Tenderloin Buzz: A new strip club, beautification day, and a museum expansion

A new strip club is coming to the former site of the notoriously raunchy but beloved O’Farrell Theatre, now under the name Club 895. The Board of Supervisors approved the venue’s liquor license transfer this week. 

According to a letter from the club’s consultant David Villa-Lobos to city officials, the club, located at 895 O’Farrell St., will have a stage for live performances including drag and standup, and a stage for karaoke, plus food and a full bar. Villa-Lobos described Club 895 as a “multi-million-dollar business project intended to be the city’s premier entertainment venue.”  

Jan. 10 is District 5’s neighborhood beautification day, and volunteers are invited to come out and help clean and plant throughout the Tenderloin with the Department of Public Works. Afterward, volunteers will be served lunch. We hear the meal will be from newly opened Falafelland, which we reported about in the last Tenderloin Buzz. Get more information and sign up here to get involved. 

The Tenderloin Museum is closed for construction on its planned expansion — it’s tripling in size! — until Jan. 15, and is on track to open its new 6,850-square-foot space this year. Most programs will continue off-site during their monthlong closure. 

When the museum reopens on Jan. 16, it will also resume performances of The Compton’s Cafeteria Riot, a play inspired by the 1966 uprising at a Tenderloin diner that became a pivotal moment in trans history.

The immersive shows are held every Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. over breakfast at a recreated Compton’s Cafeteria dubbed Larkin Street Cafe, at 835 Larkin St. Get tickets here.  

This week, the city reached a settlement with the owner of now closed Empire Relaxation Spa, which was illegally operating a brothel at 428 O’Farrell St., according to City Attorney David Chiu.

He announced on Tuesday that the spa’s owner, Ricky Lee, is set to pay $200,000 and is banned from running or working at a massage or other “personal services” business for 10 years. 

Many corner stores in the Tenderloin began closing their doors at midnight after a curfew was implemented in 2024 to curb nighttime loitering and crime. While store owners said the curfew was unfairly applied — liquor stores are exempt and drew crowds just the same — police said it was successful. 

This week, Supervisor Bilal Mahmood teamed up with District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey to expand the curfew to parts of SoMa affected by “drug-driven lawlessness.” The legislation would also extend the pilot program that was set to expire in July. 

“The success of the late-night curfew pilot in the Tenderloin over the past year and a half has improved safety for residents, small businesses, and street conditions, and it’s time to expand those benefits in the Tenderloin and SoMa,” Mahmood said in a statement. 

Stay tuned on the First Thursday Art Walk page for updates on what to expect at the second-ever “Second Wednesday” event, coming up next week on Jan. 14.