In March, I decided to visit Justice, who was performing at Thee Dollhouse in Tampa, Florida. I was incredibly excited about it because I would finally get a chance to meet her after all these years, and I would finally be able to experience a club that I had wanted to visit since I could remember. Not only did I get a chance to accomplish those two tasks, but I left with some great memories and friendships that will last a lifetime.

Xcitement: How long have you been the owner of Thee Dollhouse in Tampa?

Warren Colazzo: I am the co-owner with Billy Bullard, and he has owned the club since 1991. I actually opened that club for him back in 1991, and we opened it for the Superbowl when the Buffalo Bills played the New York Giants. We had Jim Kelley and Lawrence Taylor do my amateur contest; it was a night I will never forget, and it was awesome!

Xcitement: Did you own or manage any clubs or businesses before this?

Warren: Yes, I had a club in Jacksonville and some in Arizona.

Xcitement: What made you decide to pursue a career path like this?

Warren: You know, when I was in my mid-twenties, I was actually a plumber and making great money. I had the opportunity to move to Hawaii, and I picked up on it. That’s where it all started, and I had a chance to work for some people in Hawaii. We had three clubs there, one called the Lolly Pop, in Waikiki, The Crazy Horse, and another on Hotel Street. So that is where it all started; that was when my career started. Hawaii is one of the prettiest places on Earth, and it is something I miss.

Xcitement: I’ve had the chance to visit Hawaii, and it is definitely something to be appreciated! The exotic dancing industry continues to have many misconceptions about it. When you decided to own Thee Dollhouse, did you have the full support of your wife Debra?

Warren: Well, it’s all I’ve known. I mean, I’m going on 42 years in the business, so I’ve always had an excellent support team. It seems like no matter where I go, people believe in me, and they want to follow me. I’ve been very blessed because I can honestly say that I’ve never walked into a club that was not eventually the number one club. I’m certainly not saying that to brag about it, but, quite honestly, I feel like we do it better than anyone else.

Xcitement: Even though I haven’t been to many clubs out of Florida, I’ve been to most of them here. I can honestly say I have yet to see what you do here anywhere else. How did the public and entertainers react on your first day as the owner? Were they welcoming the change?

Warren: Whenever you walk into a new club, and I’ve done it numerous times, people are nervous and have every right to be. They think you will walk in there and fire everybody and replace them with your friends and people you know. However, you just can’t do that; people have been there a long time, and many have bad leaders and managers. Whenever I go into a club, I just observe for the first two or three weeks and start making some changes. You keep the people who want to jump on board, and for those who don’t, you have to let them go and start over again because their way is apparently not working. You have to walk in gingerly when you first walk into a club; that is extremely important.

Xcitement: Your club has some of the most beautiful women entertaining, and some of the ones that I had a chance to talk to feel safe and speak highly of your character. How do you juggle operating a club, keeping your staff happy, and maintaining a personal life?

Warren: First off, I just turned 70 years old and still love and enjoy the business, and I am still competitively motivated. I don’t see myself ever retiring as long as I keep my health where it is. Number one is that I just really love the business, and I like to be number one, and I’m never going to be number two as long as I am breathing. But, growing up in this business, this business is about beautiful people. And I’m not trying to seem harsh, but many people just can’t work for us, and it is because I have very high standards. I think the beautiful girls of the world should be rewarded, and if you do it the right way, they love what they do. They don’t have to turn their heads down, and they don’t have to be embarrassed. It’s a great business if you do it the right way.

Xcitement: What is the most rewarding part of what you do?

Warren: Rewarding part? To see how far people come when you put some time and interest in them and see what they are capable of. I had bartenders that thought they were never going to make it, and now they are some of the best bartenders in the world. I’ve had champagne hostesses who were really shy and didn’t have much personality, but I saw good things in them. You know, this business really changes people’s lives, and if you’re shy, innocent, and don’t know how to talk to people, they eventually grow and get their confidence. This business brings out the best in people if you do it the right way.

Xcitement: Do you have specials or events on the weekdays?

Warren: We run specials, but the biggest thing is, what it boils down to is the beautiful entertainers. You can run all the specials you want and giveaways, but the bottom line is you have to have beautiful entertainers, and you have to have a staff that is very well-trained in hospitality. There are just so many things that go on behind the scenes that make it successful. It is a lot of work, and I enjoy it. We have great managers that I have trained, and they are extremely proud of what they do.

Xcitement: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced during Covid and the shutdowns?

Warren: Covid was very scary for me because Billy and I are responsible for many people in that club. We have over 250 girls on our entertainment roster and all our employees; you have your valet service and people in the bathrooms. We needed to get that club opened back up as soon as possible. You know, at Thee Dollhouse, you used to be able to smoke, so we had to get a food license in there, and it is not an easy task to do. It takes about 90 days to get a food license, and we were lucky. I found somebody who had just retired from the city, and we got him to help us. We went down to Tallahassee, and we got everything stamped in a hurry. We were only shut down maybe, four weeks during Covid. We got rid of the smoking and got a designer kitchen, and we got back open in about four or five days.

Xcitement: That is incredible that you could get your staff back to work so soon!

Warren: We did an amazing thing, and many great minds came together. It wasn’t all Billy or me; it was also the staff that helped put the idea entirely together. It was nice to get everyone back together, especially during such a difficult time. And, of course, if it weren’t for our Governor, none of this would’ve happened.

Xcitement: When I was at your club in March, you had the beautiful Justice performing, who also happens to be our cover feature for this issue. How often do you bring in feature entertainers?

Warren: I don’t bring in many feature entertainers, and it’s just because we have so many beautiful girls working at Thee Dollhouse. Good features are difficult to find these days—the ones who really take pride in their outfits and their shows. I’m not trying to say anything negative about features, but my idea of a feature might be different from an owner across the street with a club. However, the features that we do bring in are more like Showgirls, and they are incredibly talented. They have great costumes and shows and are great with the crowd. I might bring in about 4 or 5 feature entertainers in a year. And I bring them in because features always have the ability to bring in new clientele. And I tell the girls that they are not coming in to take your money; they are coming to help you. They bring in new people who have never seen the club before, and they go back and tell their friends, and it is like a domino effect; it keeps picking up.

Xcitement: You are 100% correct in that statement because that was the main reason I visited your club. Now, you won’t be able to get rid of me!

Warren: You know, the one thing about Thee Dollhouse is that we bring in so many females. It is incredible when I look out at the crowd on a Thursday or Friday and see so many females and couples in the building. It is so rewarding because women will not go to clubs when they are not treated with respect when they walk through the door.

Xcitement: One of the things I first noticed when I visited was the number of female patrons you had in the building. It was very refreshing to see that. Now that you have established one of the most successful clubs in the nation, what is next for you and Thee Dollhouse? Do you have any dreams or goals that you want to share with the public?

Warren: My goal is to be a great leader and do great things for people while keeping Thee Dollhouse at number one. I’ve been married for 21 years, and I’ve never had kids because I was always on the road, and when you have kids, you need to be dedicated at home. And I think weirdly, these people who work for me are all kind of my kids, and they all make me incredibly proud. After starting the club eleven years ago, we have come such a long way. So my goal is to keep Thee Dollhouse at number one, stay healthy, and continue to have people believe in me. Also, Billy Bullard, the big boss I call him, has been so good to me and has changed my life. He has trusted me and has believed in me, and he is one of the best people I have ever worked for in my entire life. He is just a wonderful and caring person. He has lived up to every promise, I have lived up to every promise, and we call each other shake-n-bake because we are one hell of a team. I couldn’t have done it without him, and I love the guy; I’d take a bullet for him.

If you have yet to visit Thee Dollhouse in Tampa, Florida, now is a better time than any! I wasn’t sure what to expect when I walked through their doors, but one thing is certain, Warren and his staff made me feel at home, and in return, I had an absolute blast! His bartenders were some of the best that I have seen, and each one of his entertainers was gorgeous and gracious. I can honestly say that I have never met the staff at ANY business who were as proud to be there as they were. I can’t wait to return with a larger party of people, and needless to say, they have made me a patron and friend for life. Thank you, Warren, Billy, and the entire staff at Thee Dollhouse.

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1010 N Westshore Blvd,
Tampa, FL 33607