After being closed for two months, the doors of Fiction Nightclub were reopened last night, and the entertainment nightspot has a brand new look.

The new Fiction boasts a lounge, which is called the Living Room and which owner David Annakie says will further position the club as a premium facility.

"Every single person that steps into the club is a VIP, regardless of race, colour, creed, religion, ethnicity or where you are from. We don't care about that. What we ask for people to do is come out and have a good time," Annakie told The Gleaner.

He said the name of the club will not change as it is a powerful brand, recognised by college students and celebrities at home and abroad.

Although still located in the Market Place, St Andrew, the newly opened facility is located a few doors from the place with which persons have become familiar. Annakie said it is three times as big as the old Fiction, which makes it more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing.

Annakie, in 2014, through his New York-based company Linkup Media Group, bought out Fiction Nightclub from KLE Group, and poured roughly US$1 million into creating a new look for the entertainment spot.

"We have relationships with many celebrities and many influencers, who continuously will come to the club every week. That is a vibe that we will continue," Annakie told The Gleaner.

 

More performances

 

He said, too, that patrons can expect great entertainment as more performances will take place in the club, adding that with the facility being more spacious, it can now accommodate a band.

When Linkup Media bought Fiction from KLE it was suffering from declining clientele, a phenomenon that is not uncommon in the club business. In fact, several leading nightclubs, including Famous, in Portmore; Asylum, Pure/Plush and The Quad have gone under in recent times. Annakie is adamant that Fiction, based on the way it is managed, is not likely to meet a similar fate and insists that its recent closure was not prompted by a declining return on his investment.

"At that time when we closed our door, the club was doing extremely well, but here, in this fickle culture of ours, in the Jamaican community, you can't be mundane. You have to come with something new and vibrant, and that's what we have done," Annakie said.

According to the club owner, Fiction has been doing extremely well, especially its Uber nights on Fridays and International nights on Saturdays, but the decision was made to revamp to ensure that the club does not suffer the fate of other clubs.

"Here in Jamaica, there are many expenses that can tear people apart where businesses are concerned.We are fortunate to have an entertainment business where we are not targeting just the Jamaican community. We are targeting the international community," Annakie said. "We are not the cheapest club. We are premium, we are expensive, but we deliver the service. We can be compared with any club in the New York area, the Vegas area, for the expertise that we offer and the experience," Annakie said.

"We don't have much room for error where the nightclubs are concerned," he continued, noting that in addition to ensuring that clubs get financial resources, they must be properly managed by persons with vast contacts in the business.