Closing credits

Theater to shut down, church buying site

POST FALLS - This weekend marks the final chapter of Post Falls Theater.

The 17-year-old, locally-owned theater will close after its showings on Sunday, less than two months after it converted to a discount cinema from a "first-run" format.

The building has been sold to Summit Northwest Ministries, a Seventh-day Adventist Church that plans to use the site as its new church home.

"The discount format was doing well, but the people who own the vast majority of the business had an opportunity to sell, and I don't blame them," said Julius Vichinsky, who co-owns the business with Jodie and Michel Gahard and has managed the theater for several years.

"We were only using four out of the six screens under the discount format and there's additional space on the property not being utilized that taxes are being paid on."

Vichinsky said it would be easy to blame the closure on the economy, but he believes there are other factors.

"Our community that we have so generously supported throughout the years failed to support us in return," he wrote in a letter. "With the population of Post Falls alone, our business should have flourished."

Vichinsky said the Gahards spent more than $250,000 over the years in upgrades and the business offered special rates and programs to groups in hopes of a turnaround. The building has also been leased to multiple churches, but not Summit Northwest Ministries, over the years for services.

The theater employs three full time and 12 part time.

Vichinsky said the theater's attendance under the discount format increased "dramatically," including with seniors and families, but that didn't outweigh the opportunity to sell. He said a smaller location with better access is needed to make a discount theater fly.

He said he plans to open such a business later this year in the area.

"I definitely want to stay in the movie business and I wouldn't be thinking about opening (a discount theater) if I didn't think it could be successful," Vichinsky said.

Some residents said they'll miss the convenience of having a theater in Post Falls and the lower prices.

Charles Sloan called the closure a "major bummer."

"It was a lot easier for me with it being here in town instead of having to go to Coeur d'Alene," he said. "I was hoping things would turn out for them, but I'm sure competition and the video industry hasn't helped."

Christie Beamish said she went to the theater every weekend since it changed to a discount format.

"I stopped going to theaters several years ago because of the cost and when this location went to a discounted facility, I took full advantage of it," she said.

Vichinsky said he was aware the church was looking at the property when the theater went to a discount format, but he didn't realize how serious the interest was.

"(The sale) happened relatively quickly," he said.

Terms of the sale were not disclosed.

Ron Hessel, pastor of Summit Northwest Ministries, said the church made an offer on the property two years ago that was turned down.

"Then last fall they came back to us, wanting us to make another offer," Hessel said. "They were obviously motivated to sell."

Summit started in 2004 and originally met at the factory outlets in Post Falls before renting a building in Newman Lake.

The church, which averages weekly attendance of 150, will take possession of the building on Feb. 2 and plans to move in this summer after a renovation.

"We needed more space, especially for children's ministries and community outreach," Hessel said.

Hessel said the church considered building on property it owns on Poleline where its community garden is, but buying the 20,000-square-foot theater on 3.8 acres made better sense.

"We feel that it will give us a great opportunity to support the community with the many community service projects and charity events that we host," Hessel said.