Cafe Erotica closes, will be torn down

The close of a business usually isn't cause for widespread rejoicing, but that's what happened when Cafe Erotica shut its doors for good Tuesday.

"Thank God, thank God, thank God," said Lee Ervin, who owns 42 acres on the opposite side of Interstate 75 that she is trying to develop. "It's going to improve the whole area. I'm glad that it's out."

Middle Georgia Investors LLC, a group of 11 people mostly from Houston and Peach counties, bought the property with the intent of creating a commercial development.

They expect to raze the notoriously gaudy building in about a month, said Danny Rosales, a member of the investment group.

"We definitely put a lot of smiles on a lot of people's faces," Rosales said. "We've been getting a lot of phone calls."

They expect to close soon on the purchase of a 42-acre tract to the rear of the three-acre Cafe Erotica property, Rosales said. That will leave room for a significant development that could include a variety of businesses, including retail outlets and hotels.

Although he did not want to give names, Rosales said there are several good commercial prospects that have expressed interest if the Cafe Eroticabuilding could be purchased.

Bob Holcomb, a Peach County businessman who owns the 42-acre tract to be developed, said he was the one who steered the investors in the direction of trying to buy Cafe Erotica.

"This is something the entire Middle Georgia area is going to benefit from," Holcomb said. "It's been an eyesore from day one."

He said he owns other property in the area that he plans to develop now that Cafe Erotica is gone.

The club was part of the Cafe Risque chain, which currently has four locations. The Byron location opened in 1992, said Gary Edinger, an attorney for the chain.

Edinger said the Peach County property originally was put up for sale to remain an adult entertainment establishment, but when the local investment group offered the right price, the chain agreed to sell it.

Cafe Erotica was a 24-hour operation that offered food and nude dancing, catering mostly to truckers and travelers. It was disdained not just for what it did, but for its especially tacky appearance and its huge "We Bare All" billboards along I-75.

The billboards became the subject of a legal battle when the state tried to regulate sexually suggestive advertising along roadways.

To the chagrin of many, Cafe Erotica was often the landmark to which people referred in directing travelers off I-75 into Centerville and Warner Robins.

"I hate to think of visitors coming to I-75 to get off, and that's the first thing they see," Holcomb said.

Rosales said the billboards are expected to come down within 30 days.

Byron Mayor Larry Collins had long hoped to see the club close. He said the city had intentionally avoided annexing the property into the city, but he hopes now that it will be annexed for commercial development.

"For a long time we've known about the secondary effects of the nude entertainment industry," Collins said. "Things have not come to that area because of that. I think now you are going to see major development in that entire area."

Rosales said the group wants to tear down the building as soon as possible, but it may take a month because the previous owners have been given time to remove items and for environmental issues such as asbestos.

This story was originally published July 2, 2008 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Cafe Erotica closes, will be torn down."