The future of Grand Forks’ Historic Gem Theatre will be the subject of a meeting tonight (March 19).
“I think most people by now know that there’s a big social change in how we’re viewing film and how we absorb media in a totally different way than we did in the 90s or even the 2000s,” co-owner Shaun Aquiline said.
“We want to find a way for the theatre to hold longevity and have sustainability forever but the market, the shift in habits, has become more challenging as a for-profit business,” Aquiline explained.
The meeting will explore the concept of a community cooperative and potentially look to find three to five people to lead it.
Aquiline says there are successful theatre co-ops in Ituna, Sask., Wolfville, N.S., and Campbellford, Ont.
He says theatre is challenging but it’s also about the historic value.
“There’s history and I think when you lose a theatre, it doesn’t matter, when you lose it you lose a piece of your town’s character regardless of who the owners are, who the caretakers are,” he said.
Aquiline says the business does turn a profit but a cooperative would give it more flexibility.
“Right now, we’re feeling the burn all the time cause you got to pay the bills. But as a not-for-profit and if it was owned outright, those concerns they lessen. So there’s a lot more room to be able to be a bit more creative and do more community driven showcases rather than just cinema,” he said.
If a co-op plan doesn’t go, Aquiline says the worst case scenario would see he and his wife “reluctantly” sell the Gem regardless of what the buyer had planned for the building.
“I don’t like saying that but at some point if someone offers the right amount of money and we can get out from underneath that weight I think would anyone would take it. Reluctantly, it would not be our first choice but you do what you have to do to make sure your family can stay afloat and survive long term,” Aquiline said.
The meeting at the Gem (257 Market Avenue) starts at 6 p.m.
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