Mascaras Gentlemen’s Club closes for good

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Mascaras Gentlemen’s Club, an adult entertainment venue off Southside Boulevard, has announced its final night in business on the final night of 2021.

The club has been open for 13 years, and for many neighbors, it has been a thorn in their side since day one, but the owner says those complaints have nothing to do with the club.

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“It’s just been hell between no peace at night... will drive you crazy getting woken up at all times of night,” said one neighbor who lives close to the venue.

The club has faced issues for months, and city council members along with neighbors have long wanted to close its doors.

Just a few months ago a few workers from the club spoke at a city council meeting arguing why they should stay open.

But the venue posted on social media letting people know it was officially closing down.

“We still here. Mascaras is just a building. We are mascaras,” said Frank Coleone, the owner of Mascaras.

For many neighbors, it’s a hopeful start to the new year.

“I still don’t believe it because I’ve heard so many things so many times and there are still ways that they can get around things,” one neighbor said. “I think I’ll be more happy when it’s all said and done.”

Neighbors wanted to protect their identities for their safety but they say living close to the club has made normal life nearly impossible.

“It’s just very stressful to live close to it and very stressful to know if you’re going to get sleep and perform well at work,” the neighbor said.

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They’re not the only ones complaining. The city passed an ordinance naming the club a public nuisance back in September – an order that the club fought.

“We wasn’t a nuisance. Honestly, the city is a nuisance,” Coleone said.

The order was passed using the club’s history of crime as an example.

“There’s three people shot, I’m walking back in my yard and I see a gun in my yard. It’s crazy. There’s two little boys that live right next to me,” said a neighbor.

The owner says the crimes aren’t the club’s fault.

“We had some killings and murders in the area and they always try to find a way to say that’s where it’s coming from. But the whole city got this going on,” Coleone said.

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Ultimately, the owner says all of those complications are not why the club is closing.

“You know, we done been through a lot of ups and downs. The city tried to shut us down, I thought against that, beat that,” Corleone said.

“We had some killings and murders in the area and they always try to find a way to say that’s where it’s coming from. But the whole city got this going on.”

He says it’s actually the insurance on the club that did Mascaras in. All of those incidents made the price too high.

“Without insurance, I can’t operate,” Corleone said.

Neighbors say they just hope that if the club is closing, something positive takes its place.

“I hope something happens that it ends up being a good business or whatever for the neighborhood,” a neighbor said.

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