Rubbing elbows with City Club owners

[Fierce Critter]

I started to post this in the aftermath thread, but decided it might be of interest as it's own thread.

Saturday night at CC, I had a decent conversation with Sybil for the first time. I know most of you don't like her, but I enjoyed speaking with her.

To be honest, I'd been wanting to rub elbows with her in order to see if I might possibly be a conduit through which some improvements might be made to the place. I knew she knows my cousin and his boyfriend, fellow club-owners in the City, but I wasn't sure how close their familiarity really was.

Turns out, it's pretty darned familiar. My cousin's boyfriend worked at CC waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in the day. I'm not sure in what capacity. But Sybil has been to their club, as well as some of their infamous house parties. She knows them VERY well, and seemed to enjoy speaking tome, a relative of theirs.

I've wondered for a while now - years, actually - if I might not be able to feel her out, as well as my cousin & his BF, as to whether or not they might not be able to talk some sense into her and her business partners. I really wonder if the "powers-that-be" at CC know the very small improvements they'd have to make to get a lot more business in the door.

People bitch about things, but has anyone shared their concerns with people who can actually do something about it? And tactfully?

I need to visit with my cousin to see what he'd think about this. Turns out he ran a very, very successful club with the BF, and only VERY recently sold it in order to fully retire. These are mature people in their 50's and 60's, respected businessmen. Not just some punk on the street whining about this and that.

I may not be able to get anywhere with this. But I got a little further in my "working on it" this weekend than I ever have before. I hope I might be able to get further, and actually accomplish something.

[n0Mad]

I've wondered for a while now - years, actually - if I might not be able to feel her out

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Whoa! :blink

Oh come on. Somebody had to say it.

:laughing

EDIT - Oh yea ... way to hook it up on the networking, nyo. Rock the house!

[Blackmail]

It's a great idea to bring attention some of the problems of CC to the owners....but then again the owners should already be aware that having no heat in the winter and no a/c in the summer is not cool. or warm.....whichever the case may be. I personally hope whoever owns city club gets their food urinated in at fast food restaurants.

[Homicidalheathen]

I personally hope whoever owns city club gets their food urinated in at fast food restaurants.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That could be arranged, send them to Roseville for dinner.

[ManicQueen]

I think that's a super idea and I wish you well on your quest to improve CC :grin

[Fierce Critter]

Thanks, MQ. =)

The owners may be smart/aware enough to know that cold winters/hot summers cause discomfort. But so long as people keep coming, they have no real reason to do anything, do they?

My tact will be to try to get through to them the number of customers they're losing - and will continue to lose - to newer, more customer-friendly clubs like Mephisto's, etc. They may not be aware of the actual extent of the mumbling masses who are just fed-up with the so-called "bad things about CC".

I may get absolutely nowhere. I may approach my cousin and find that he isn't willing to say anything to her, period. In which case, my one-and-only avenue of approach will pretty much be cut-off and I'll have to give up altogether.

But at least I'll have tried. =)

[slingerlandstyx]

It's a great idea to bring attention some of the problems of CC to the owners....but then again the owners should already be aware that having no heat in the winter and no a/c in the summer is not cool.  or warm.....whichever the case may be.  I personally hope whoever owns city club gets their food urinated in at fast food restaurants.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm not bothered by the lack of heat in the winter, so much as no A/C in the summer. When paramedics have to come in because somebody is having a heat stroke, its not cool.

[saechalyn]

When paramedics have to come in because somebody is having a heat stroke, its not cool.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Literally.

[slingerlandstyx]

Literally.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

LOL, I didn't even catch that.

[saechalyn]

LOL, I didn't even catch that.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That is why it's funny.

On topic: Good luck Critter!

[Fierce Critter]

Probably won't be able to act on this any further anytime soon. Called my mother about taking her to see my Aunt (my cousin & his boyfriend live with her) and she just went there this weekend. So I won't be seeing them for a while.

At least I made first contact.

[Chris Rohn]

fact:

mike higgins isnt going to put money into city club. stop wasting your time and effort.

fact:

sybil can be really nice when she wants to be, but she is not the money.

[odims_sphere]

Unfortunatly Chris is exactly right. Marc B. who is a very good friend of Mike's has been trying for many many years to get improvements made there to include heat, air, sound, and even as little as another selection of draft beer. Mike puts as little as possible in to CC. His theroy is this, "it's working. It's the longest running club night in detroit. I don't want to mess it up." The fact remains, as long as he is making money he will not change anything.

[Fierce Critter]

Thanks for the note of discouragement. But it's really no big effort on my part.

With new clubs opening - including ones being DJ'd by those who would have me stop trying - and taking more and more customers away from CC, they might be convinced otherwise.

They haven't had the competition they do now.

Can't blame a girl for trying. :grin

[Blackmail]

thank you fierce critter, you are doing a good thing. However I have little faith or respect for the people who run Leland City Club. Having no heat in the winter or a/c in the summer proves that they don't care about their patrons, they only care about revenue streams.

[Lilith]

sometimes a million people could talk and moan and groan to a person about any topic to get them to change and they never do, but one day some "odd ball" person can state things in a more understanding way for that person to see where change could be good.

Perhaps FC's effort will not result in anything but maybe it will, wouldnt we all be allot happier if it did.

THank You FC for Trying...... I sincerly hope it helps and weather or not it does i REspect and appreciate your efforts and you should in the end be Proud of Your self for trying to make a diffrence in an appropiate manor.

Go GET EM GIRL!

[ZhukovCodeslinger]

I have to agree with the "dont waste your time crowd". Keeping CC cruddy is part of their business model. The cut every corner that can be cut and try to make the atmosphere as bad as possible. What that does aside from make Mike money, is to make sure that the patrons Really really really really really really have to want to be there. The people who really really really want to be there (goths etc) come religiously... its like this "I go to city club becuase i love it and I am tough enough to put up with the crap... tourists and preppies/trendies dont stay long"

Oh, did i forget to mention how cheap they run the place and how much money it makes?

[Fierce Critter]

I have to agree with the "dont waste your time crowd".  Keeping CC cruddy is part of their business model.  The cut every corner that can be cut and try to make the atmosphere as bad as possible.  What that does aside from make Mike money, is to make sure that the patrons Really really really really really really have to want to be there.  The people who really really really want to be there (goths etc) come religiously... its like this "I go to city club becuase i love it and I am tough enough to put up with the crap... tourists and preppies/trendies dont stay long"

Oh, did i forget to mention how cheap they run the place and how much money it makes?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm a really bad judge of when certain types of posts are meant to be humorous or not. I don't know you well enough to be able to say.

But whether you meant this seriously or not, I do believe it may be a valid point. Though I have never met Mike Higgins, so I have absolutely no clue what this guy is really like, or if he could really be that calculating.

I was joining in on the "What would you do to improve CC" thread. Then I realized people who want to go there but don't currently (or at least do so reluctantly, which doesn't make sense to me) would change so much about the place as to make it no longer CC period. So I'd rather have it stay its grungy, imperfect self than have it turned into something totally different.

So go ahead and roll your eyes at me for this or make fun of me behind my back (hell, to my face even ). But count me in with the "only the strong survive - the rest can go back to their sports pub" crowd. I will gladly take CC the way it is if it does deter people who are there for ulterior motives.

(But I'd still like to try to see if I can, in any way, facilitate some positive change. Even if it's just getting that damned 3rd toilet seat bolted back onto the ladies' room toilet.)

[headlessgoth]

i think wat you are trying to do is great FC wat i think should happen is they should sell 51% of city to all of us the dgn'rs and then and only then will bring real change

[Homicidalheathen]

Trashy works for me. But I am sexually deprived. Or is that depraived??? Either way....works for me.