Longtime owner of Park Ridge's Pickwick Theatre screens his last film before retiring
PARK RIDGE, Ill. (CBS) -- It's the final curtain for the owner of a cinema treasure in Park Ridge.
The man who has owned Pickwick Theatre for years will host his final screening today, and for the occasion, he decided to pay tribute to the theatre's past.
CBS 2's Noel Brennan visited Thursday.
"The Pickwick Theatre is one of those buildings where you don't need an address," said Dino Vlahakis. "Everybody knows where it's at."
Weekday matinees aren't known for crowds. But people in Park Ridge, and from all around the area, showed up at the Pickwick. Vlahakis could not recall a better day of business in decades.
The theatre owner savors it – while it lasts - as he gets ready to retire.
"I'm looking forward to it," Vlahakis said. "My first day as owner of the theatre was September 15, 1981."
The family business is not what it used to be.
"In the olden days, we'd get anywhere between 150 to 225 films a year. The last few years, we're under 100," said Vlahakis.
Last month, he decided to close the curtain on a career.
"As of right now, somebody will be taking over. I can tell you that," said Vlahakis, adding that the business will change hands to new owners in April.
"Good for him. Wish him a lot of luck and he kept the place up well," said one movie goer.
"I hope they make it into something awesome," added another film fan.
"I think you'll be able to see movies. I think you're going to see more of a hybrid model coming in. I mean it's going to be a combination of theatre and movies," Vlahakis said.
But for now, it remains the same old, glorious Art Deco movie theatre, the Pickwick. The first-ever film he showed from the projection room is the same one he picked for his last.
"I opened with 'Gone with the Wind' in this theatre, and I'm closing with 'Gone with the Wind,'" Vlahakis said.
He has screened his last film at the Pickwick and will now take a permanent seat in the audience.
