A drive back in time

By HOLLY SCHOENSTEIN

The Elm Road Triple Drive-in continues to thrive

Drive-in movie theaters have to adapt to a changing industry to stay in business.

WARREN — Brightly colored balloons and streamers decorate the concession area at the Elm Road Triple Drive-In.

For a moment, the orange-and-white-striped counters and velvet ropes that guide customers through the food line act as a time machine and transport patrons to an era when drive-ins thrived.

On weekend nights at Elm Road, it can seem like those days have never gone away. About 1,200 to 1,500 moviegoers visit every Friday and Saturday night.

Most drive-ins locally and nationwide have not had such success. At the height of their popularity in 1958, more than 4,000 operated nationwide. Today, fewer than 400 exist, according to the United Drive-In Theater Owners Association in Middle River, Md.

Theater owner Robert Hreno, 73, says Elm Road’s patronage has not changed despite the hardships the industry has faced for decades. He attributes the steady customer stream to the closing of several drive-ins in the area. At one time, Elm Road competed with Super 45 in Warren, Howland Drive-In in Niles and four others in Youngstown. Today, its only competitor in the area is Sky Way Drive-in in Warren.

“It would be better if there wasn’t another drive-in for the both of us,” said Hreno, a lifelong resident of Niles.

Brian DeCiancio, a Howland resident and owner and operator of Sky Way, also said the customer stream has been about the same since he bought it in 2002. Sky Way has one screen and can accommodate 645 vehicles.

D Edward Vogel, a spokesman for United Drive-In Theater Owners Association, said the industry is not expected to grow much because of the rising cost of land values, but as drive-ins gain popularity, a slight growth may be noticed.

Despite steady patronage, drive-ins compete with indoor cinemas and outdoor events, such as festivals.

Closings of drive-ins over the last few decades have some customers and owners concerned. Hreno and his wife, Grace, get e-mails from customers begging Elm Road not to close.

But increased operating expenses, including expensive first-run movies and licensing fees, are obstacles the Hrenos battle by positioning Elm Road as a less-expensive alternative for summer entertainment.

“Nowhere else in any theatrical business can you get two features for the price of one and get a variety of food in a casual and relaxed atmosphere,” he said.

The theater has had to make changes to keep up with customers’ demands while maintaining the old-fashioned atmosphere.

In the 1940s and 1950s, one frequent customer request was warming baby bottles. Today, customers expect economical admission and food prices. To meet the demands, discounted food specials are offered from an expanded menu that includes classics such as hamburgers, hot dogs, pizzas, barbecue sandwiches and nonalcoholic frozen drinks.

A third screen was erected in 2005, which now allows the theater to accommodate about 950 vehicles. Customers who prefer the original speaker system are able to access it, but digital FM sound is available for those who prefer better sound quality.

Elm Road also positions itself as family-oriented.

“We play all the family movies we can play. Since we opened, we have only played one R-rated movie,” Hreno said.

Even though he has worked at the theater for decades, he could not ignore an offer to sell the business in 2003 for $800,000. But he passed when his daughter and son-in-law developed an interest in inheriting it, and now the theater is willed to them.

Sheri and Mark Hocevar of Shelby Township, Mich., work at the theater on the weekends. Sheri, who works in the real estate industry, manages the theater’s Web site and writes the company’s newsletters. Mark, who is an engineer, manages the concession stand.

Today, Robert Hreno works mostly in the ticket booth while Grace Hreno is a concession stand cashier, bookkeeper and payroll manager.

The couple also owns rental properties.

The Hrenos did not recommend their children inherit Elm Road.

“You’re up late at night. It’s fun in a way, but a lot of hard work,” Hreno said.

But the love of the business and the fact that it has been family-owned and operated since Robert’s father, Stephen, built it in 1950 outweighed the challenges of ownership.

DeCiancio agrees and said he continues to own Sky Way because of his love and enjoyment of the business. He leased, managed and operated two indoor theaters two years ago, but prefers the drive-in.

Hreno said he thinks the expense of building drive-ins may deter some would-be owners.

“When my dad built it, land was cheap; you could probably buy land for $5,000 to $10,000, but today it would cost about $1.5 million,” he said.

Stephen Hreno, who was also a welder, designed the drive-in with the help of a few workers. “My dad was kind of a mechanical genius,” Robert Hreno said.

It appears Robert Hreno inherited some of the same skills, because he designed the concession area and projection room above it in 1979. The concession stand opened 19 years from the day Stephen died in an accident, and 29 years from the day his original theater opened.

The drive-in’s first movies were a Lassie the Dog flick and “Luxury Liner,” which was similar to “The Love Boat,” starring Jane Powell and George Brent.

Elm Road will need to continue to adapt in order to survive. One way the Hrenos determine how to adapt is by talking with other drive-in owners at United Drive-In Theater Owners Association conferences.

Some drive-ins have resorted to other sources of income, such as hosting flea markets. DeCiancio said the flea market that has been open on the weekends since the 1970s brings in about 20 percent of the revenue at Sky Way. Even if the market closed, he said, his business would still be viable.

Elm Road had a flea market for two years in the early 1980s, but stopped hosting them because they were hassles.

The Hrenos believe Elm Road’s future remains about the same as it is today. The Hocevars seem to have ideas that could enhance its attractiveness, such as adding a miniature golf course and pizzeria.

Many drive-ins rely on revenues from concession stands. DeCiancio said concessions bring in about 40 percent of Sky Way’s revenues.

“If they want to see the drive-ins around, they need to support them at least several times a season,” DeCiancio said of patrons.

Many drive-ins celebrated the 75th anniversary of the invention of the drive-in theater, known as Hollingshead Day, on June 6. Richard Hollingshead Jr. opened the first drive-in theater in America on June 6, 1933, in Camden, N.J., after hanging a sheet between two trees and placing a movie projector on the hood of his car.

hschoenstein@vindy.com