Pahrump could get the first brothel owned by prostitutes.
Brothel owner Dennis Hof said he had been approached by Ken Green, one of the owners of the historic Chicken Ranch brothel, in regard to purchasing the property. Hof said he is turning to his employees as investors, which could potentially make the Chicken Ranch the first Nevada brothel that will be co-owned and operated by active prostitutes.
“He offered it to us, we are reaching out to our girls to try to put together the funding to buy it,” Hof said in a phone interview Thursday.
Hof said he was offered $4.5 million for the full brothel or $2.5 million for half of it, as the property is owned by three other partners aside from Green.
“He offered it to us and he offered it to the rest of the world, and we are just trying to put together a paper where it’s an employee-owned business,” Hof said.
The Chicken Ranch brothel, the closest legal brothel to Las Vegas, is at the corner of Silver Street and Homestead Road outside of Pahrump.
Hof, who already owns seven brothels across Nevada, including Nye County, said he wants Chicken Ranch to be the world’s first employee-owned brothel.
“We think it will incentivize the girls to work harder because they are owners. Then if that works, we will take our other seven brothels and do the same thing,” Hof said in an email.
What’s involved
In a news release issued by the Chicken Ranch brothel on Sept. 14, Green announced that the property is up for sale for $4.5 million, including the business, facility and various other assets.
Included in the sale’s price are all furniture, furnishings, equipment and inventory, which will be included in the sale.
The purchase also includes other potential revenue streams to include the Chicken Ranch trade name, trademarks, copyrights and internet websites.
In the news release, Green called the Chicken Ranch “an excellent business and investment opportunity.”
“The buyer will obtain a ‘turn-key’ operation that comes fully equipped with an experienced staff, an established customer base and great growth potential,” Green said.
The current ownership has been operating the Chicken Ranch brothel since 1982.
After the Chicken Ranch was founded in 1844 in La Grange, Texas, the brothel became the subject of the theatrical production and motion picture. In the early 1970s, the brothel relocated to Nye County, where prostitution and brothels are legal and licensed.
Hof: ‘win-win’
In a news release on Wednesday, Hof said that a purchase would be a “win-win” for him and his working girls, who would co-own a business.
“I get the additional finances I need to execute the purchase and renovate the Chicken Ranch, and the ladies get to use their hard-earned money to invest in and run a long-term money-making business that they already have a great deal of expertise in,” Hof said in a press release.
“I can’t imagine any group of investors who are better suited or more knowledgeable to be my partners in this venture,” Hof said. “These investors know the business because they are the business!”
Green was not available for an interview upon multiple inquiries.
Contact reporter Daria Sokolova at dsokolova@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @dariasokolova77