Spokane’s historic Northside Movie Theater will soon have a new beginning.
Katherine Fritsch, who bought the Garland Theater in 1999, sold the theater and other adjacent properties Thursday to Spokane real estate developer Jordan Tampien.
The $1.8 million deal includes the sale of the theater’s real estate and business entities as well as adjacent properties, including the buildings that house Vintage Prints & Neons and Mark’s Guitar Shop, Fritchy said. . Print shop and music store owners will continue to own their businesses.
Fricky said he will continue operating the movie theater until the end of the year. Tampien intends to operate the theater next year, but due to the difficult transition, he doesn’t expect it to reopen until eight weeks after the new year. The main reason for the delay is the time it takes to obtain a new license for the theater and Bon Bon, a small bar inside the theater.
“We didn’t purchase any existing business licenses, so everything has to be brand new,” he said. “So Katherine intends to honor her contract and make it through to the end of the month.”
Tampien plans to issue a refund for the annual membership he purchased in 2024.
But Tampien has no intention of running the business. He plans to own the property and lease it to Chris Bovey and Tyler Arnold, who will own and operate the business.
Although a lease has not yet been signed, Mr. Tampien has signed a letter of intent to lease the property. Arnold and Bovey’s contracts will run for 10 to 20 years.
Both have experience in this field. Mr. Bovey owns Vintage Print & Neon, and Mr. Arnold co-owns Jedi His Alliance, a comic book specialty store, toy museum, arcade and event space.
Mr. Bovey said the two had been trying to buy property in the Garland area for the past nine months, but the deal fell through due to disagreements with Mr. Fritchie.
Then, four weeks ago, Tampien started trying to buy it.
“We thought about turning it into an event center or closing it down and renting it out to a real estate agent, but that wouldn’t be of any use to the community,” he said. “But I didn’t know exactly what. So I bought it and was going to shut it down until I figured out what to do with it.”
That is, until he met Arnold and Bobey.
“I met them and thought, ‘This is the energy we need,'” he said.
Although they intend to maintain the theater as a second-run movie theater showing classic films that modern audiences have never seen on the big screen, Bovey and Arnold plan a number of changes.
Most notably, the company plans to host events and themed screenings like the one it did with Flicki earlier this year to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.
“There were actors and costumes walking around,” Bovey said. “The entire theater was sold out. We hope to see more things like that.”
Additionally, we plan to significantly reduce our staff, make our food menu simpler, and keep ticket prices $1 lower.
“We are passionate about bringing back dollar movies,” he said.
Bovee said the trio hopes to screen family-friendly movies and cartoons for $1 on Saturdays, something that could impact the surrounding area.
“Families can then take a break from the movies and come to the Garland District and spend the entire day,” he said. “This is something that will revitalize this entire neighborhood.”
The men are also planning about $9 million in renovations to the interior and exterior of the building, Tampien said. However, Arnold said it is unclear when construction will occur or if the theater will be closed during construction.
“A few weeks ago we thought this was dead water,” he says. “We have a lot to understand.”
Fritchie said the theater will need someone with an idea to evolve its business model if it is to continue to survive.
Tampien agrees.
“For this to work, we have to come up with a completely new concept, a completely new strategy,” he said. “And if you’re going to do it, you might as well get a little carried away.”
The Garland first opened on Thanksgiving Day in 1945. Frickey bought the business in 1999 and then the property in 2002.
Looking back over the years of ownership, there are times when patrons hid a microwave just outside the exit door to make their own popcorn, and when a pair of men walked around the theater naked before speeding off. Memories came flooding back.
But more than her own memories, she said she values the memories the community has made at the theater. She often heard touching stories of couples who had their first date at the theater or wives who were proposed to in the theater.
“There are so many wonderful stories like that, I hear them over and over again,” she said. “Garland really had a huge impact on the Spokane community.”
Although she misses her time as a movie theater owner, she feels relieved that she was able to sell the movie theater.
“The situation has been especially tough since COVID-19,” Fritsch said. “But I really felt like I had to keep it going for Spokane.”
Because of its history, Fritchie felt obligated to keep the theater open by any means necessary, even as financial pressures mounted.
The effort has raised nearly $50,000, which has not yet been spent, Frickey said. Arnold said the money will be passed on to Arnold and Bovey, who hope to continue to grow the company.
“We want another push,” he said. “We need a failsafe, we need a second projector, and our popcorn machine is out of order. The more donations we receive, the more amazing things we can provide.”
The last few films to be shown under Fricky’s ownership include “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” “Violent Night,” “The Polar Express,” “Frozen,” and “The Princess Bride.” Become. She is also working on showings for Purple Rain and her recent blockbuster film, Taylor Swift: The Elus Tour, but those screenings have not yet been determined.
Asked if he would show some of his favorite movies before passing the torch, he said he would not.
“I want to respect what Spokane wants to see,” she said. “It’s never about me.”
Arnold and Bovee met in April when Bovee teamed up with Fritchie to launch a fundraiser to relieve the company and many other theaters across the country from the financial pressures they face.
Donations may be a good fit for the new owner’s business model. They instead talked about orienting the business as a nonprofit, with all profits made reinvested back into the organization.
However, this has not yet been determined. No matter how the business is organized, the group’s main focus is to maintain Garland as a community theater.
“Without the garland, this whole neighborhood suffers. I mean, this is also the heart of this area and the city,” Arnold said. “Here you can talk to anyone who’s ever been to Garland. It’s going to last for generations to come.”