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Roller skating rink, with arcade games in smaller rooms. Air hockey, pool. The theatre area could have the chairs taken out and be the floor for the skating rink.
Or...drop off day care center....
Or..strip club and bar. I do like the idea of games...how about indoor paint ball?
I own a closed movie theater in Checotah, Oklahoma (Gentry Cinema). The building is still in good condition and has a lot of equipment still in it. It was renovated and remodeled in 2008. It closed in early 2010, a little over a year after its reopening. I have been trying to sell it since it closed, but so far everything I've tried has fallen through. So far, people who are interested don't have the resources to buy or even to rent, or they change their mind for other reasons. It wasn't open long enough to really get established, so there are no solid financial statements to show whether or not it is a good investment. Any new buyer would have to come up with their own business plan. They could not just walk in and expect to start making money. It will take work. Ongoing changes in the movie theater business will mean money will need to be spent soon for costly professional cinema grade digital projection equipment. This leaves most investors out. They want a guaranteed return.
So, this leaves me needing to find someone with a vision and desire to reopen the building. It wouldn't have to be a theater. It could be anything a person could come up with for such a facility. It has 2 auditoriums, one very small and one bigger. It has a concession stand with an adjacent seating area with tables. It has a separate upstairs space used for projection and a bonus area. The whole downstairs is handicap accessible and it has a fire sprinkler system. It is located in the center of town in the downtown area. There is lots of on-street parking. It is located in a town with 3,500 people in town, over 10,000 in the zip code and about 20,000 in the county. It is the only movie theater in the county. I have a lot of money tied up in it, but I don't plan to be the one to do anything with it, other than to sell it or rent it. I live far away now, and I don't have money to do anything with it. What would you do with this closed movie theater if it were yours? What type of business should I seek to fill it?
I live in a small town (8000) in Nebraska. We have an old theater that has been and is still undergoing remodeling with donations, back to original condition.
They have concerts, like smal bands, local and from out of state. They have Plays and story telling from past, comedy, and just about everything in between.
It has been real successful and has sold out many times. They also show old movies, but we have a new modern theater in town for regular movies.
I have a friend who has developed a very successful business operating theaters in small towns. I doubt he'd be interested in yours due to the distance (he's in southern Illinois), but he may have some advice or know someone who would be interested. I'll PM you contact information.
Can you get a liquor license? Some of the movie theaters around here have a full service bar in house. Not sure how much money you're willing to dump into it though, but that'd be an idea. I'd also host parties to big games (that's Sooners Nation, right?), perhaps rent it out for video gaming tournaments.
Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions. As I've said, I'm not in a position to really do anything with this property. I live far away in another state now. I am just looking for ideas that someone else might use. That way I might be able to pitch some of them to prospective buyers or use them to target some new market segments in my efforts to sell. So, I appreciate your responses and hope that something might take root somehow.
What about a records retention facility? Doctors, lawyers, and most retailers are still required to keep physical copies of paper/notes/records/financial statements. Overhead would be low...a series of steel A-frames, a few ladders, and a desk with a phone and computer.
Got you covered right here. Make the place like a hang out for young and old people. Have a stage built for bands who want to showcase their talent. Even if the town is small, you could have other people from other towns come over and hang out, listen to music, and even showcase their bands. Music could be classic rock n roll, contempory rock n roll, country, rap, pop, jazz, etc.
You can build a kitchen for the back, that way people can order food while hanging out and listening to music.
The floor could be used for dancing to all sorts of music that is played there.
You could also have the staged used for people who want to tell jokes. Maybe have an open mike night.
In addition to having singers/bands/acts there, you can have a dj playing music as well. You could have an 80's night or a 70's night. Maybe do a swing jazz night with the dj playing the music or having a band playing the music and letting people swing dance and what not.
Maybe have a karaoke night where people sing different songs.
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