AUSTINTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — For two years, the Babylon Gentlemen’s Club in Austintown has been closed, but Sam Boak of Boak and Sons bought the property in December 2022. Now, the new owner is talking about his plans for the building.

The neon sign still hangs outside the former Babylon Gentlemen’s Club, but on the inside, it’s bare with just some appliances still there.

“I didn’t want this to bring our property values down,” Boak says. “I’m trying to bring something good for the Austintown community and change this into something more positive.”

Boak bought the building and the liquor license from the former owner’s estate. He says it doesn’t go with the neighborhood, surrounded by other businesses.

“To me, it should maintain a business district, and the gentleman’s club took it to a different level,” Boak says.

When you walk in and turn left, there’s one bar still there. On the right, there’s another bar, along with a small stage. Since December, Boak has had his employees work on it, as he thinks it would be a nice place for people to eat and drink.

“If you come in the front door, toward the front street, it would be perfect for a nice restaurant,” Boak says. “The back area … is perfect for a sports room. It has a gorgeous patio that’s huge.”

Boak says he bought the building for a little less than half a million dollars, and he’s since spent about $200,000 in construction costs.

While most of everything is gone, they’ve haven’t emptied the place completely.

“We did leave the bars in place because there is structure to them. You can reface a bar and make it look phenomenally different,” he says.

Boak says most of the work he wants to do on the building is almost done, but that the “hard part” was the roof. Now, he’s looking for someone to buy the property from him or lease it.

“Whether it has to be bought or leased, I just want to move on with something successful for the area,” Boak says.

Those interested in buying or leasing the building can contact Platz Realty Group at 330-757-4889.