BEDFORD, NH – The Manchester, NH area has only one strip club and locals like it that way. Some would probably prefer one fewer, but Mark Deane, the owner of Mark’s Showcase hasn’t had any problems during the five years he’s been in business.With the town’s Omega nightclub thinking of converting to an adult entertainment venue, some might worry that things will change – but Dean remains confident that all will be well.
Part of the secret to Dean’s success has been discretion.
“In this business, you have to respect the community you are in and keep out of sight a little bit,” he observes.
Keeping out of sight has been one of Mark’s Showcase’s strongest public relations points. “If you drove by my place,” Dean explains, “you would never even know what it was.”
Other than a marquee advertising $300 pole dancing competitions and live shower shows, there’s no real visible sign that a strip club is located in the town of Bedford. Nonetheless, Dean insists that all one has to do is “Just ask any man in town and they know where I am.”
Neighboring businesses have never had a complaint about Mark’s Showcase or its impact on property values and Town Manager Keith Hickey describes Dean as “a very responsible business owner” and “a decent guy.”
Even David Bailey, the Bedford Chief of Police, has good things to say about Dean. “I’m not endorsing strip clubs,” he’s quick to assure the morally delicate, “but he does a good job of running the place.”
Bailey says that the city doesn’t have any more trouble from Mark’s Showcase than any other bar and that its owner “just runs a clean, dirty business.”
Part of keeping his “dirty business” clean for Dean is taking the time to build “a reputation for running an honest, responsible business.” This includes obeying town ordinances and not serving liquor to minors.
As far as Dean’s concerned, he’s got nothing to be ashamed of. “Some people may be morally opposed to what I do,” he admits, “But the fact of the matter is that the women here are free to do what they want. If anybody’s being exploited, it is the guy who’s getting his wallet cleaned out.”
