Movie house makeover

The tantalizing aroma of fresh popcorn fills the lobby at the Carolina Theatre.

It's been a downtown Hickory fixture for generations since announcing a "talkie" in 1934.

The facade, with its unique architecture and concrete carvings, hasn't changed much, but the inside has been getting a makeover since Billy Ray Teague acquired the movie house in 1998.

"We have new seats upstairs," Teague said of the second theater where there was once a balcony.

"It's part of an ongoing project."

A larger screen and surround sound in the upper theater greeted audiences in 2005. New carpet and curtains brightened both theaters.

"All that was about $60,000," Teague said, "but it was worth it."

A new projector and projection booth arrived for the main theater in 2007.

"We got a really great deal on that," Teague said. "It was still $30,000."

Teague worked at the Carolina for 15 years before he became an owner.

"There was air conditioning to upgrade and lots of other things," he said. "Now, we have new seating upstairs."

Plush seating, at that. The high-backed, heavily padded chairs have cupholders and arm rests can be folded out of the way — just in case you want to get closer to the person beside you.

There's a new floor, and the steps are illuminated.

"We wanted to put in full rockers like the seats downstairs," Teague said, "but when we converted the balcony to a separate theater, we had to use stadium seating, and the rockers just don't work there.
"Rockers require a lot of space."

The second-floor area will seat fewer than 200 people. But every chair has a commanding view.

The chairs have a hometown touch, too. Andrew Sarver installed every one of them.

"Andrew has worked for me for a long time," Teague said. "He did a great job. He's the one who made the wooden cup holders we used to have in the main theater.

"He's a craftsman."

Teague expects a new screen for the main theater to arrive soon.

"It's all about the customers," Teague said.

The Carolina thrives on bringing movies back to Hickory for second runs, although they've offered some first looks, also.

Admission is still $2.

And the movie house continues to evolve.

"We have lots of kids' shows," Teague said. "We get a lot of groups, especially in the summer."

The group showings enable the theater to do lots of good things, like the digital marquee in the concession area, but they produce a lot of wear and tear, especially for the upper theater where the kids' groups like to go.

However, nobody is complaining.

"The patrons make everything possible," Teague said.

The staff is on the same page.

"I like the people," said Justin Capps, when prompted to name what he likes best about working at the theater.
"The people, and the laid-back atmosphere," said Casey Hatley, drawing smiles from her coworkers.

She prepares for the matinee with Jessica Schweikert and Sarah Hamby. They must have the concessions ready when the doors open.

Capps threads the film into the projectors. The movies still come in reels, but they're placed flat on huge platters near the projector.

It's not like the old days with the clickety-click of film unwinding from one metal reel to another.

Teague makes sure last-minute cleaning is finished. Nobody likes a messy theater, he says.

He muses for a moment on the biggest attraction ever at the Carolina.

"Since I've been here, it's probably "Dirty Dancing," said. "Twilight" was big. Another draw was ... was ..."

Business partner Bobby Ritchie chimes in.

"Night at the Museum," Ritchie says.

"That's the one."