Q: I keep hearing that there is a VIP area and that it is for elitist people. What's the story behind that?

A: After I took a trip to New York and visited a number of clubs with some friends of mine who are well connected I found myself in the VIP area of every club I attended. They were not like the so called "VIP" areas of just about every club here in Jax that sell entry into them for $100 and up. These were reserved spaces for club kids and their friends who were invited by the club and given free drinks because they brought so many people through their social networking. The whole time I was there I could not help but think of all the people I know back in Jax who go above and beyond to help us out at the club to transport props, decorate, clean and help distribute flyers every week. I though that by bringing a little touch of New York back to Jax and giving those individuals that go the extra distance to make our night better for everyone a place of their own in the club would be the right thing to do. At first I sectioned off the stage with curtains. This quickly lead to wild speculation about what was happening back there so we began opening them so everyone could see in and those patrons would still have their space. This still seemed to not sit well and unfortunately some patrons may have seen it as elitist, so I closed it down. When the club was rearranged with the very small seating area in the front, and the owners used it for themselves and their friends on nights other than Saturdays I felt it entirely appropriate to use that area as a reserved space for those that help out the club. What sickens me is that the critics of this so called "VIP" space are the same ones who used it for themselves nearly exclusively on other nights of the week or more recently I have been criticized for it by people who sat there themselves and are friends with everyone else that sat there. So I do not take the criticism of hypocrites with any seriousness, what I do take seriously is when my intentions and the truth of the matter are so viciously misconstrued by self-serving narcissists.

To set the record straight, there was never a "VIP" area in FACTORY. No sign ever claimed any section was for "Very Important People," though I do feel those people are important, I feel each and every one of our patrons are important. Those sections were clearly marked as simply "RESERVED." Just as I had reserved the stage for birthday parties or bands before, and it made none of those bands or parties elitists, it simply allowed them to reserve that space. This happens in restaurants as well as just about every other entertainment venue right down to Chucky Cheese. Does this make them elitists because they reserve a space? No, because that is an intrinsic part of the entertainment service industry. The only people calling what was a reserved space a "VIP" area are those that either cannot read a sign or are trying to make me and my friends look elitist to serve their own promotion. But the truth is what it is. It was simply a reserved space for a small handful of people who helped out the club in many ways. It was not 100% exclusive, it was in no way elitist and more importantly it is not even a valid issue because FACTORY has not have a reserved area since we left Eclipse.

- Max