This article originally appeared on VICE Canada.With its wooden walls covered in mining-inspired artwork and memorabilia, Harley's Hardrock Saloon feels more basement rec room than strip club.Since 1994, it has occupied a unique spot in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories as the most northern strip club in all of Canada.To the regulars, it's an unpretentious, no-nonsense place to down a beer or 12. To more than a few citizens, it's a slightly spicy final stop after a night of carousing. To others, it's straight up a den of iniquity.
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Love it or hate it, its habitués are fascinating: from the dancers are independent contractors who travel thousands of miles for two weeks of work, many of whom love the place and regularly return. To the staff—in a town where people constantly change jobs—many have worked there since just after it opened. And then of course there's the cast of characters that make up the regulars.In the end, Harley's is a community and it's really beautiful. That's what I found, anyway, and these are the photos I took, along with some conversations I had while taking them.Follow Angela Gzowski on Twitter.