photo by: Rochelle Valverde

Allstars, 913 N. Second St., is pictured on Feb. 2, 2022.

The City of Lawrence is preparing to take legal action against a local business that the city believes is operating without the license required for a sexually oriented entertainment business.

Following an executive session Tuesday evening, the Lawrence City Commission voted unanimously to direct the city attorney to file the appropriate court documents to take action against Lawrence Entertainment LLC, doing business as Allstars, and related parties.

When asked about the nature of the action being taken, City Attorney Toni Wheeler told the Journal-World on Wednesday that the city believes that Allstars is engaging in conduct that requires a license under city code related to the operation of a sexually oriented entertainment business. Wheeler said the city believes that Allstars does not possess such a license. She said a petition would be filed in Douglas County District Court in the coming days to determine whether the business is in fact operating without a license in violation of the city code and, if so, to prohibit it from doing so.

Chapter 6, Article 3 of city codes provides regulations for sexually oriented entertainment businesses, defined as “any live exhibition, performance, display or dance of any type … intended to seek to arouse or excite the sexual desires of the entertainer, other entertainers or patrons, or if the entertainment involves a person who is nude or in such attire, costume or clothing as to expose to view any portion of specified anatomical areas.” City code requires a license for such businesses, which includes various requirements. The annual business license fee is $500 per year.

The business in question, which is at 913 N. Second St., advertises its name as “Allstars Gentlemens Club.” An Instagram post made in December from a business with the same name and address indicates the business was under new ownership, with the caption on an advertisement stating “new ownership, same fun!” with a moneybag emoji. The advertisement is for an event called “Tip and Strip Tuesday,” which states in part “You tipping they’re stripping!”

A woman who answered the phone at Allstars and identified herself as a manager said that she did not have a response to the city’s claims. When asked what type of license Allstars is currently operating under, she said she had no further information to give and hung up before providing her name.