US$1m FOR NEW-LOOK Fiction
FICTION NIGHTCLUB stood at its location in Marketplace for 10 years. Now newly conceptualised, refurbished, and fully reopened over the weekend, the nightclub has been transformed into a multifaceted entertainment spot, with the promise of ‘new everything’.
The Gleaner recently caught up with David ‘Squeeze’Annakie, who extolled the benefits of persistent and controlled reinvention.
“Jamaica is a very fickle community. We got bored easily. Let’s not stick our head in the sand and pretend like Jamaicans will not call you out. So rather than wait for them to call us out, we stepped out – and that we have done in a very big way,” Annakie said.
“Whether it’s celebrities or something significant happening inside, that I can’t give you details on yet,” the enterprising owner said cryptically.
“I want people to understand, the room is completely new and we’re not done yet. We have the hookah lounge and the deck ... We’ve got a whole lot that’s coming to Marketplace. But we still have a way to go,” he explained.
FOCAL POINT
According to Annakie, the renovation cost of the nightclub (a mere two feet to the right of the former locale, in the same complex) carries a value of approximately US$1 million. The new Fiction’s current focal point is the Living Room Lounge.
It sits on the second floor of the new space, laid out with couches, coffee tables and a view of the dance floor on the lower level.
In the furthermost corners of the dance floor, two VIP sections, vaguely reminiscent of the ‘old’ Fiction. Just above the lounge stands the DJ booth, expansive and holding its own couches and tables, and views of the dance floor and the lower lounge, presumably for the VVIPs.
The club owner inferred that Fiction’s Living Room Lounge could become a communal space in the complex.
“It’s gonna incorporate the fact that a lot of people will be dining in the Living Room Lounge, and they may want to get food from another restaurant. If that’s what they want, we’ll have runners that will get it all.”
Though there will not be a fullblown restaurant, the new Fiction will have bar food options, as they plan to open the doors to the Living Room Lounge as early as 5 p.m., seven days a week. Annakie said customers will have the room to “grab one of our iPads, put your feet up, relax, have a conversation – whether it’s business or social.”
The Living Room Lounge will be open from 5 p.m., to midnight, Sundays through to Tuesdays. From Wednesdays onwards, the doors will open from 5 p.m. until 4 a.m.