Insurance coverage hikes forces BB’s Dollhouse to close doors

By Justin Seward

Commentator/Courier

After 16 years in business, Redcliff’s BB’s Dollhouse strip club has closed its doors for good.

BB’s Dollhouse got the call a couple of weeks ago from its insurance broker, notifying the business its insurance company dropped them.

“The next cheapest insurance company was three-and-a-half times the current rate,” said owner Chris Czember.

“So that didn’t make it conducive to doing business because insurance is a very big bill for the bar industry. So I called around to other strip clubs and who they’re getting insured through and what not. I got one other quote and it was eight times what I was currently paying.”

Czember, who is a Redcliff town councillor, says it started about six years ago.

“My insurance broker, who has been fantastic to deal with and has been trying really hard for me – he called me about six years ago and said, ‘Well I have good news and I have bad news,’” said Czember.

“He says the bad news is your current insurer has dropped strip clubs. But the good news is that I found you a new insurance company for about the same price – OK, that’s great, so business carried on as normal. But always in the back of my mind, I know that these professional businesses, insurance companies and banks; they don’t like to deal with strip clubs for whatever reason.”

The tentative plan is to convert the building into a long-term rentals motel.

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