SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — from www.morningsun.net- Strip clubs around the nation have been tightening g-strings, but veteran operators say there’s still money in dancing naked.

“We’re down some,” says Larry Troesch, owner of Deja Vu clubs in Springfield, Tampa and the St. Louis area. “We’re definitely not up.

“To be honest, this is about as tough as I’ve ever seen it.”

Troesch, who opened Springfield’s only strip club more than 20 years ago, says it really is as simple as it sounds: When the economy lags and unemployment rises, strippers suffer. He isn’t the only club owner who’s going through hard times.

VCG Holding Corp., which owns 20 strip clubs in 10 states, including Illinois, had a net loss of $30.7 million last year, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company responded by slowing down on acquisitions, but its stock is still sinking – it closed at $1.55 on Thursday, down from $13.56 at the end of 2007.

Rick’s Cabaret International, which owns 19 clubs in seven states, has also suffered. Its stock closed at $5.41 on Thursday, down sharply from a 52-week high of $26.74.

Still, Rick’s spokesman Allan Priaulx paints a rosy forecast.

He says clubs in Philadelphia, Las Vegas and Dallas are turning around, thanks to targeting different types of customers. In Dallas, where the company has had difficulty getting a liquor license, the company has shifted focus to selling soft drinks and mixers to customers who bring their own alcohol.

In Philadelphia, the company is targeting blacks and betting that customers will follow professional athletes who are valued patrons, Priaulx said.

“The last six to eight weeks have been tremendous for us,” Priaulx said.

At least one part of the business is booming: With so many people unemployed, there’s a surplus of job applicants, Troesch said.

“The key to this business is, absolutely, number one, a pretty girl — a pretty girl with personality,” Troesch said. “You have to provide quality. No one complains that Disneyland is too expensive.”