Silk Exotic on Silver Spring is Closed
The gentleman's club abruptly closed on New Year's Day after 20 years in business.
Silk Exotic, 730 N. Martin Luther King Jr Dr., in downtown Milwaukee remains open. Photo taken Jan. 2, 2023 by Sophie Bolich.
As of Jan. 1, the northwest side location for Silk Exotic gentleman’s club is permanently clothed — er, closed. The gentleman’s club, 11400 W. Silver Spring Rd., capped off two decades of NSFW entertainment with a New Year’s Eve bash before shuttering for good on Monday.
News of the closure came via social media. “Thank you for the last 20 years of adult fun,” ownership wrote in an online post. “It’s been a wild ride, and we appreciate everyone who walked through our doors.”
Silk’s existing locations in downtown Milwaukee (730 N. Martin Luther King Jr Dr. and 144 E. Juneau Ave.) and in Middleton will remain in operation.
Opened in the early 2000s, Silk Exotic was a pioneer of sorts for the city’s club scene, boasting an enormous wrap-around stage, neon lighting and other accoutrements meant to emulate the glamour of a Las Vegas-style club.
The business offered a full bar and a meaty menu of burgers, sandwiches and pizza, but the real draw was, of course, the dancers — described by ownership as “the most talented, glamorous and captivating female performers in adult entertainment.”
The strip club was equally imposing when viewed from the outside, with its battlement-topped walls, glowing red windows and signature “S” signage posted above each gated entrance.
Prior to Silk, the building was home to Attic West, Kickers and Fantazia — all nightclubs. Craig Ploetz, a longtime fixture of the ownership for the various businesses, was an early partner in the club, acting as co-owner and operator for more than a decade. His name, however, does not appear on Silk’s most recent liquor license.
Silk is now under the ownership of Kyle Zubke, director of operations for the club and agent for Downtown Juneau Investments, LLC. Scott Krahn is also a partner in the business.
Two previous co-owners, Jon Ferraro and Radomir Buzdum, both parted ways with Silk while facing prosecution for crimes related to other clubs under their ownership.
Ferraro in 2019 pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit money laundering and racketeering, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Buzdum was sentenced in 2022 to more than a year in prison for charges related to sex trafficking and money laundering at TNT, a now-closed gentleman’s club in Dodge County.
Silk’s ownership also faced challenges in attempting to open its two downtown locations, though they were eventually successful. The saga, a back-and-forth between Silk and the Milwaukee Common Council, played out over the course of several years.
The city finally agreed to allow Silk (known at the time as The Executive Lounge) to open downtown in exchange for the strip club applicants’ promise to drop a number of lawsuits against the city.
The group later expanded to a second downtown location, Silk on Water. The club previously operated as Art’s Performing Center.
Silk Exotic’s current ownership did not publicly share a reason for the club’s abrupt closure. Zubke and Krahn also hold the license for the adjoining business, Rock Country MKE.
A representative of Silk Exotic did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
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