The Bethany Community Church has given the old Sugars strip
club a makeover, turning it into a wholesome location where
anyone can relax with a cup of coffee, meet with friends and
grab a bite to eat.
The church last year made the decision to lease the old building,
which was a popular strip club that went up for auction when its
owner, adult entertainment mogul Frank Colacurcio Sr.went to
prison.
The owners were looking for a new tenant who could turn the
place around and opted to go straight to the church to offer the
property lease instead of looking for the highest bidder. He said
he did not regret his decision.
"It was a place where women were exploited. And that's
something that we wanted to change," said property owner
Evan Voltsis.
Pastor Scott Sund admitted that at first, he was not a big fan of
the idea. Afterall, the place was known as one of Shoreline's
most notorious establishments, and its business principles
could not bemore disconnected to the church's teachings.
"I just kept thinking, are we sure? Are we sure? Are we sure?"
said PastorScottSund. Eventually, he got behind the idea of
turning the place into what is now known as the Junction.
In the last year, the Church has torn down the stage,the black
walls, the garish red carpet and shattered the mirrors that
represented the establishment's old life.
"For a while we thought we'd be able to re-purpose them...and
we just began smashing them. There was something very
powerful about just knowing how women were enslaved here."
Prior to TheJunction's opening, theChurch called for
volunteers for prayers, construction, painting, carpetlaying, and clean
up, something which the community responded to
enthusiastically, bringing the establishment closer to the
peopleofShoreline.
And its not just the community, the local government is also very
supportive of thechurch's efforts.
Mayor Shari Winstead said the establishment's change of
purpose is the best thing to happen in the 28years she's been living in Shoreline.
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