Theater opens farther down Main Street 
After 30 years of showing independent films at 937 Main St. and five years of renovating, the Nickelodeon Theatre finally opened the doors of its new theater on 1607 Main St. Friday afternoon.
The opening night saw sold out showings for “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” with the staff excited to see their loyal patrons come out to support their move.
“It has been years in the making and we couldn’t be more thrilled to finally have all of our friends and family with us,” Executive Director Andy Smith said to his audience before the first showing of “Beasts of the Southern Wild.”
Regular attendees of the old Nickelodeon Theatre have been looking forward to the opening night for a long time.
“We have been really excited to come and see the inside,” Tim Burden said. “We have been keeping up with the progress online and we wanted to be here for the first showing more than anywhere else.”
Attendees of opening night, old and new alike, saw the new theater as an improvement from the old theater, especially with the larger lobby area, larger restrooms and a theater that now hold 100 attendees.
“I love how they now have restrooms outside the theater and a bigger concession stand,” said Amber New, who has attended the old Nickelodeon since 1996.
Newcomers to the Nickelodeon were also impressed by the new venue.
“This is really great, and when they get their license to sell wine, it will be even greater,” said Sarah Cornejo. “I hope that they will show some really good independent films here because I feel that that is needed.”
The staff has been planning the move ever since they raised enough money to purchase the building in 2007. According to Smith, the building was chosen for its history. It started out as the State Theatre in the 1930’s and became the Fox Theatre in the 1960’s.
This new location will not only benefit moviegoers, but is also expected to help revitalize Main Street as well. The theater’s relocation to the 1600 block on Main Street is expected to bring traffic and help local businesses with increased patronage. An estimated 300 people went to the new location for opening night, according to Smith.
“Folks are going to be looking for places to grab a drink [before a movie] and a place to eat afterwards so we really anticipate seeing a lot of bars and restaurants opening up in large part because of us,” Smith said.
Attendees also saw the benefits of the Nickelodeon’s new location.
“I am ecstatic that we have a really solid tenant on Main Street,” said Bakari Middleton. “I think it’s going to drive a lot of foot traffic and bring [Main Street] back to what it was and what it can be in the future.”
The staff is currently planning to hold a parade along Main Street, inviting movie fans and Nickelodeon lovers to partake. The parade will not only celebrate the opening of the new Nickelodeon, but also “the quirky history of the Nickelodeon and the city of Columbia,” Smith said.
“We wanted to do something that will invite the community to celebrate with us,” Smith said. “The Nickelodeon only holds 100 seats so there wasn’t enough room to celebrate with all our loyal customers, friends and family.”
Smith said the parade is expected to be Oct. 4.