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Diamonds and Dust suspended for 26 days

It’s not known if Diamonds and Dust will re-open following a 26-day suspension that comes into effect tomorrow.
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Diamonds and Dust

It’s not known if Diamonds and Dust will re-open following a 26-day suspension that comes into effect tomorrow.

Gail Boxeur and her daughter Jessica Lively are the owners of Diamonds and Dust, an exotic entertainment establishment offering stripper entertainment.

Lively says that due to alleged infractions on the liquor licence, the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch has ordered a 26-day suspension for Diamonds and Dust.

Lively says the liquor licence is still held by former Boot Cabaret owner Nick Weekes since the licence has not yet been transferred over to Boxeur and Lively.

As a result, Lively and Boxeur are not able to dispute the allegations since Weekes is the licensee.

A ministry spokesperson says since the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch has not yet approved the application to transfer the licence, the licensee was served with the suspension, not the owners of Diamonds and Dust, and that the licensee — who is the only individual who can dispute the suspension — has chosen not to dispute it.

The Liquor Control and Licensing Branch says the suspensions issued are for the following:

• Permitting intoxicated person to remain —14-day suspension; occurred Sept .22, 2010.

• Permitting prohibited entertainment (no contact is permitted between an exotic dancer and members of the audience) — seven-day suspension; occurred Sept. 22, 2010.

• Permitting minor to enter premises — five-day suspension; occurred Oct. 16, 2010.

The ministry says a person applying to take over a liquor licence from an existing licensee is allowed to operate the business while the Liquor Control and Licencing Branch reviews his/her application.

During this time the existing licensee is legally responsible for any infractions that occur, even if he or she is no longer involved in the day-to-day operation of the business.

“Diamonds and Dust has no legal authority to offer any evidence to disprove any of the allegations brought against the establishment since we’ve taken over in June because of the non-successful transfer,” Lively says, adding that she disputes all three allegations.

“Diamonds and Dust has a mountain full of evidence and because it’s in his (Weekes’) name, we can’t show them.”

She says the future of Diamonds and Dust is unknown at this time. She says the establishment could re-open, possibly as the Boot Cabaret, since Weekes still holds the licence.

“Our livelihood could possibly be completely taken away with no [wrong] doing of our own,” Lively says. “I’m speechless. We’re devastated. We both are. It’s a family business. We’re two single mothers.”

Boxeur and Lively didn’t intend on taking over the Boot last year.

“I always said, always, that I wanted to own my own club, whether it be a pub or whatever,” Boxeur says.

When Lively suggested they open a night club, Boxeur wasn’t sure. But when Lively suggested a strip club, Boxeur was on board.

“We got sick of making other people money,” Lively says. “We had no intentions of this venue, the Boot.”

They originally wanted to take the liquor licence and move it over to the Limelight, but they ran into a leasing issue. Then, they were going to take it to Walt’s Cafe, but there was a zoning issue.

When they were just about ready to give up, they heard about troubles the Boot was having.

“We did not buy his business,” Boxeur notes. “We bought some of his equipment, stereo equipment and a little bit of his stock — that’s it.”

Boxeur notes that both she and her daughter have been in the community for many years.

Lively says Diamonds and Dust has contributed to the economy in many ways and notes, for example, two of the dancers alone spend $127,980 per year in Williams Lake. She says every weekend people from 100 Mile House, Quesnel, and Bella Coola come to Williams Lake to go to Diamonds and Dust.

She says the dancers have also remarked that Diamonds and Dust is “refreshing” and enjoy working there.

“The girls love coming here,” Lively says. “They love it. We’re their favourite place to go.”

Dancers come from all over the world, including Vancouver, Ontario, the U.S., Chile, and Jamaica through company Stripper Entertainment.

Weekes couldn’t be reached by the Tribune by press time.