A swingers’ club with 43 rooms is on the brink of closure as it’s “devastated” owner searches for a new place to accommodate the “popular” business.
The Attic has been tucked away in the old Osmaston Works building in the Osmaston Road Business Park, in Derby, since 2007.
But owner Ron Rothwell must now find a new home by November 2023, after the building was sold to Nottingham-based ALB Group in October last year.
Mr Rothwell, 75, told Derbyshire Live that the club risks going out of business if it can't find a suitable space for its large customer base.
He said: "It's devastating, really. We've done everything we can, we've complied with the council and everybody in every way.
"People travel from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, everywhere to come to the club, We've even got one couple who come from France once a month.
"I'll be devastated if it goes. We've put a lot of work in there to make it grow and grow. We just hope the council will give us some help to get somewhere.
"The customers are all upset and we've had a lot of offers of help to move if we get somewhere. It's surprising how many people have said they'll come and help, but we do get a lot of help from people. People are happy with it and they like to feel a part of things."
The Attic has 43 rooms with themes including schoolroom and Aztec, and also boasts an adult cinema, maze and dungeon, as well as a realistic dogging zone.
It employs around 20 staff whose jobs will be lost if the club closes permanently. It welcomes couples and singles of all ages, with a younger influx of couples attending in recent years.
It costs £15 for couples, £30 for single men and £10 for single women to enter and use any of the club's rooms, with cleaning equipment on hand in every room to maintain hygiene.
A reporter was given a tour of the venue in 2019 - see the gallery of photos taken inside here .
While he knows it does not appeal to everyone, Mr Rothwell says the site is very popular thanks to its welcoming atmosphere. It can host as many as 500 customers at once.
Mr Rothwell says the club is popular among the LGBTQ+ community and with transvestites in particular as it fosters a friendly and inclusive atmosphere for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation.
He said: "We're probably the biggest club in the country and we've got one of the biggest followings for transvestites and crossdressers. If we get the right place, what we're hoping to do is set up an advice centre in it too for people new to this sort of thing.
"We know people don't always agree, which is why we want to set something up, so people can come and see what we do. It's not like what you expect.
"You don't get people jumping on you as soon as you walk in the door or anything like that. It's a happy, friendly place.
"All the couples mix in, having a laugh, having a drink - they can do what they like."
The former Osmaston Works was bought by ALB Group for an undisclosed fee. The company has a history of turning former industrial buildings into apartments, including the old St Peter's House in Gower Street.
The developers said when they bought the building that it would continue to be used for commercial ventures for the foreseeable future, meaning that the Attic and other offices at the site can continue trading for at least the next few months.
But with the clock ticking the search is on to find a new home, and Mr Rothwell says that he would accept losing some space if it meant the Attic could survive.
He said: "The trouble is finding somewhere that is suitable now. We're looking at various properties and we're hoping that somebody will come up with somewhere.
"The council has put us in touch with agents but it's mainly offices that they're finding so far, and that's not great.
"We've found a couple of places in Derby. We don't want to move from Derby as the city has been good to us, as we get on well with the council, the police and the fire service and we've always complied.
"We're looking ideally for a warehouse, rather than an office block. Unless we had a complete office block people wouldn't like what we do.
"We need about 10-15,000 square feet. We would take a reduction in size as long as it's not too much smaller."
Mr Rothwell says that anyone who may be able to help find the club a new home should contact the business on 01332 205018.
