2013-08-21. Lusty Lady Closure Creates S.F. Strip Club Monopoly for Seattle-Based Business. 2020-11-01. SF Weekly. en-US.
  12. Web site: Hayla crowned Deja Vu's Showgirl of the Year. EDpublications. 2019-11-18. Exotic Dancer. en-US. 2020-04-14.
  13. Web site: Las Vegas strip club recruits recent high school graduates to pay their way through college.
  14. Web site: United States v. Mohney, 723 F. Supp. 1197 – CourtListener.com. 2020-11-01. CourtListener. en-us.
  15. Web site: Writers. Susan Sward, Bill Wallace, Chronicle Staff. 1997-10-20. North Beach Leaders Want Investigation of Nightspots. 2020-11-01. SFGATE. en-US.
  16. Web site: Writers. Susan Sward, Bill Wallace, Chronicle Staff. 1997-08-13. Porn King Moves Into North Beach / Michigan mogul starts stealthy takeover of sex clubs in S.F.. 2020-11-01. SFGATE. en-US.
  17. Web site: ShieldSquare Captcha. 2020-11-01. mn.gov. en.
  18. Web site: North Beach asset stripping. 2020-11-01. www.bizjournals.com.
  19. Web site: The king of clubs. 2020-11-01. Star Tribune.
  20. Web site: New Orleans karaoke favorite the Cat's Meow curls up on Fremont - Las Vegas Weekly. lasvegasweekly.com. 2020-04-14.
  21. Web site: Dick's Last Resort sold to strip club operator. Dahlman. Steven. Loop North News. 2020-04-14.
  22. Web site: The 1998 Award Winners. 2014-08-21. ED Publications. https://web.archive.org/web/20140626011223/http://edpublications.com/award-winners-1998. 2014-06-26. dead.
  23. Web site: The 1999 Award Winners. 2014-08-21. ED Publications.
  24. Web site: The 2000 Award Winners. 2014-08-21. ED Publications.
  25. Web site: The 2001 Award Winners. 2014-08-21. ED Publications.
  26. Web site: The 2002 Award Winners. 2014-08-21. ED Publications.
  27. Web site: The 2003 Award Winners. 2014-08-21. ED Publications.
  28. Web site: The 2004 Award Winners. 2014-08-21. ED Publications.
  29. Web site: The 2006 Award Winners. 2014-08-21. ED Publications. https://web.archive.org/web/20140626005531/http://edpublications.com/award-winners-2006. 2014-06-26. dead.
  30. Web site: The 2008 Award Winners. 2014-08-21. ED Publications. 2014-06-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20140626015144/http://edpublications.com/award-winners-2008. dead.
  31. FSC Announces 'Election 2008' Gala Fundraiser. 2014-08-21. David Sullivan. 2008-06-30. AVN.
  32. Web site: The 2009 Award Winners. 2014-08-21. ED Publications.
  33. Exotic Dancer Awards Names 2010 Winners. 2014-08-21. Steve Javors. 2010-08-25. AVN.
  34. Web site: The 2011 Award Winners. 2014-08-21. ED Publications.
  35. Web site: Exotic Dancer Publications Announces 2012 Award Winners. 2014-08-21. Chad Mayer. 2012-09-05. XBIZ.
  36. ED's Exotic Dancer Awards Show Announces Winners. 2014-08-21. 2013-08-28. AVN.
  37. Web site: 2013 Awards Show. theedexpo.com. 2020-04-07.
  38. Web site: 2013 Awards Show. theedexpo.com. 2020-04-07.
  39. Web site: 2013 Awards Show. theedexpo.com. 2020-04-07.
  40. Web site: 2013 Awards Show. theedexpo.com. 2020-04-07.
  41. Web site: The Award Winners 2014. theedexpo.com. 2020-04-07. 2020-04-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20200407013037/https://theedexpo.com/award-winners-2014. dead.
  42. Web site: The Award Winners 2015. theedexpo.com. 2020-04-07.
  43. Web site: The Award Winners 2016. theedexpo.com. 2020-04-07.
  44. Web site: 2017 ED Awards Show. theedexpo.com. 2020-04-07.
  45. Web site: EXPO 2018. theedexpo.com. 2020-04-07.
  46. Web site: 2019 ED Awards Show. theedexpo.com. 2020-04-07.

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