Why Not Brothel - Amsterdam

[HooBoy]

I have not been able to confirm it, but I hear the Why Not closed earlier this week.

 

Telephone calls to the club tonight (Friday, October 29) went unanswered.

[eastbayguy]

>I have not been able to confirm it, but I hear the Why Not

>closed earlier this week.

>

>Telephone calls to the club tonight (Friday, October 29) went

>unanswered.

 

Sad. Truly the end of an era. If true, I'm sorry to see the old place close. No real clue as to the causes, but if the stories were half true, there had been a downward spiral going on for a while now.

 

Is the bar part still open or did the whole thing fold?

 

--EBG

[gerefan]

Interestingly their website is still up as of today (Monday 1st. November) and was updated yesterday at 6.55a.m. See "Our Boys" section.

 

If it has closed that only leaves the Club 21. All four other establisements have closed over the last few years. A truly sorry state of affairs in Amsterdam.

 

I am genuinely sorry to hear this very sad news, but as a regular at the Whynot for nearly 20 years, I have to say that it was inevitable. All the previous threads and posts were accurate.

 

Lets pray someone takes it over and runs it properly.

 

Gerefan

[+ Charlie]

The quality of both the boys and the ambience deteriorated greatly over the years that I patronized the Why Not; the last time I went, I was the only customer, and I couldn't wait to leave. That, however, doesn't explain the apparent systemic problem with all such clubs in Amsterdam. Club 44, which I liked a lot better, closed a couple of years earlier. I have been told that it can all be traced back to Dutch govt. attitudes after 9/11, when they began to enforce laws requiring all the boys to be Dutch citizens. Since many of the the regular boys were not, the pool of potentially desirable employees shrunk considerably.

[gerefan]

A few years ago (well before Sept 11th) the Dutch authorities clamped down on illegal workers from the previous Eastern Bloc countries.

This led to the loss of some great guys from Checz, Poland, Russia etc. Later they appeared to be replaced with a large number of lads from the likes of Morocco etc. The managements selection of boys at the Whynot was, seemingly, pointed this way!

 

The Dutch Government cannot specify that all employees have to be Dutch.(The owner was American!) For some years now a resident of any European country, in the EEC, is entitled to work and live legally in any other. The very same Czech and Polish guys will soon, therefore, be allowed to work in Amsterdam again!

 

Its demise must be down the very poor selection of boys, the poor service, the drab run down atmosphere and the impact of the internet.

 

Gerefan

[Michael]

Yes, the downside of the brothels in Amsterdam being "legal" is that they have to follow the law ;-)

 

As you say, the clamp down on illegal workers happened quite a while ago - I think it was about 1999 - and had an immediate negative effect because all of the boys from eastern europe could no longer work in the bars.

 

I think that the decline had already set in by then, but the sudden departure of those boys certainly had a big impact.

 

> Its demise must be down the very poor selection of boys, the

> poor service, the drab run down atmosphere and the impact of

> the internet.

 

Yes, all of those things, and also the fact that Amsterdam is neither as unique or as cheap as it once was.

 

The "Why Not" in particular suffered from it's American owner who paid too much to buy it and then discovered that it wasn't the gold mine that he had thought it would be. Unfortunately he was never able to find anyone suitable to run it for him and his attempts to run it himself were a disaster.

[londonbear]

Gerefan. sorry to disappoint but I think I remember correctly that the Netherlands is one of the old EU15 that still have work restrictions on people from the new Accession Countries. You may have to wait a couple of years or so to get your hands on those cuties from Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic when you go to Amsterdam.

[IamI2002]

I was there w/e of the 23-24 and chatted w/owner since there was only 1 boy at the time. He is closing for 2/3 weeks (depending on how fast he can get renovations done). He's repainting and recarpeting the entire place.

[IamI2002]

From what I was told by the owner, Czech and other boys have been allowed back and will be trickling in little by little.

[gerefan]

If what Iam12002 says is true why doesnt he answer the phone or leave such information on an answerphone? I too have tried to call them several times. There must be someone there if he is redecorating!! And why isnt this essential information on the website? How is he expecting to keep customers informed?

 

I do not wish to question the veracity of what Iam12002 was told but a very similar excuse was given to me a few years ago when the "Boys for Men, Club 44", across the road, closed....The Dutch way of saving face??!

 

We will see....I will be in Amsterdam in a few weeks and will report...not at all hopeful tho.

 

Gerefan

[+ Charlie]

I remember the same claim about Club 44, but it never did reopen.

[Michael]

>

> If it has closed that only leaves the Club 21. All four other

> establisements have closed over the last few years. A truly

> sorry state of affairs in Amsterdam.

>

 

... and possibly, now, not even that.

 

I just heard that Alex, the owner of Boys Club 21 died yesterday (Nov 17th) - see: http://www.gay-night.nl/index2.php

 

I know that his brother Arjun will carry on with some of the businesses but I suspect that the Club will go pretty soon - it had already changed in the last couple of years to the point where the boys were truly "independent contractors" and the club just rented out rooms - now that Alex is gone I doubt if they will try very hard to keep it open.

[gerefan]

Oh dear, I am sorry to hear about Alexs death.

 

Was in the 21 recently and spoke to the part time barman and one or two of the boys about the demise of the Whynot.

 

Their stories were generally the same and they say that the place had been given warnings for employing illegal boys with false passports etc. One of the boys also mentioned Drugs.

 

In view of all the signs in the Whynot about Drugs, I suspect the latter is more likely to be the truth.

 

Anyway, the Authorities closed it down so thats that.

 

Gerefan

[Michael]

Well, I guess it's finally official ...

 

Blue Boy / Why Not is closed for good.

 

According to their web site:

 

"Due to the current economic conditions in Holland and the weak dollar, the operation of the Bar Why Not and Blue Boy Club is no longer viable. As a result they are closed indefinetly (sic)."

 

http://www.whynot.nl/en/whats_new.asp

 

My friends in Amsterdam tell me that the club had recently attracted a lot of attention from the authorities over boys who were working there illegally and that is what probably precipitated the closure.

[gerefan]

Thanks very much for that Michael. What a shame. So our speculation was correct all along...

 

I suspect your friends assumptions are far more accurate, about why it had to close, than those given (hidden?!) on the website.

 

They also reinforce our earlier suspicions about the redecorating etc.!

 

Gerefan