A Lake Norman-area movie theater has gone dark, and Davidson has just lost the town’s only movie theater.
Our Town Cinemas Cafe & Taphouse’s stated that its last day of operation was Thursday.
“We have reached the end of a true era. Yesterday was our final day of operation here at Our Town Cinemas while the renovations begin at Sadler Square,” Our Town Cinemas said Friday afternoon on its Facebook page.
The theater thanked customers for their support over the years and added, “I will leave you with this final thought: We prefer to say see you later, rather than goodbye.” That comment was above the classic Warner Brothers Bugs Bunny cartoon sign-off: “That’s all Folks!”
The privately-owned, four-screen theater and all of the other businesses at Sadler Square shopping center on Griffith Street in Davidson were given 30-day notice to leave by Oct. 31 to make way for renovations, business owners there told The Charlotte Observer.
The nearly 38,000-square-foot Sadler Square at 201 Griffith St. in Davidson was purchased in February by Piedmont Capital, a Charlotte real estate investment firm.
Piedmont Capital paid $6.1 million for the nearly 4-acre site, Mecklenburg County property records show. The sale also included four small connecting parcels of Watson and Depot streets that are less than an acre combined.
It’s unclear what will happen to the other businesses at the shopping center. Piedmont Capital officials did not respond to requests for comment Friday.
Movie theater officials declined requests for comment. The cinema had operated there for 15 years showing first-run films.
Our Town Cinemas final four movie showings listed in October included animated films “The Wild Robot” and “Transformers One.” The other films were “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” with Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Jenna Ortega, and “Joker: Folie a Deux,” with Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga.
Our Town’s closing is another blow to the Charlotte region’s movie scene, which has had a bumpy few years since the COVID pandemic.
Since 2020, Knoxville-based chain Regal closed three movie theaters in the Charlotte region. Regal Cinebarre Arboretum closed in 2022, Regal Ballantyne closed in January 2020, and Charlotte’s only cinema art house at the time Regal Manor Twin closed in May 2020.
Studio Movie Grill, based in Texas, did not reopen its University City movie and dine-in theater after filing for bankruptcy. The theater had opened in December 2019. In March 2020, the chain also closed its first Charlotte theater at Epicentre in uptown.
But two theaters have opened. In March 2022, Texas chain Cinergy Dine-in Cinemas opened in the former Studio Movie Grill site at 5336 Docia Crossing Road.
Independent Picture House opened in June 2022 at 4237 Raleigh St. in NoDa with three auditoriums. Charlotte’s only art house movie theater announced in May that it is expanding and adding a fourth auditorium.
Charlotte Film Society, a more than 40-year-old nonprofit dedicated to bringing foreign, classic and independent films to Charlotte, owns the theater.
The demise of the theater led to an outpouring of support from patrons on its Facebook page, who spoke of how it was a special part of the fabric of the town.
“So sad…this was one of the best things to happen to Davidson. This place was so special,” one person wrote.
Many people made pleas for the theater to reopen elsewhere and lamented the community’s loss. They also shared thanks for creating memories.
“So sad to see this era come to a close. Our family was able to enjoy one last movie, ‘The Wild Robot,’ on your final night and it was special. So many memories here, from independent film screenings to date nights. I will really miss your special hometown theater,” another person said.
This sentiment that one person wrote was also a common refrain: “We have lost a true gem in Davidson.”
On Friday, James Nguyen, co-owner of Davidson Nail Spa with his wife Jen, was moving out of Sadler Square. The Nguyens rented a U-Haul and plan to store their salon’s equipment in their garage and home.
The Nguyens hope to return to the shopping center in March when renovations are expected to finish, but James Nguyen is uncertain that will happen. He said they were offered a new lease but haven’t seen it.
“We have no idea what’s going on,” a frustrated Nguyen said. “I want to stay here.”
Business owners were optimistic the new owner would make improvements, News of Davidson reported in April. But by September, the shopping center businesses learned they would need to close temporarily or move for major renovations, the nonprofit online publication reported.
Now, windows are covered with moving signs and spaces are empty. All of the tenants were given a 30-day notice to vacate by Oct. 31, WSOC-TV reported.
Some of the businesses, like the nail spa and BK Custom Dry Cleaners had been there for 20 and 30 years, respectively.
But the center also has seen businesses come and go like Earth Fare. In June 2021, the Asheville-based specialty grocer opened the 18,000-square-foot store at the former Healthy Home Market site. It closed in November 2022.
Some businesses have found new locations, at least temporarily.
The Egg Cafe closed its Sadler Square restaurant Oct. 6, CharlotteFive reported. Owners Robert and Eileen McCrary merged the breakfast-based restaurant with their barbecue joint The Crazy Pig, a half-mile away on South Main Street.
‘It’s a little hectic combining the two restaurants,” Robert McCrary told The Charlotte Observer on Friday.
The McCrarys received a letter of intent for a lease back at Sadler Square, Robert McCrary said. But the rent has more than doubled, he said.
The Egg Cafe opened 18 years ago. It’s unclear if the restaurant will return to Sadler Square. The one-story strip center was built in 1979, Mecklenburg County property records show.
“It’s an old building and can use some love,” McCrary said of the shopping center. “For right now this is what we’re doing.”
Other business owners are trying to figure out what to do and where to go.
Brian Tarle, owner of International Kitchen and Bath, said Friday he was packing up the showroom before construction fencing is expected to wrap around Sadler Square by next week.
He found out by a late September phone call from Piedmont Capital officials that changes were coming. Two days later, on Sept. 30, he received the official notice to vacate the property.
“We’re currently hustling to try and find something but it’s not easy,” Tarle said. ‘It’s just a mess.”
The 18-year-old cabinet and furniture shop will be replaced by a restaurant, Tarle said. Like other tenants, Tarle found out he was losing his space only 30 days ago.
“They (Piedmont Capital) could have made it a whole lot easier,” Tarle said. “It’s really hurting a lot of businesses.”
After the Nguyens said on Davidson Nail Salon’s Facebook page that the salon would close Oct. 31, along with all of the other tenants at Sadler Square, customers offered support and encouragement.
“Can’t wait to see you when you return to your salon. I’m so sorry you’re having to go through this,” Allyson Ray said.
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Catherine Muccigrosso is a business reporter for The Charlotte Observer. An award-winning journalist, she has worked for multiple newspapers and McClatchy for more than a decade.