Las Vegas Weekly

[Exhibition]

Staying power

The Erotic Heritage Museum survives mostly thanks to—surprise!—locals

Photo: Beverly Poppe

Inside the Erotic

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Even sex, at least the not-for-profit kind, is feeling the recession. Laura Henkel, who curates the Erotic Heritage Museum, notes: “As a nonprofit it has impacted our numbers.” But, as with other museums, big sponsors help. One, a renowned nudie-bar owner, got his name in front of the facility’s title when Harry Mohney’s Erotic Heritage Museum opened on Industrial Road last fall.

But the biggest surprise has been the number of locals becoming regulars. This is instead of the expected mainstay, tourists. In fact, locals have become almost as important as the big patron. Right now, Henkel says, Las Vegans are keeping the museum afloat. “We are going to survive because of our sponsors, but also because we are getting lots of donations for $100 memberships. Those memberships last for a year. That is unlimited admission to the museum, a discount at the store. We usually have two events a month that you can come to. It is a donation, yes, but that is also a huge bargain.”