Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Taking over family-owned theatre, any advice?

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Posted by Kara J. McVay (Member # 1285) on 08-03-2002, 07:12 PM:

Wednesday, Aug. 7th, I will at long last get the keys to the Strand Theatre in Delaware, OH. I haven't had a key to the Strand since May of 1991. I am looking forward to working there again, especially as the Chief Operating Officer for Ohio Wesleyan University.

I am looking for words of "wisdom" from all of you film-techers. I have a pretty good idea what is in store for me, but I am sure there are many things that will just pop up. Any advice will be welcome

Thanks in advance. I will get pictures ASAP.

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"That's a chip up the nose, Ken" Fish Called Wanda

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 08-03-2002, 08:59 PM:

Good luck and as they say on broadway "break a leg"

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 08-03-2002, 11:09 PM:

Be sure to check the bottom line over the last 5 years or so, especially during "Hard Times" - and naturally, make darn sure it "Pencils out."

How many "improvements" must you make to keep a good picture and sound in the auditorium, and what kind of shape (and how old) is the equipment? How much work will be needed to get it up to snuff? Are your screens and chairs shot? How about the general condition of the building?

These are just a few thoughts that immediately come through my mind.

Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 08-04-2002, 02:32 PM:

Just always remember that a theater is a machine.

All the parts have a function, & when one or more get erratic or broken, things get worse until stuff falls apart. Whatever is broken or doesn't work well, get it fixed. While you're ordering priorities, you can think about what it does. For example, if you've got sump pumps & only one is working, you are living on the edge of doom. If it's an old plaster-walled house, it better be tight as a drum or you will be faced with the expensive slow & fast-paced hell that will break loose from deteriorating plaster, rusting metal & rotting wood lath, etc. Naked strung Romex electrical lines & other stopgap things often done in get-by later times in old theaters will get you shut down instantly that a straight arrow fire marshal comes by. Making weird changes like "Well, lets paint all the walls white" or "we can close this strange opening" need to be considered *very* carefully & usually abandoned in order to avoid things like glaring, quickly dirty walls or ruined ventilation. Repair with modern materials, but original design, usually works best. Put it in order & keep it that way works out cheapest, most reliable, & most satisfactory.

Good luck, enjoy living in your theater for protracted periods like the lady who bought the St. George on Staten Island.

Posted by Bob Maar (Member # 763) on 08-04-2002, 04:38 PM:

Be Honest, Be Fair and Be Just.

To thine ownself be true. Shakespeare

Have fun, enjoy yourself ....learn as though you will live forever and live as though you will die tomorrow.

Best wishes for much sucess.

Posted by Robert E. Allen (Member # 1351) on 08-05-2002, 01:14 AM:

Remember your responsibility to the community. Do you want to tear it down by offering a lot of R rated garbage or do you want to build it up by offering wholesome and uplifting entertainment? I realize one man's "garbage" may be another man's "uplifting entertainment" but at least go for a balance.

Bob
The Old Showman

Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 08-05-2002, 08:01 PM:

Kara,

One of the local news stations showed your theatre tonight (WBNS @ 5:30). They showed the lobby, the concession stand and an old projector that sits in the lobby. The "expert" commentator showed the carbon rods, and said that these got so hot they caused many fires. (I wish TV News people would just report the news and not pretend they are experts in everything.)

I wish they would have mentioned your new ownership, but no such luck.

Anyway, best of luck on the Strand. I'll make it a point to come up and visit sometime.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 08-06-2002, 12:55 PM:

As an owner of a small town single screen, the best advice I can give is: Develop a good relationship with your local media. Every time you have ANY kind of an event, or do any remodeling or fixing-up to the theatre, write up an article (or call your favorite reporter) and mention it to them. If you make friends with those people, you'll get thousands of dollars worth of free publicity. I've got a scrapbook full of newspaper articles to prove it!

Posted by John Daily (Member # 1362) on 08-06-2002, 02:12 PM:

Know your customers, and make every one of them feel special. Learn the names of those who come back, and take the time to greet them with more than just a quick 'Hi'. After the lights come up, stand by the exit doors and thank them for coming. If one of them wants to discuss the film with you, take a few minutes to do so. You'll be absolutely amazed at how much of a difference these little things make.
Also, try to give them a reason to come back other than the film. I do regular raffles, for example.

Good luck tomorrow!

Posted by Daniel Boisson (Member # 1027) on 08-12-2002, 11:43 PM:

John had a good comment. The theatre I work at is near a large Chain theatre(Hoytes). They have more seats, and better sound and picture quality in most of their theatres. Yet we still do very well cause Hoytes treats they're customers like cattle. So make sure your whole staff is friendly, you'll see a difference.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 08-13-2002, 09:21 AM:

I second and third and forth John's advice. Running a theatre or ANY business where the entire focus is to offer service to the customer, considering their confort and needs is the kingpin to success, especially in the theatre business. We offer titles that the competition offers. What do we have to get the customer to come to our establishment rather than the competition, is how the customer percieves they are being treated. I would even put that just a hair above presentation. I have see patrons very loyal to old art houses that maybe don;t have the hightest state-of-the-art presentation, but offer that sense of personal attention. Naturally, you want to present the best possible picture and sound that you can (and much can be done to that end even with older equipment), but first and foremost is how the patron is treated.

We have used that approach, the same as outlined in John's post, in running our theatre for almost a decade. We print a newsletter that the audience can pick up in the lobby. There is always a House Manager in the lobby after the show to greet patrons. If people want to stay and discuss the film, we give them free hot coffee -- we are famous for our coffee/film critique clutches. We make the patrons feel like it is "their" theatre. There is a suggestion box for them to tell us what they like and what they don;t. We play CDs (in 6 Channel Total Surround MegaSound as we call it) before each show which THEY get to choose via the suggestion box. The idea is that we have a breathtaking sound system, no reason not to share it with our friends. We were very successful selling discount subscription books of five tickets --they can use the tickets anytime for any screening, no restrictions (bring four friends and use the whole book for one film or one ticket for five films). We stick a 1 free popcorn coupon in the book as well as a little thank you. We found that if we offer a free bagel for our morning show, the box office triples (costs us 18 cents for the bagel and we get a treble increase in BO sales -- it's a good deal). ALWAYS have a visible usher in the back of the theatre. There is nothing worse than a patron getting the feeling that they bought their ticket and then are abandoned in the belly of a big theatre. If there is a problem either with the presentation or patrons' behavior, that information is immediately relayed to the staff via your eyes and ears in the theatre. Use volunteer help. It saves money and it builds a sense of dedication and family. There is the CineStudio at Trinity College that is a model for art houses. It has a very large, dedicated staff that are almost all volunteers; it has been successfully running art/alternative/rep films for over 25 years. Be sure to use the internet and an email database to let your patrons know your schedule and upcoming titles. Don't overlook sponsorship -- there are many companies, especially small local business that can buy ad space in your brochures, even fund their printing and mailing. You may find that rather than ask for money, it is much easier (and more successful) to ask for newspaper ad space taht the company buys anyway. Get a company to extend the ads they normally purchase to include your space for your ad. So when they place their ad, they jsut extend the space -- it makes it very easy for them and they tend to be a lot more generous than they would be if you just ask for a chunk of money.

Lots of ideas, but I'll stop now. Best of luck. Keep us posted -- and don't forget to post pictures!!

Frank

Let me know if you give tours (BTW that;s another good fund-raising tool)....it would be a good reason to get in the car and take a weekend trip to Ohio!!

Posted by Dennis Benjamin (Member # 1137) on 08-28-2002, 12:27 AM:

I believe the original marquee for your theatre resides at my theatre. I am not sure, but I believe it is from a "STRAND" theatre in Ohio (Delaware, Ohio?). Here is the link to my theatre's site. I will try to get a better picture of the marquee.
http://www.crowntheatres.com/theatres/las_vegas_neo.html

The STRAND marquee is the red and orange sign on the tower in the center.

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"Running through life at 24 frames per second"