After several attempts to find a tenant, Alexandria’s Old Town theater on King Street continues to remain empty. Although Roger Fonz sold it off several years ago, despite several new owners, it has never reopened as a theater. However, there is indeed a solution to this dilemma: Benchmarking!
The Key West Film Society manages and operates the Tropic Cinema Theater in Key West Florida, which is a renovated carpet warehouse with a four screen multiplex and 250 seats. The theater is run by Key West residents, who have formed a 501C3 non-profit corporation in order to run first-run movies and art features. It opened its doors in 2004, and since then, it has operated successfully. Volunteers run every facet of the theater, to include an extensive concession stand. The nonprofit corporation’s board of directors is elected from volunteers within the city and in addition, a great deal of the funding to sustain this operation comes from citizen donations. Why not contact the leadership of this group to get a few pointers? It is a shame to let this great theater space remain vacant, so let’s get to it, Alexandria!
Townsend A. "Van" Van Fleet
Alexandria