PEORIA – Big Al’s Speakeasy would reopen as a strip joint and concert hall, according to a proposal under review by the City of Peoria.
Ty Seibert, a veteran owner and operator of Peoria nightclubs, hopes to soon revive the venue at 400 SW Jefferson Ave. The site has been dark since 2024, when the city revoked Big Al’s liquor license after multiple shootings at the club. Further, then-owner Kenneth Kummerow had to divest himself of the business, which would be transferred to a new owner subject to city approval – a prospect that still remains viable.
Seibert, 53, has submitted a business plan to City Hall. Mayor Rita Ali, who also serves as the city’s liquor commission, declined to comment at length about his intentions.
“Those matters are under review by city staff,” Ali said.
Two City Hall sources told WMBD Radio that Seibert’s plan has a solid chance of gaining approval.
Starting in 1974, Big Al’s long thrived as a local nightlife landmark, for decades on Main Street. The current location opened in 2013, under then-owner Al Zuccarini, who died in 2015. The building is now owned by Jay Abraham, formerly the owner of a Peoria vending operation who now lives out of state; Abraham would not be involved in the day-to-day operations of the new club, Seibert said.
With the location shuttered, Peoria is missing not only on an iconic tourism and economic draw, but also sales taxes, Seibert said.
“Peoria needs Big Al’s to open. I want Big Al’s to open,” Seibert said.
The location’s interior boasts about 10,000 square feet. About three-quarters of that space served as the strip parlor’s main showroom, including a stage, plus two side stages with stripper poles.
However, Seibert said the new club would not feature dancers in that main area. He does not believe local demand would support the number of performers once employed there, as strip-club patronage has dipped since the explosion of internet pornography.
Rather, Seibert’s dancers would perform in the Kit Kat Lounge, which covers about 20 percent of the floor space. Though originally envisioned as a members-only club, it was hardly used under previous ownerships.
The long and narrow Kit Kat Lounge – high-top tables on one side, lengthy bar on the other – would allow seating and space for about 100 customers. Seibert says a more concise and focused striptease area would hark to the original Big Al’s.
“I think if you go back to the old Al’s, it was more intimate, with more energy in a smaller space,” Seibert says.
Seibert owns and runs two 4 a.m. bars in downtown Peoria: the Zoo and Saddle Up. He also owns the South Peoria site that is home to Dixie Rose Country Rock Cabaret; the 11-year-old topless club is owned and operated by Jessica Miller
As far as hiring and managing the dancers at The Kit Kat Lounge, Seibert said, “I’ll probably get Dixie Rose to help,” Seibert said.
Seibert has applied for an adult-use license, which allows full nudity – a practice for which Big Al’s had been renown. However, Seibert says his dancers will be only topless, as a way to diversify and increase the customer base.
“At Dixie Rose, about 20 percent of the customers are women,” Seibert said. “They’re women coming in with men.”
As for the main showroom and stage, Seibert envisions hosting concerts, about once a month. The area has general-admission space for about 1,000 ticket-buyers. He thinks the size of the venue would be perfect for up-and coming and retro acts, mostly country but maybe also rock.
Seibert is cleaning and sprucing up the interior. Afterward, he will request a visit by the Peoria City/County Health Department, a review that is part of the licensing process.
“When they do the walk-through, (a business) has to be about ready to open up,” Seibert said.
Further, at the front door, Seibert is installing what he calls a world-class weapons detector, which will be far more effective than a metal-detecting wand. The licensing cost is $100,000 for five years.
“It’s hard after a shooting to make people feel safe,” Siebert said. “ … I’m going to work the door. I want to control who comes in.”
Under the city’s 2024 shutdown edict, the new business would have to close by 1 a.m. – instead of the 4 a.m. closing time long afforded to Big Al’s – for at least six months while the city monitors the club.
“I think the 1 a.m. license is a blessing,” Seibert said. “We can ease into this.”
To that effect, though a Class A liquor license would allow him to operate 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily, Seibert initially plans to run the Kit Kat Lounge just 8 p.m to 1 a.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Further, during concerts, the Kit Kat Lounge would be closed.
“I think women might not want to come here (for concerts) if the dancers are here,” he said.
Though Seibert sees a solid future for the site, he thinks business will be slow for a while. In time, he hopes to convince the city to trust him with a 4 a.m. closing time, as a way to boost his bottom line.
“I’m going to lose money every single month,” Siebert said. “I can handle that for about a year. … But in about nine months, I hope we can have a conversation with the city.”
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