Illinois Licensed Beverage Association Presents Facts on Smoking Ban Impact

A complete smoking ban in a community would result in hospitality businesses experiencing a severe decline in sales, and problems with neighbors as patrons would be outside smoking and making noise at all times of the night. Many of our member businesses are located in mixed-use districts adjacent to residential buildings.

Anti-smoking groups continue to make claims that smoking bans either have no negative economic impact on bars and restaurants or they actually improve the business in these venues. If this were true, the hospitality industry would be leading the charge to pass complete smoking bans-or at a minimum, business owners would have voluntarily banned smoking in their establishments.

The economic studies conducted by anti-smoking advocates conveniently conclude smoking bans are not bad for our industry. This is logical as they include establishments that don't hold a liquor license. This is also logical as they funded the studies. What is illogical is that they discount the studies funded by our industry stating that they are biased because we funded these studies-using this same logic; their studies are biased and should be discounted as well.

The integrity of the studies cited by these groups is questionable. For example, anti-smoking advocacy groups boast of recent statistics from Pueblo, Colorado citing a dramatic decrease in heart attacks since the inception of their ban. These groups consistently point to the reduction in heart attacks in Pueblo, Colorado and Helena, Montana as incontrovertible proof that secondhand smoke is doubling the heart attack rate among non-smokers.

These two studies comprise a population base of roughly 200,000 people. However, when you look at the 70 million people that comprise the non-smoking states of California, New York, Florida and Oregon-the heart attack rate has either not decreased at all or decreased such a small amount as to be statistically insignificant.

Researchers can deliberately sift through enough small local jurisdictions with smoking bans to find a few aberrations in heart attack rates and then claim that elimination of exposure to secondhand smoke will dramatically reduce incidents of heart attacks. Please don't be taken in by misleading claims based on very select data samples.

All-out smoking bans have a severe negative economic impact on hospitality venues that serve beverage alcohol for consumption on-premise. Some people view the information from anti-smoking groups as credible when the pocketbooks of these groups are not impacted, yet the economic forecast of the industry that will be directly impacted is viewed skeptically. Again, if a complete smoking ban would benefit the businesses in our industry, the ILBA wouldn't care about this issue. Of particular concern are independent, small, family owned businesses. These businesses will fold first.

If hospitality industry businesses lose revenue, cities will also lose revenue. On average in Illinois, hospitality businesses generate 1 of every 8 sales tax dollars. Can cities, towns and villages really afford to lose this revenue?
We urge the City Councils to pass a compromise proposal to ban smoking in all public places, with some limited exceptions for bars, bar areas of restaurants, lounge areas of bowling centers, fraternal clubs and limited areas in retail tobacco stores. Concurrently, require businesses to use a uniform sticker public notification system on all entrances to inform customers of their smoking policy.

For establishments with a fair share of smoking customers, banning smoking would cripple their business. To deny hospitality business owners the right to make market-based decisions on issues that affect their bottom line is a slap in the face of free enterprise.
Patrons of bars and other hospitality venues make an active choice in entering such establishments. Those who do not wish to be subjected to secondhand smoke can choose to visit one of the thousands of venues that have voluntarily gone smoke-free. The free-marketplace takes care of itself in these matters-there is no need for draconian government intervention.

The businesses in our industry have worked very hard to achieve a compatible existence with our residential and business neighbors. This will spiral out of control when patrons are hanging outside at all times of the night creating noise and litter because they cannot smoke in the establishment.

In addition to crowds, noise and litter-a complete ban would cause other problems including creating an environment that invites underage drinking. Bars work very hard to keep underage persons from entering their establishments. An all-out smoking ban would create a perpetual revolving door situation at bars and taverns-making it nearly impossible to maintain control over the persons coming in and out the doors.

A complete smoking ban will induce consumers to spend their money in neighboring communities. Smokers will continue to smoke. The claim that a smoking ban will cause people to quit smoking is without basis in fact. The only logical comparison would be the effect Prohibition had on alcohol consumption.

The highest rate of alcohol consumption per capita in our nation's history was during Prohibition. Clearly, that experiment was a failure.

A compromise smoking ban proposal creates a comprehensive smoking ban in the vast majority of public places in communities, while simultaneously preserving the fabric of a community's personality, providing economic stability for one of Illinois' largest industries-and preserving the integrity of neighborhoods in mixed-use districts. Again-this is the logical and reasonable course to pursue in this matter.

Municipalities should allow this compromise proposal to work for a period of time. If stronger measures are warranted down the road, the Council can always re-visit the issue. This would be much more realistic than imposing an all-out draconian ban and then trying to pull it back after businesses have closed and employees have lost their jobs.

Quick Thinking Illinois Legislature Passes Bill that Will Cost the State Hundreds of Millions

From Belleville.com:
Casinos fear losses; others study options
BY SCOTT WUERZ
News-Democrat

Metro-east casino, bar and restaurant operators say they expect a 20 percent loss in business if Gov. Rod Blagojevich signs a smoking ban passed Tuesday by the General Assembly.

Representatives of the Casino Queen in East St. Louis and the Argosy Alton Casino referred calls to Tom Swoik, executive director of the Illinois Casino Gaming Association, which represents eight of nine state gambling establishments.

Swoik painted a bleak picture of smokeless Illinois casinos.

"It could be as much as $166 million lost," Swoik said, based on the 20 percent figure. "The Casino Queen and Casino Rock Island estimate that 60 to 70 percent of their patrons are smokers. And while there is a lot of loyalty amongst casino patrons, people who live near the border will be awfully tempted to make the short drive to a place where they can smoke."

The House on Tuesday approved the smoking ban, which will take effect in January if Blagojevich signs off on it as he is expected to do.

Backers said the law was needed because 2,900 Illinoisans die each year from secondhand smoke, and it's unfair that not only customers but also people who work in the service industry, including waiters and bartenders, have no choice now but to be exposed to the smoke. Blagojevich has indicated that he plans to sign the bill into law.

Scott Schmelzel, co-owner of Big Daddy's 618 in Belleville isn't a smoker. But he said he is disappointed about the ban because he thinks it will hurt his business.

"I know it's going to slow things down, at least initially," Schmelzel said. "Smoking is part of the bar atmosphere. That's part of the reason they come here, and I don't want my customers to be unhappy."

Schmelzel said he thinks he has an advantage over most bars in the metro-east, however. He has an outdoor patio where people can still hang out while puffing away.

Jessie Zirkelback, manager of Randy's 6-4-3 restaurant and bar in Troy, said she is planning to have a patio built to appease smokers.

"We were waiting to see if this passed," said Zirkelback, who estimated that 40 percent of her customers smoke. "Now that it has, we're definitely going to put a patio on."

Bob Graham, commander of American Legion Post 365 in Collinsville, said he plans to talk with the organization's board of directors about turning the establishment into a private club to get around the new law.

"We're definitely going to discuss that at our next meeting," Graham said. "We need to talk to legal counsel to see what we can do."

When asked how the smoking ban would affect the American Legion's business renting out its hall for wedding receptions, parties and other events, Graham was more optimistic.

"People are going to still need a place to hold those big events," Graham said. "The only difference I suspect you will see is a lot more cigarette butts on the parking lot."

Larreen Presson, a smoker from Collinsville, said she goes out to eat about once a week.

"I guess I'm going to go over to St. Louis more often," Presson said. "This is definitely going to affect where I go out for dinner."

Contact reporter Scott Wuerz at swuerz@bnd.com or 239-2626.


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We're Listening & Want to Hear From You!

Faces on Fourth Street needs your help. We're interested in what
you have to say about St. Louis nightlife, gay bars, what you
think is important, what you would never change, and what you'd like to see at Faces on Fourth Street in the future. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey.

Thank You From Faces on Fourth Street
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A Sense of Where We Are (and how we got there)

As we consider our options and plans for the future of Faces on Fourth Street, we felt it might be helpful to clear the air so everyone understands where we are now and how we got here.

First a cautionary note; many false rumors and myths have surfaced about Faces. Much of what the public thinks they know about us is not true. We were not evicted by the landlord. We own the building and it's contents. We have not "skipped town". The fact that we own the building and have operated it as one of the best known (infamous)nightclubs in the country for 14 years makes that rumor sound kind of silly and insulting. The owner is not wealthy, did not run off with all the money, did not bleed the bar to pay for his drug habit, his harem of boys, his swimming pool, his doll collection, or any other diversion. The owner and his family have not collected pay or money from the club in at least 4 years. They (the owner and his family) have in fact loaned money, morale support, and provided sweat equity to try to turn things around. We have not declared bankruptcy. The Bush Administration has basically eliminated that option for a small business trying to survive. We have not sold the building although if you ask any bar owner in town, they would answer the same way, everyone has a price and we would consider a sale for the right price if it meant the bar could survive.

Given a choice, we would have rather kept the club open as we worked to improve it ourselves. Unfortunately, we are faced with a perfect storm of events with some common themes that make that choice nearly impossible. The problems that have drained our cash reserves include several acts of god and several outrageous actions by government officials.

Several years ago, the abandoned building next door (now a vacant lot) collapsed onto our building, parking lot, and street. The owner of the property did not clean up the collapsed building, leaving it on our parking lot, patio, street, and roof. The resulting mess impacted our business as it looked like our building collapsed as well as rendering critical street and lot parking unusable for months. We were forced to hire lawyers to sue the owner to clean it up. The clean up was slowed by corrupt government officials (later sent to prison) who put greed and personal gain over public safety. The building was left to literally crumble around us (and on top of one of our employee's cars). We paid tens of thousands of dollars to lawyers who never reached a settlement or collected damages. Basically they were really good at sending us bills. We ended up cleaning most of the debris and brick up ourselves as well as attempting to protect our customers by securing the site with barricades and concrete barriers. Our lawyers couldn't even get the owners to secure the site or post warning signs. We were forced to drop the suit because it was bleeding our cash reserves.

We invested in a $100,000 liquor control system seven years ago. The system paid for itself in less then two years by reducing losses (through over pours of liquor). While controversial when we installed it, most large bars have similar systems, including the casinos and our neighbors, Pop's and Oz. Two years ago, our building was struck by lightning, destroying the liquor control system as well as damaging AC units,TV monitors, lighting, and sound equipment. Our insurance company refused to pay off on the claim. We were stuck with an unusable $100,000 liquor control system that we had leased. We had to pay off the lease even though the system was destroyed. We could not afford to replace the system so we were back to losing thousands of dollars a week in liquor sales while we settled and paid the lease. We were forced to pay to repair the AC units but left other equipment damaged because we could not afford to repair it. We hired a new lawyer to take this case on a contingency but nothing has been done yet.

Last year, someone climbed onto our roof from the abandoned Walgreen’s building next door. The Walgreen's building owners had failed to secure their property. The thieves gutted two of our AC units for the copper. Both units were for our cabaret. Our insurance company again refused to pay (nearly $8,000 to repair), leaving us unable replace the AC units and making it impossible to use the cabaret for 5-6 months out of the year.

Several years ago, a newly elected mayor went on TV and announced to the world that he would close all the East St. Louis bars at midnight on New Year’s Eve unless the city council gave into his demands. He tried to use the bars, one of the city's only revenue sources, as a bargaining chip with the city council. We were forced to hire a lawyer to prepare a suit against the mayor and to file a complaint with the Illinois Liquor Commission to obtain an order to keep our doors open. Our success was never reported in the news. The headlines and TV reports stating that all the bars would close, broadcast over several weeks in December resulted in our NYE business dropping in half.

Last Summer’s storm and power outage forced us to close for several days, causing us to lose thousands dollars of much needed revenue. Our power was restored in one day but the rest of East St. Louis was still without power so the mayor ordered a curfew, forcing us to stay closed. We never made that money back.
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WEATHER/07/23/st.louis.blackout/

Late last Fall, the Illinois State Legislature and the Governor allowed Illinois utility companies to be deregulated, resulting in a huge windfall for Ameren and ConEd as they more then doubled their prices for both gas and electricity. To put it bluntly, the utility companies bought and paid for the legislature. No action has been taken to roll back or reduce these crippling utility rates. Our gas and electric rates have more then doubled since December. The utilities are making no effort to work with their customers (even though they testifed under oath that they would not disconnect anyone's service). Our electric bill was $2,500 to $3,000 a month last summer. We expect our electric bill to reach $7,000-$8,000 a month or an increase of over $350 to $400 a day this summer unless the legislature passes some relief.

While the legislature has basically said a big "fuck you" to small businesses being raped by the utility companies, they did manage to pass legislation reminiscent of the prohibition era. This week, both state houses passed a complete and total smoking ban in public places. Last year, Illinois allowed cities to pass their own smoking bans, while few cities actually passed the bans, small businesses in every town that passed the bans were hurt. Many were forced to close as they saw their sales drop. Now, the legislature has taken it a step further, taking away all personal choice..all rights as an individual to decide for themselves whether to support bars that ban smoking. Clearly that did not happen...the people voted by refusing to patronize bars with smoking bans so the legislature took the right to choose away. Our customers will be able to smoke in most bars in St. Louis but will be subject to arrest and fines if they smoke across the river in Illinois. We have no way of knowing how much this ban will hurt us but evidence from other cities that passed bans while their neighbors allowed smoking indicates that this will hurt.

As all these events took their toll on our finances, we began to experience a steady decline in our core business. Most events we planned did a fraction of what we expected. Nightclubs all over the country were experiencing similar drops, resulting in a steady stream of club closures. In St. Louis, the most prominent example was the closing of Velvet on Washington Avenue. It is generally agreed that this trend is in part due to the rising popularity of social networking sites. Many of our regular customers can be found on line when they used to be in nightclubs. Our community has substituted crusing on Manhunt, Gay.com, and Man4SexNow to cruising at Faces. Another factor that has decimated our community is the rising addiction to crystal meth. We have lost many friends and great customers to crystal. We kept planning events, we kept booking entertainers, we kept our shows going, hopng to excite the imagination of the community again. We tried to appeal to our customers for help, sometimes almost begging long time friends to come in for events and to bring their friends. We are grateful to everyone who did. There have been times when our own entertainers and staff went unpaid as we tried to get the crowd back. In hindsite, while we appreciate their sacrifices, efforts, and their support, we regret asking them to invest their time and effort. We are still indebted both emotionally as well as financially to several of them and we hope to repay that debt before we reopen. We are grateful to and proud of all the entertainers who have helped make Faces what it is. We have seen our entertainers and DJs grow and become incredible talents.

We have made mistakes. We admit that. Our actions sometimes met the classic definition of insanity...doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result. We sometimes tried to live up to our own reputation, delivering increasingly expensive events and entertainers while the money was clearly not coming in to pay for it. We always thought that if we delivered more then the other St. Louis gay bars did and marketed it well, our customers would notice and continue to suppport us.

Acts of god, combined with the increased popularity of Internet social networking, a less the robust Bush economy, and our community's increasing addiction to crystal meth, are the primary reasons that we are in the position we are now. Basically, we were screwed by insurance companies, bled dry by lawyers, which prevented us from being able to update the bar or market it as we had in the past. The State of Illinois stepped in, rendering double blows, failing to pass utility relief while banning smoking. Our challenge now is to listen to our customers, brainstorm, and come up with a new business model that will allow us to survive these setbacks.

Boy Culture Movie Opens Friday May 11 @ The Landmark Tivoli Theatre

Boy Culture Official Movie Trailer

Add to My Profile | More Videos

So the "thumpa thumpa" continues. It always will. No matter what happens. No matter who's President.

We're Closed for Now But We'll Be Back!
We are sorry to announce that Faces on Fourth Street closed it's doors on Tuesday, May 1, 2007. We've served St. Louis' gay, lesbian, transgendered, bi, and straight community for 30 years.
We've laughed with you, cried with you, danced with you, drank with you, applauded you, watched you fall in love, and welcomed you for nearly 30 years. Now we want to say THANK YOU! While this moment is bittersweet, we hope it will result in a better, stronger Faces when we come back.
We have reached a point where we need to step back, take a hard look at our business model, see what worked and what didn't, build on our strengths, and adapt for the future. Nightclubs all over America are experiencing a downturn and we are no exception. We realize that if we are to survive, we need to adapt, evolve, and change. While we have had some tremendous successes, we have also experienced quite a few disappointments. Faced with utility bills that have more then doubled since January we have determined that without immediate relief from the Illinois Legislature and a plan to increase our attendance and revenue we cannot survive.May is traditionally one of our slowest months so it made sense to do this now. We expect to make some much needed upgrades and improvements to the building while we take some time off. We will be doing some brainstorming with our staff as well as surveying you and your friends. We need your help. We thank you in advance for giving us feedback through our online surveys. We would appreciate any help that our St. Louis bar owner friends can provide to our staff. If you can find a place for the until we reopen, we would be grateful. We appreciate our staff, DJs, and entertainers and hope that they will join us in this new adventure.
Please check back here for more updates. We will have a better idea when we will reopen after we review the survey results. We encourage you to sign up for our email updates to insure that you are the first to hear the news.

Some videos we'd like to share with our friends

Faces on Fourth Street Salutes 30 Years of Incredible Customers With a Party So Big, It Lasts 3 Days! Thank You!

Faces on Fourth Street Invites You to a Party So Big, It Lasts For Three Days!
Friday, Saturday, & Sunday April 27, 28, & 29 -
Bring your friends (especially the Faces virgins) to our 3 DAY SALUTE to 30 years wonderful customers!
We've laughed with you, cried with you, danced with you, drank with you, applauded you, watched you fall in love, and welcomed you for nearly 30 years. Now we want to say THANK YOU!
Faces on Fourth Street has hosted hundreds of unique theme parties from our recent Siren's U CAN DANCE, Danny Morris' UNSPEAKABLE JOY, to EXP movie and CD releases, our theme parties continue to add exciting new twists to St. Louis' nightlife. No other bar in town has brought you so much...and we were able to do it because of your support. Without our incredible customers we would never have been able to bring you all the parties, all the entertainment, all the music, and all the great times with your friends over the last 30 years.
This weekend -
Friday April 27 is Topless Friday!
Leave Your Shirts in the Car, Come In Topless & Get In Free Until Midnight or Come Topless After Midnight & Pay $2 Cover! 18+ to enter & 21+ to drink. Doors @ 10 PM. Show @ 11:30 PM.

Saturday April 28 Underwear Party! Leave Your Clothes in Car, Come in Your Underwear (not shorts, underwear & shoes only), get in free & get free fountain soda all night! 21+ with ID required. Doors @ midnight. Show @ 1:30 AM.

Sunday April 29 Faces Salutes
Our Drag Battle Amateurs
Candy Principle Invites Everyone Who has Ever Competed in our Wednesday Battle of the Amateur Drag Queens to perform with her show cast. Bring 2-3 numbers and all your friends for a special Sunday Salute to Our Drag Battle Amateurs
Doors @ 10 PM. Guests in Drag Get in Free. Show @ 11:30 PM. 18+ to enter & 21+ to drink.
Sunday EXP Magazine & Columbia Pictures presents the official "Spiderman 3" Release Party @ Faces on Fourth Street. A limited number of screening passes and posters for "Spiderman 3" will be available as prizes.

Faces on Fourth Street Has Presented
Hundreds of Incredible Internationally Known DJs - But We're Proud of Our Resident Talent! last weekend, resident DJ Pavel pumped the dance floor and kept the crowd dancing until dawn (and we have hot shirtless customers).
Friday & Saturday April 27 & 28 Resident DJ Beezwakz (from On the Grid Music) will mix your favorite dance hits from the last 30 years with the latest hits.
Saturday April 28 Resident DJ Steve-O Brings a Deeper Mix to the Basement AFTERHOURS.
Sunday April 29 Resident DJs Charlie Buttons & Landyn Cade takes your requests before, between, and after the Sunday Show.
Be prepared to dance until dawn all weekend!

Faces on Fourth Street's Stage Has Played Host to Thousands of Incredible Entertainers - every female impersonator in St. Louis has performed on our stage. Title holding queens from all over the country have performed with our cast. Hundreds of recording artists, adult video stars, and nationally known female impersonators have entertained you @ Faces.
Share the Memories This Weekend -
Marissa Bloomingdale
Says Thank You With Shows Friday April 27 @ 11:30 PM & Saturday April 28 @ 1:30 AM -
The Legendary Candy Principle
Hosts A Special Tribute to Our Battle of the Amateur Drag Queens on Sunday April 29 -
All Our Drag Battle Amateur Contestants are Invited To Perform on Sunday in the Cabaret @ 11:30 PM.

Sunday April 29 - EXP Magazine & Faces on Fourth Street Celebrate the Release of "Spiderman 3"

EXP Magazine & Faces on Fourth Street present the Release Party for Columbia Pictures "Spiderman 3". On Sunday April 29, 2007, a limited number of screening passes and posters will be available as prizes. "Spiderman 3" opens in theatres on May 4, 2007. This is the first bockbuster of the summer so get here early! Doors open Sunday April 29, 2007 @ 10 PM. Sunday is 18+ to enter & 21+ to drink. Candy Principle's Salute to our Drag Battle Contestants starts @ 11:30 PM. DJ Charlie Buttons & Landyn Cade spin your favorites before, between, and after the show.

Legendary Candy Principle Salutes Our Drag Battle Amateurs Sunday April 29

Sunday April 29, 2007 the legendary Candy Principle salutes our Battle of the Amateur Drag Queen amateurs. Faces on Fourth Street invites all our Drag Battle amateurs to join the show on Sunday April 29. Bring 2-3 numbers and perform along side Candy & her show cast. Sunday is 18+ to enter & 21+ to drink. Doors @ 10 PM. The Show starts @ 11:30 PM. Dress in drag and get in free all night. DJ Charlie Buttons & Landyn Cade take your requests before, between, and after the show.

Topless Friday @ Faces! Show some skin & get in free!

Friday April 27, 2007 Faces on Fourth Street goes topless. Leave your shirt at home, come in barechested (topless) and get in free all night. Doors open Friday @ 10 PM. Friday is 18+ to enter & 21+ to drink. Marissa Bloomingdale hosts the Friday Drag Show @ 11:30 PM. Enjoy our $2 U-Call-It Cocktails & beer all night (some restrictions apply).

Drop Your Pants & dance! Lights Out/Underwear Party Saturday April 28

Drop your pants & dance! The infamous Lights Out/Underwear Party returns to Faces on Fourth Street Saturday April 28, 2007. Check your clothes and party in your underwear all night or leave your clothes in the car, come in your underwear, and get in free all night. Guests in their underwear get free fountain soda all night. Doors open Saturday @ midnight. Marissa Bloomingdale hosts the Drag Show in the Cabaret @ 1:30 AM. DJ Beezwakz spins in the Main Room & DJ Steve-O spins AFTERHOURS in the Basement. Saturday is 21+ with ID required.

First Pix! Last Saturday's Siren's U CAN DANCE

First Video - Saturday April 14th Siren's U CAN DANCE

New Video - Last Friday's Foam Party

EXP Magazine & Faces Present "The Condemned" Movie Release Party Sunday April 22

EXP Magazine & Faces on Fourth Street present the Movie Release Party for "The Condemned" on Sunday April 22, 2007. A limited number of screening passes will be available. Sunday is 18+ to enter & 21+ to drink. Doors open Sunday @ 10 PM. Candy Principle hosts the Sunday Drag Show @ 11:30 PM.

Were You At Our Foam Party Friday Night? Here's the Latest Pix!

Still undecided about Easter Friday's Foam Party? Check Out These Hot Pix!

Foam Party Friday April 6 @ Faces - Get A Preview From Our Last Party on Youtube

Faom Party Friday April 6, 2007 @ Faces on Fourth Street. Check your clothes and frolic in the foam. Doors open @ 10 PM. DJ Charlie Buttons spins in the Main Room. Marissa Bloomingdale hosts our Friday Drag Show @ 11:30 PM then the Foam Flows @ 2 AM. Friday is 18+ to enter & 21+ to drink. Check out some of our YouTube videos from our last Foam Party. It's good clean fun! Bring your friends!

Nine Inch Males Return Friday & Saturday April 20 & 21 to Faces