At Park Ridge’s Pickwick Theatre, fans come out for end of an era, hope for great shows to come

For many Chicago-area residents, Park Ridge’s Pickwick Theatre was where they went to see their first movies, or had their first jobs or first dates.

But Thursday evening represented a “last,” even as movie-goers filed into the 1928-vintage theater to the strains of Jay Warren playing “There’s No Business Like Show Business” on the Wurlitzer organ to a sold-out house. People had come to say goodbye, or at least goodbye for now, after Pickwick co-owners and brothers-in-law Dino Vlahakis and Dave Loomos announced in early December they’d be stepping down from the movie business to retire.

They said they’ll still own the building, which has 24 tenants, however, and on Tuesday they told the Chicago Tribune/Pioneer Press that they’re finalizing a deal with a new tenant who will operate the theater. Vlahakis said Tuesday he had hoped to announce the new owner Thursday, but the lawyers hadn’t yet signed off on the deal.

Despite the lack of news, Vlahakis stood near the entrance greeting patrons and savoring a buzz of excitement as people rushed to get good seats or stand in the popcorn line. The owners had chosen to screen the epic Gone With the Wind as the last film of their tenure, even though the theater is not going anywhere. The Pickwick building has landmark status under Park Ridge ordinance.

That ordinance ensures the Pickwick’s facade will be preserved regardless of who owns the building or what its use is.

Both patrons and employees shared their memories and anticipated the Pickwick’s future throughout Thursday night.

Warren, 72, has played the organ at the Pickwick for more than 30 years, he said. For him, the reality of the coming change started to sink in when he played his last silent film Jan. 9. He said he was hoping for the best from the theater’s new management.

“Hopefully things will remain somewhat the way they are,” Warren said. “Probably not. We’re deferring to Mr. Vlahakis, because we know he’s got a lot of things on his mind. And he’s been here longer than any of us.”

Outside, Steve Forde and his son Ryan stood in a line for popcorn that snaked the length of the lobby. Steve Forde, 61, grew up in Park Ridge and brought Ryan, 18, and his sisters out for the final picture. They live in St. Charles.

Steve Forde remembered seeing The Love Bug and The Strongest Man in the World at the Pickwick in the 1960s and 1970s.

He said he’d like to see whomever takes over the theater “clean it up a bit” and possibly bring in live entertainment acts. But his son said he hoped the new management would preserve as much as they’re able to.

“I like how it’s like time traveling,” Ryan Forde said. “I obviously didn’t live in the 70s but when I come here, it just feels like back in time.”

Niles resident and Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 board member Phyllis Lubinski was standing behind the Fordes in line for popcorn — it was the longest she could ever remember in years of attending movies at the theater, she said.

“I’m feeling sad,” Lubinski said. “I think it’s an iconic building. I have many great memories. My husband and I used to go to the Pickwick restaurant and a movie.”

She wished the new management luck and said she hoped they’d preserve as much of the building’s history and character as they could.

Inside the auditorium, Vlahakis stood in front of the screen and thanked the crowd. He said he had wished he’d been able to announce the new operators as planned, but his lawyer had advised otherwise “until the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed.”

“I just tell you, he’s gonna take it to the next level,” Vlahakis said.

Earlier that day, Vlahakis told the Chicago Tribune/Pioneer Press he expected to have a deal finalized in the coming weeks.

Even as the overture began playing, General Manager Kathryn Tobias was still taking tickets at the front box office.

She said it had been a busy, strange day — a strange last few weeks, really. But the turnout was fantastic, she added.

“It’s been a while since we’ve had such a big crowd,” Tobias said. “One of our last big movies was one of the last Harry Potters and I had to cut it because it was getting very overwhelming. And Dark Knight Rises. The line was all the way down to Starbucks to get in.”

Tobias will be running the theater until April 1, continuing the Park Ridge Classic Film series and programming the movie lineup until the early spring.

Tobias noted that there’s confusion among community members about what’s going to happen to the Pickwick. Loomos and Vlahakis have said they will maintain ownership of the Pickwick building, which expands far beyond the theater and hosts the 24 other tenants in Uptown Park Ridge. These include the Prospect Avenue Starbucks, Sooo Cute Boutique, Pazzi de Pizza and a number of offices.

But that hasn’t stopped some from thinking the theater is still for sale. Nor has it prevented speculation about buyers, despite the fact that a lease agreement is in negotiations.

“Our pre-shows are sponsored by the Fallicos and [people are] like, ‘the Fallicos bought it.’ That’s news to us!” Tobias said.

Jordan Alexander, 23, Vlahakis’ son-in-law, was directing traffic inside. He had come down from Wisconsin to witness the last night of his father-in-law’s 41-year run at the helm of the Pickwick.

Alexander said he hoped the new tenants would “cater to the people of Park Ridge” and wished them luck.

“When you own a piece of property like this, you really want to see your tenants do well,” he said.

Assistant General Manager Alurys Stanton, 19, was part of a group working the concession counter for the hour before the show in a Pickwick-branded quarter zip, ponytail and press-on nails flying as she filled popcorn, candy and drink orders.

She said she’d been surprised at the news that Vlahakis and Loomos would step back from operating the theater because of how hands-on they are with the business.

“Dave [Loomos], he does a lot of handy stuff around here,” Stanton said. “He’s always fixing something. And anytime I see him, I always have to remind him of something broken or something like that.”

Similarly, she said, it’s not unusual for her to see Vlahakis at 9 a.m. organizing a private screening.

Stanton said she hopes to keep working at the theater under the new management, adding that she gets all her homework done at the Pickwick.

“It’s the one place that I can focus at this point,” she said as strains of the Gone With the Wind score emanated from the auditorium behind her.

Vlahakis opted for Gone With the Wind as the final picture because it was the movie he’d shown when he first took over the theater in 1981 from his father, James. James Vlahakis first purchased the theater with three other business partners in 1967, though he was the sole owner by the time the theater was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Dino Vlahakis said he hadn’t been sure about what to expect from the last showing, emotionally. But he said he was happy with how things had gone: “I’ve never had so many handshakes,” he said.

The night also prompted Vlahakis to reflect on his family’s history with the theater.

“My parents were immigrants to this country, and they were able to find something like this,” he told the crowd before the movie began. “Where else does that happen?”

But Vlahakis also had one eye on the future, even as the final movie of his 41-year tenure kept playing.

Pending lease deal or not, i’s to dot and t’s to cross nonwithstanding, Vlahakis’ retirement is approaching quickly and he has plans to relax for a few days.

“I’m flying to Phoenix,” he said. “I’m hopefully going to have warm weather, and I’m just going to turn off my phone.”