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Swingers' club gets liquor license

Tillie Fong, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 9, 2007 at midnight

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A swingers' nightclub finally obtained its liquor license Wednesday after nearly a year of controversy.

Last September, Scottie Ewing, owner of Sugar House, applied to the city of Denver for a liquor license for the nightclub, 1395 W. Alameda Ave. At the time, he had declared that the club would be catering to swinging couples - those who, in Ewing's words, are "willing to experiment with their sexual boundaries with other people."

"We're controversial because when we applied for the liquor license, we said that on Saturday nights we want couples to come in," he said. "That's what alarmed everyone, even though that's not the only crowd we cater to."

"Some people let their personal beliefs get in the way of doing their job."

But the city said that the holdup in approving the liquor license was an issue of architecture, not morality.

Before a license is granted, plans have to meet fire and building codes.

"When the building people got the floor plan, it did not conform to the floor plan they had submitted," said Awilda Marquez, director of Denver's excise and license department. "He had changed things - he had torn down a number of walls that were supposed to be up and put up walls where there weren't."

She also said that at the liquor license hearing Ewing testified that the second floor would be used as office space. Instead, inspectors found the second floor was covered with beds.

"I told him over and over again, and he didn't want to hear me - he could take the premises back to what he had originally submitted, or he could file for modification of premises. But that would require a new hearing," said Marquez.

Ewing said he had problems with his first architect, saying the design didn't meet code. But he said the major holdup came in the last 45 days, when the building and fire departments complained about the beds not being on the club's furniture list - something Ewing said was never required or submitted.

But Ewing said he had no problem with the city's request to put three walls back in and make other changes.

"We never had an issue with what excise and licensing was asking of us," he said.

The license was granted after an inspection showed that Ewing had made the necessary changes.

Marquez said the fact that the club was geared toward swingers did not play into the decision on whether to grant the liquor license.

Ewing said he hopes the club can contribute to the neighborhood's economy.

"I think the skeptics will be surprised at how upscale the crowd is. We're not after the LoDo, college crowd. Our clientele are young professionals."