Johnson’s, a male strip club from Florida that stirred controversy after announcing plans to expand into Chicago, is no longer in talks to replace Berlin Nightclub.
Jim Schuman, owner of Berlin, the long-standing nightclub at 954 W. Belmont Ave. that closed in November 2023, said during the May 15 meeting of Special Service Area #17 that he is in talks to sell the business to Arthur Hood, a businessman from Texas who owns Fantasy Nightclub and Bobby Love’s in Northalsted.
Johnson’s—and its owner, Matt Colunga—are not involved with the sale, Schuman said.
“I have never talked to that person. I have never done business with that person,” Schuman said. “In doing some of the research I’ve done, I think that person, for some reason, opened up an Instagram account and a Facebook page, but they have nothing to do with Berlin or the sale of Berlin that I know of.”
Schuman chairs the board of commissioners for SSA #17, which is a tax district set up by the city to raise funds to serve its local economy. A handful of community members shared their concerns about Johnson’s’ proposed move to Chicago at the meeting in hopes of reaching other business owners who could help their cause.
Outrage over Colunga’s plans to expand Johnson’s into Chicago began after Colunga visited the city and told community members his business was replacing Berlin while handing out “black cards” to the club at other Northalsted bars. A Facebook page for Johnson’s Chicago was also set up, where the business posted about opening in May, looking for staff and being accepted into the Chicago Pride Parade. Those posts have since been deleted.
A local dancer who works at other bars in Northalsted inquired about working at Johnson’s, but was allegedly body-shamed and told to “hit the gym a little harder.” This sparked others to look into the business’s history and Colunga’s own social media posts, where they found Johnson’s has a policy requiring any women entering the bar be accompanied by a man, and Twitter posts Colunga made in 2020 criticizing the ongoing protests against anti-Black police brutality and pandemic-related shutdowns.
The policy on women has since been reversed, Colunga previously told Windy City Times. But concerns about his social media posts persist.
Hood, a businessman from Dallas who is in talks to buy Berlin, said he previously had a conversation with Colunga about allowing Johnson’s to operate within the space, but no agreement was made and the talks have ended.
“We don’t know what we’re going to do with Berlin,” Hood told Windy City Times. “We want to buy it, clean it up and redo it, but we’re still figuring out what we’ll do with the space.”
When asked about the situation, Colunga declined to answer questions but said Johnson’s is still planning an expansion into Chicago and scouting other locations across the city, including in Andersonville.
“We looked at a few locations, and Berlin was one of them,” Colunga said. “Berlin got mentioned as one of the locations we looked at, and people jumped aboard hearing that.”
Daniel Perez, CEO and executive producer of the nonprofit Chicago LSD Radio, was among those who attended the SSA meeting to speak out against Johnson’s. Perez started a petition looking to block Johnson’s from opening in Chicago or participating in the Pride Parade. So far, it’s gotten more than 1,500 signatures.
Perez said he welcomed the update that Johnson’s is no longer in talks with Hood as “good news.”
“But this business should not be in Illinois, period,” Perez said. “We’re going to continue to be involved, raising awareness for Johnson’s’ history and being blunt with the Liquor Commissioner and local alderpeople in voicing our concerns.”
As for Berlin, Hood said he and his business partners are still determining how they’d want to use the space. The owners will also need to file an application to transfer Berlin’s tavern, late-hour and place of amusement licenses, Schuman said.
Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th Ward) said notices would go out at that point to registered voters who live near Berlin and be posted on the business’s door. It’s then up to the Liquor Commissioner to approve the transfer.
Lawson said he’s “concerned as everyone is” about the vacancy of Berlin, which “served the community, LGBTQ+ people and the non-conforming punk community.”
“To see how this space evolves is important, and whatever we do, the owner has to be a responsible partner who works with us and law enforcement, keeps it clean and keeps it in the four walls so there are no issues outside,” Lawson said.
Hood, a gay man who owns LGBTQ+ bars across the country, said he plans to maintain the nightclub as a safe space for queer people.
“We are a gay enterprise and we want to do something for the community,” said Jay Bell, who works with Hood and runs the business’ bars. “We have a big presence in the gay community, so it’s important to us to make sure we have their buy-in.”
The new bar will likely still have dancers and could feature a mix of DJ-driven nights, drag shows and other entertainment, Hood said.
“We want to do something that the community wants,” Hood said. “They don’t seem to want Johnson’s, so we’re looking at other things — maybe a Hydrate-ish looking bar that’s open late, but we don’t know yet. We want to finish the acquisition and clean it up first.”