Main Street Theater charts road to revival

The Columbiana theater owners are aiming to draw audiences from throughout the Valley.

By GUY D’ASTOLFO

vindicator entertainment writer

A chain of events has prompted Don Arthurs, who bought and restored the Main Street Theater in Columbiana, to take over the day-to-day operations of the venue.

Arthurs and his wife, Dawn, purchased the 57-year-old building in 2007. A Columbiana native, he had fond memories of going to movies at the theater as a child, and when the building went up for sale, he jumped at the opportunity to buy it.

Formerly known as the Columbiana Cinema, it was a shabby single-screen theater that was sitting vacant. Arthurs spent about $1 million on purchasing and renovating the building, and adding the adjacent Encore Cafe. It opened in May.

He was a hands-off owner, leaving the daily operational duties to a manager. But after losing his job in January and then learning of the theater’s woes this month, he realized that fate was leading him to a greater role in the theater that has always held a place in his heart.

Arthurs, of Leetonia, is one of the three founders of Turning Technologies, a high-tech startup firm in Downtown Youngstown. In 2006, Turning Tech expanded with financing from an investment firm that assumed a controlling interest. Arthurs remained on as vice president for software engineering, but his ownership share was diminished.

In January, Turning eliminated 30 workers — including Arthurs — in a recession-related move. Arthurs was left without a job at the firm he helped start. Mike Crosby, another founder, was also let go.

Last week, Arthurs learned from Tammy Crismon, Main Street’s manager, that the theater was in precarious financial condition. After talking it over with his wife, he realized the only choice was to assume the managerial duties.

It was a case of one door closing and another one opening.

“Due to several factors, especially the current state of our economy, the theater was falling into quite a financial hole,” said Arthurs. “We made several changes over the last six months and thought that we may be turning it around, but Tammy contacted my wife and I last week with quite a grim outlook.”

The Arthurs concluded that their only hope of saving the theater would be to run it like a mom-and-pop shop. That meant Crismon had to be let go.

“We could no longer afford to pay someone to manage it,” said Arthurs. “Tammy will be missed, and we pray she will quickly find something that takes advantage of her talents.”

Crismon had been the manager of the theater since it opened. Before that, she was the executive director of Salem Community Theatre.

Main Street’s outlook starting going downhill in September, right around the time the economy began to tank. Its sales dropped by nearly 50 percent.

High heating costs — the bill for February was $3,300 — added to the problem, as did equipment breakdowns and other growing pains.

Arthurs said that failure of the theater is not an option for him and his wife. “We have way too much invested into it, and it means too much to the community,” he said.

Although he has no experience in the theater field, he knows the rewards and risks of growing a business that relies on creativity.

His first goal is to make the theater a regional attraction by getting it on the radar of folks in Youngstown and its suburbs.

“Being a Columbiana native, I grew up knowing that if we needed to go shopping or wanted to be entertained, we had to travel north,” said Arthurs. “The 10- or 15-minute drive up route 11 or 7 [to Boardman or Youngstown] was no big deal. I think a lot of people from the Valley do not realize how close we are to them and what we have to offer. We need to get the word out.”

Attendance has been hit-and-miss. Some events, such as the March 14-15 concerts by Maidens IV, an Irish song and dance act, sold a combined 550 tickets. Other events drew poorly and lost money.

The theater also shows first-run movies, mainly in the summer, which can be problematic. Studios usually require a three-week run, Arthurs explained. Also, as a single-screen theater with less clout than a multiplex, he often doesn’t get confirmation on the availability of prints in advance.

The animated film “Monsters vs. Aliens” opens Friday at the theater.

Arthurs said he will try to get more national acts, even though that might mean higher ticket prices. Already booked are Southern gospel singer John Stames (April 18) and family-friendly comedian Ron McGehee (April 25).