The Mayfair Orleans closed its doors for the last time Feb. 13.
The independently-owned theatre was entering its second year in business when its landlord shut it down.
“We were never able to keep up with rent. We thought it was too high,” said programmer and Mayfair co-owner Lee Demarbre.
“We thought we needed two years to start to thrive and I thought after a year we had it made.”
But the theatre did have a bit of a history of struggle. After opening in December 2011, the Orleans location hit a bit of a wall.
April was an awful month but the theatre did better in the summer and this past January was their best month ever, and February was shaping up to be just as good, according to Demarbre. When Demarbre bought the old Empire theatre, it had been stripped of its screens, its projectors, and even its seats.
“I spent a year finding seats, screens, projectors, and rebuilt the space. Gave the property back its cinema,” he said.
Less than a week before the theatre closed, Demarbre bought a $45,000 projector to screen digital releases. Demarbre wasn’t the only one surprised by the close. Ottawa city councillor for Orleans Bob Monette said he had just seen a film with his daughter at the theatre a few days before the closure.
“We were already talking about the next movie we wanted to see,” he said via email.
He added he was disappointed by the closure, believing the Mayfair offered important alternatives for Orleans residents, such as lower costs.
“The Mayfair provided residents with options to the other theatres in the area,” he said. “It also provided them with the opportunity to see a number of releases that were not being played at bigger movie theatres.”
That’s a big reason why Dylan Sullivan, a third-year film studies major at Carleton, said he likes the Mayfair: options.
“It’s nice to know that there are places that still promote variety, especially when it’s geared towards cinema’s history and lesser known — or unknown — contemporary films.”
Sullivan said while the theatre closing is “disheartening,” it’s not surprising.
“It is very hard for a private theatre like the Mayfair to remain competitive,” he said.
He said he is also nervous about the effect these types of closures could have on the local film scene.
“Closing independent theatres closes avenues that can be good ways for new filmmakers to at least get their work some local exposure.”
He said he’ll continue visiting the Bank Street Mayfair.
Although Demarbre will always fantasize about opening another location, he said he’s now turning his attention to Bank Street.
