WAITSFIELD, Vt. (WCAX) – A staple in the Mad River Valley is set to close. After two decades of entertaining crowds, The Big Picture Theater and Cafe in Waitsfield is about to make a final curtain call. But as Ike Bendavid reports, the show might go on.
“I can’t even tell you how many memories there are in this place,” said Claudia Becker, reflecting on nearly 20 years of the Big Picture Theater. “We just wanted to be of service in this community and create a place where people could come together.”
The community hub has been more than just a spot for people to enjoy a meal and watch a movie. They host events, have a playground, and are a big part of small-town living. “I think that’s what people love about the Big Picture Theater. It’s not the new and shiny place, it’s the place that has heart and soul, it’s the place where we get together, it’s the place where you can come and always find someone to talk to,” Becker said.
Due to issues like staffing and rising costs, she said they had to reduce their hours and plan to shut their doors on November 9th.
Becker says that when the community found out about the closing, they responded and are starting to look at ways to keep the space open. “Community-supported enterprises are going to be increasingly needed because the mom-and-pop reality has become very, very hard in Vermont and everywhere else,” she said.
“We are going to rise and figure out some way to make it happen, ‘cause it’s such a gem,” said Sparky Potter, who runs Wood and Wood Sign Systems next door and is one of dozens of community members working to come up with a plan.
As for Becker, she says it’s more than just a movie theater and restaurant closing, it’s an important local spot that’s being pushed out. “That very specific heart and soul that the small town Vermont reality has and hopefully doesn’t have to lose,” she said.