basis hosting everyone from T.i. toStephen Jackson
to "pop bottles". "Plush had the number one liquor
sales in the Mid West", boasts John "We would
have groups of 6-8 guys come in and buy 5 cases
of Moet." it was at Plush where John learned the
greatest secret to success in the industry revealing
"i would treat everyone like they were v.i.P. and i
partied with my customers."
The success and large crowds at Plush also caught
the eye of city officials. in the final months of the
club's existence, police officers would routinely
tow 20-50 cars from around the premises of Plush
as well as block off neighboring streets to deny
access to the venue. according to Burns, "There
was definitely a racial divide involved with Plush.
There were a lot of people that did not want those
crowds around Union Station." after an ill-fated
shooting outside of the club on november 12, 2006,
city officials targeting Plush had all the ammo they
needed and John voluntarily surrendered his liquor
license. even with all the heat that Plush drew from
officials, less than one year later, John opened up
Society less than a block away from Push.
for a man that once sold CD's out the back of
his trunk, John was like a kid in a Candy store at
Society. The large capacity, state of the art sound
system, and large stage gave John, who is a huge
music lover, the chance to bring various artists and
shows to St. Louis, and put on a show he did! During
Society's reign nearly every hip-hop artist in the
country performed at Society, although John says
that his favorites were the T-Pain and Gucci Mane
concerts. it was said the Gucci Mane concert was
so large that neiman Marcus and Sac's fifth avenue
nearly sold out of clothes! The line for the 1 a.m.
performance started forming as early as 7:30 p.m!
Society was a huge success, but John says it would
not have been possible without his "dream team".
his mother affectionately called Mrs. B, helps John
with everything from managing the staff to collecting
money at the front door. "That's one less stress i
have and a huge weight off my shoulders knowing
my mother is at the door and at the end of the night
the money is going to comeback right," declares
John. The other key members of the dreamteam are
DJ Sir Thurril, who John describes as the best DJ
in St. Louis. Thurrils knack for getting the crowd
jumping has earned him the moniker of "The Party
Starter". finally there's Big Terance, hype man
and radio commercial producer for John. "There
is just something about when Terrance gets on
the microphone that gets the crowd moving,"
exclaims John. The final element to Society was
the security team. Society employed over 20
bouncers and police officers at a heftyprice tag
of several thousand dollars a night. "i never want
to see anyone get hurt at my clubs" maintains
Burns.
Unfortunately, on May 8th, 2009, after a concert
at Society, 3 men were gunned down in what
was suspected as a targeted event. The shooting
took place several blocks away from the
club after John had previously contacted the
police and recommended adding extra patrol
to accommodate the largely expected crowd
that night. after the murder, the city pulled the
unprecedented move of seizing the occupancy
permit from Society in an effort to make sure
the club would shut down, after pressure from
officials as well as rival club owners who saw
their numbers dwindle while the doors of Society
were open.
after unsuccessfully trying to open a number
of clubs in St. Louis, John decided to take the
show across the water to east St. Louis. after
a large renovation, John re-opened the former
Club Monestary in east St. Louis naming it of all
names, Plush. The same crew that brought him
all the success in the past is back and so are the
concerts. "i knew it would be a challenge getting
St. Louisianans to come across the water but
i'm up for it" states John, and with beefed up
security Plush promises to be the safest club
in the bi-state area. This time around, John has
two luxuries he has never experienced with his
previous clubs, a six o' clock liquor license and a
fully operable kitchen enabling him to serve food
at the all new and improved Club Plush.
Club owners often get a bad rap, but behind all the
controversy, envy, and money that comes along
with the business you will find a family man. John
understands about perseverance and strives to
put the people behind him in position to become
just as successful. With plans on opening up a
concert venue in St. Louis, as well as diving into
the music industry, John is just getting started.
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