Back in January, Lucas published a list of 5 metro bathrooms that may give you covid immunity. The bathroom at Suger's – the venerable back alley strip club in Norman's Campus Corner – was number one on the list.
Not too long after the article published, a couple of social media commenters said they heard that Suger's had closed due to the pandemic, and therefore the integrity of our list – along with the entirety of our website – was compromised and ruined like a used pasty on the floor.
As both a thirsty for pageviews Internet publisher and a former judge of the Nite Trips Pole Olympics, I quickly investigated the claim. If Suger's was closed, that story would bring in tons of nostalgia clicks! Fortunately for Norman area perverts, glitter salesmen and young women who pose as college students, I learned after 20-seconds of social media research that Suger's was still open and under new ownership, and that reports of its closure were as premature as a...
Well, never mind.
Anyway, word of Suger's not-so-apparent-demise finally made its way to the halls of OU's journalism college. Reporter Sam Tonkins filed this report with the OU Daily:
Despite social media rumors, Suger’s on Campus Corner is not closing — it just changed ownership.
“It was literally turnkey,” said Elizabeth Shuler, the new proprietor of the club. “We took over that morning and (were) prepared to open that weekend.”
Shuler began operating the club in September 2020. However, a month later, a tweet from Twitter account @SugersNorman stated the business would be closing.
Okay, so that explains the rumors that Suger's closed. Here's the tweet that ignited them:
Yep, it looks like the fake news story was originated by the OU brah'stool account. That's surprising. Just like us, Barstool Sports is usually a reliable source of information. That being said, why did Suger's go along with it, and what did Seven 47 do to them?
Shuler said the account is not associated with the club and that Suger’s never discussed closing.
“We just think maybe an OU kid … created a Suger’s account, because if you look at it, it's pretty inactive of an account,” Shuler said. “And it goes back pretty far with just random tweets that make no sense to the business.”
The Tweet gained popularity though, and Shuler said the club was “bombarded” with phone calls from people wanting to commemorate the business.
“It made us realize how much of an impact Suger’s has had in Norman, on Campus Corner,” Shuler said. “We started getting phone calls from so many states away saying, ‘We hear you guys are closing. How do I buy a shirt? How do I buy a bumper sticker? Like, when's the last day so I can come in before it's closed?’”
I'm sure Suger's has some loyal fans who have the rashes/receipts to prove it, but who would get a bumper sticker? Can you imagine driving around with this on your car:
Seriously, that just screams "Pull me over, officer!" Even the guy with Eat Pussy shirt from the 2010 State Fair Photo Contest would think that's tacky:
All that being said, I don't want to knock Suger's too much. I think anyone with a social life who has spent any time in Norman has a story about ending up there. The last time I stopped by was before the fabled OU - Texas Tech game of 2008. It was cold and rainy and dreary on the outside, and Suger's was hot, humid and dreary on the inside. Based on how his team played, I think Mike Leach and Al Eschbach closed down the place the night before.
Anyway, although it won't generate as many clicks as a story about its closing, I guess share your favorite Sugerry memories in the comments. We wish the new owners the best of luck. Stay with The Lost Ogle. We'll keep you advised.
