A year ago Craig Ploetz and Jon Ferraro applied for a full liquor and cabaret license to open Satin strip club (or, gentleman's club, as they prefer) at 117 W. Pittsburgh in Walker's Point.
The partners are owners of Silk Exotic on the northwest side (as well as locations in Juneau and Middleton) and are also in the midst of applying for a license to open Silk East in the former Martini Mike's lounge, 730 N. Old World 3rd St.
At that time the strip club was 97 percent opposed by Walker's Point residents and business owners and Ald. James Witkowiak denied it.
A year later, Ploetz and Ferraro are trying again. Last night at a public meeting held by the Walker's Point Association at Comedy Sportz, the club owners, accompanied by their lawyer, pleaded their case to the crowd, detailing their plans for a multi-million dollar investment that would create about 200 jobs.
Neighbors and business owners expressed safety and parking concerns and raised issues regarding the impression another strip club (Solid Gold already operates on South 1st Street and National) would leave with the largely residential neighborhood. They argue Walker's Point, an area in transition that is attracting young families, is not the appropriate place for Satin.
Ploetz and Ferraro insist their clubs have a reputation for safety and detailed their plans for installing 72 security cameras on the property.
Last night's meeting was simply preliminary. The final say on Satin's fate will be decided at the Licenses Committee meeting at City Hall on Sept. 20 at 10 a.m.
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
