Fearing eviction, Paso Robles movie theater launches campaign to raise $250,000
For 23 years, Park Cinemas has anchored a corner of downtown Paso Robles, providing blockbusters and popcorn to generations of moviegoers.
But now the movie theater, located across Pine Street from Downtown City Park, is struggling to survive. Park Cinemas has been essentially closed since March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“This is a disaster for my family,” Park Cinemas president John Roush said. “It’s a disaster for all small businesses in my opinion.”
He and his daughters, theater co-owners Jennifer Roush Kloth and Catherine Roush, have created a GoFundMe campaign to help Park Cinemas pay its bills. And it’s got a sizable goal: $250,000.
According to the Save the Park Cinemas fundraiser, which launched Tuesday, the past six months “have been catastrophic to our business.”
“We survived thru July but are falling more and more behind,” Jennifer Roush Kloth and Catherine Roush write on the GoFundMe page. “Rent, insurance, employee paychecks, non-operating expenses don’t stop just because we are closed. Closed means no income to pay our expenses.
“We must catch up or face eviction. This is where asking for help comes into play. ...”
Paso Robles movie theater hit hard by coronavirus
John Roush has been working in the movie theater business since 1969, when he got a job as an usher at the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo.
He and his late wife opened Park Cinemas on December 1997 with a screening of “Titanic.”
Over the decades, the movie theater closed its doors for an extended period only once prior to COVID-19, Roush said. The business was shuttered for two or three days following the 2003 San Simeon earthquake while it awaited safety inspections, he said.
Then the coronavirus pandemic hit.
Park Cinemas announced via email on March 19 that it would be “closed until further notice” due to San Luis Obispo County and state shelter-in-place guidelines shutting down non-essential businesses.
According to Roush, Park Cinemas spent about a month and a half preparing to reopen in July to coincide with planned film releases. The business, which normally employs 15 to 18 workers, opened July 10 — only to close again on July 13.
That’s when California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered all counties to close down indoor operations in sectors that included dine-in restaurants, movie theaters and museums.
Park Cinemas has been shut since then.
“I’ve never asked for (financial) aid in my life,” Roush said, but “I have bills sitting on the desk.”
He added, “When I go through the effort of putting on a GoFundMe (campaign), the pride is gone.”
According to Roush, donations to Save the Park Cinemas will go toward operating expenses such as electricity, water, sewer and trash bills as well as the cost of leasing a 26,000-square-foot building. “All those things stay in place” even when a business is closed, he said.
To help offset those costs, Roush said, Park Cinemas received a Paycheck Protection Program loan and an Economic Injury Disaster Loan through the federal Small Business Administration.
But that money is starting to run out, Roush said, and some of it will need to be paid back.
That’s where the GoFundMe campaign comes in.
“We’re trying to make enough money to get the rent paid through December,” he said. “By the beginning of next year, we could literally be a million dollars in the hole.”
As of midday Thursday, the campaign had raised $3,835 toward its $250,000 goal. Some donors are former Park Cinemas employees who have shared fond memories of working for the theater on social media, Roush said.
“It literally did bring tears to my eyes to know that my business ... has brought so much joy to people,” Roush said.
Future plans for Park Cinemas
Park Cinemas isn’t the only local venue to turn to fundraisers to cope with coronavirus-related financial hardships. The Fremont Theater launched a GoFundMe campaign in April to support its staff members.
But some local theater owners are passing on fundraising for now.
Jim Dee, owner of the Palm Theatre in San Luis Obispo, closed his arthouse movie theater on March 16 due to COVID-19 concerns.
“I’m lucky and grateful that I own the Palm building, and while I do have some financial concerns, I should be able to wait this out,” he said.
Dee said some of his friends in the movie theater business are turning to creative solutions — such as streaming films — to stay afloat.
Starting Friday, Park Cinemas will open its lobby from 2 to 7:30 p.m. daily to sell gift cards and concessions.
In addition, people can rent the theater’s screening rooms for private “friends and family” events to watch movies or play video games on the big screen, Roush said.
It’s unclear when Park Cinemas will reopen fully. But when it does, Roush said he’ll have extensive safety measures in place, including 20 sanitizer dispensers stationed through the theater.
Seating will be spaced at least six feet apart, Roush said, and sprayed with isopropyl alcohol between uses. Moviegoers will be asked to wear masks, while employees will wear masks and gloves and stand behind plastic dividers.
“My customers are basically my friends and neighbors and I want to make them safe and happy,” Roush said.
To donate to the Save the Park Cinemas GoFundMe campaign, go to www.gofundme.com/f/save-the-park-cinemas.
This story was originally published September 10, 2020 at 2:03 PM.
