Movietheatercloses on Front Street in Hartford, but there are already talks about filling space
Jul. 5—"I think people just want to get out and interact with each other," said Heather Melesko, manager of the Bear's Smokehouse BBQ at 25 Front St. "It's usually our busiest season, we have a lot of catering like graduations, weddings, parties, all that type of stuff."
"There's so much going on downtown," said Tyler Nelson, manager of the Plan b Burger Bar next-door. The return of happy hour traffic from the nearby downtown offices of Travelers has boosted business in recent months, he added. Plan b opened in the Ted's Montana Grill space at 35 Front in November, its first downtown location in the state.
The managers' optimism comes despite the recent announcement of the permanent closing of Apple Cinema, which unveiled a revamped luxury movie-theater-and-dining concept at the corner of Front and Columbus Boulevard only two years ago.
Although jumbo-sized Kit Kats and Junior Mints were still visible at the snack counters inside, the theater screened its last show on Front Street and closed its doors on June 27, Apple Cinemas regional operations manager Jessica Robitaille said. The Massachusetts-based theater chain decided to pull out due to a slowdown in ticket-buying due to the summer schedule at the nearby UConn Hartford campus.
"Front Street, it does have a relatively seasonal audience with the college right there," Robitaille said. "So that was a big contributing factor. Our plans are to relocate that investment to other locations and other markets."
Apple Cinema will continue to operate its "Xtreme" movie theater at 330 New Park Ave. in Hartford. "It is alive and it's well and it's done very well for us, especially with that area really growing and expanding," Robitaille said.
"As a company, we're spreading our wings," Robitaille added, citing expansion plans in New York and California. "The closing of the Hartford Front Street location is not a bad sign of business or anything like that. For us, it just made sense to keep one in that area than to keep both in that area."
Apple Cinemas took over the former Spotlight Theater on Front Street in 2021, part of an expansion that saw the company buy the former Bow Tie locations on New Park Avenue and seven other former Bow Tie Cinemas in the region in 2022. After a pandemic shutdown, the revamped movie theater debuted in summer 2021.
Apple Cinemas' closing comes as the Capital Regional Development Authority (CRDA), Front Street's main property owner and district manager, seeks to acquire more property and add new tenants.
"With the trends in the movie business, we've half expected the theaters to close," CRDA Executive Director Michael Freimuth said. The property, which consists of four theaters and a dining area, is being eyed for a non-theater use, he said.
"Can't say too much just yet but it's consistent with the overall Front Street program," Freimuth said. The area has long been envisioned as an entertainment and dining hub, although Front Street businesses were hard-hit by the pandemic.
CRDA is also moving forward with the purchase of the former Blind Pig location at 89 Arch St., around the corner from the former Apple Cinemas and next-door to the Arch Street Tavern. A plan to open a cannabis retailer at the location was quashed due to goals to keep the Front Street district "family-friendly."
The authority plans to use $2 million of its $7 million annual budget for Front Street to buy the 89 Arch St. building and do environmental work and other redevelopment tasks in the district, officials said at the June meeting of the CRDA board.
