In the mid-1990’s, if a red-blooded young male wanted to see a naked lady dance on stage, he had a choice of several watering holes in Victoria where that could happen.
The Colony Motor Inn’s Brass Rail Pub closed in the late 1990’s (it’s now the site of the Sandman Hotel and Shark Club), and the Kings Hotel a little earlier (it became Steamer’s Pub, but is now a fast-food outlet). Oly’s Cabaret closed after an incident where a gun discharged inside the basement club (no injuries) on Johnson Street, but a long-time hold-out was Monty’s Showroom Pub, until it finally closed its doors in 2013 after some unfavourable police attention.
Now the last bits of that fabled Government Street bar are set to go up for auction, next week at Kilshaw’s Auctions on Fort St.
Items to go out the door on the evening of Thursday, October 6th include an impressive and functioning flashing neon “Girl’s, Girl’s, Girl’s” sign, the original brass dancer poles, a padded-seat dancer swing, various branded beer signs and mirrors, as well as stage spotlights, disco balls and other odd trinkets.
The auction is one of the last at this location for Kilshaw’s. The Times Colonist reported last month that the operation will move to a larger space downtown on Langley Street in November. If you are interested in a piece of the famous club (hey, Joey from Friends made it internationally famous again in 2005) you can view the items Mondays through Saturdays, then attend and bid on the night of the auction.
For those exotic dance fans that still enjoy the odd show, the Red Lion in Saanich continues to operate.
