What a week it’s been for FactoryPeople, the upscale south-side retailer: First, owners Le and Thomas Popov are profiled as “grupsters,” or hipster parents. (Talk about your oxymorons.) Then someone pretends their changing room is the old Cinema West theatre, from back before South Congress was “SoCo.” Now, after one of their South by Southwest afterparties was broken up by the fire department, the Popovs penned a missive for Austinist, claiming SXSW HQ may have had a hand in the shutdown:
“SXSW has sustained a reputation for being imperial and difficult to deal with for years. … Someone compiled the list of parties. Someone targeted music-related events during the SXSW Music Festival. We have the right to know who and why. FactoryPeople is filing a freedom of information request for access to any records detailing the communications between SXSW, The City Council, The City of Austin, (and) the Fire Department,” it reads.
We’re sure Council Member Betty Dunkerley‘s behind this. She’s pissed she couldn’t get a plus-one for the Spank Rock party.
SXSW’s Roland Swenson then gets gully in the comments:
“It’s a stunning admission that you didn’t even bother to check on what permits are required by the Fire Marshals to hold a safe, public, advertised event. … Factory People posted this to blame SXSW, not to take responsibility for their mistakes. Having looked at the long list of corporate sponsors on the Factory People website (Including Yaris-SXSW!!) I understand your need to find a way to placate the sponsors who lost a lot of money on your party.”
The rest of the comments are about as guarded and respectful as you’d think. Bottom line: Yowza!
Abacus balls disclaimer: Believe it or not, SXSW and the Chronicle are two completely separate entities. Separate buildings. Separate staffs. Truth be told, we kinda hate each other. The above is completely on some “We Report, You Decide”-type shit. One-hunnid.
This article appears in March 16 • 2007.