Betsy and Keith Altomare have owned and loved the Bijou movie theater in Lincoln City for 30 years

By KATHLEEN O’CONNOR/Lincoln Chronicle

Betsy and Keith Altomare were living the dreams of their youth by the mid-1980s. Today, they are best known as the owners of the Bijou movie theater in Lincoln City, which they have operated for 30 years. Before buying the theater, however, both were deeply immersed in the Los Angeles music scene.

Their priorities changed when their daughter, Molly, was born in 1995. As they considered where and how to raise her, they decided Los Angeles was not an option.

From her early teens Betsy’s home was Los Angeles, while Keith grew up in New Jersey. He jokes that he’s grateful to Bruce Springsteen for making it acceptable to be from New Jersey.

Each had older siblings who introduced them to rock and roll, sharing records that shaped their musical tastes. Between those records and the constant beat of AM radio playing whenever they were in the car, they both developed a lifelong passion for music.

While still in high school Betsy landed a job at the small music store where she had been buying albums. Before long she was working at Tower Records, which was the epicenter of music world at the time. Along the way she also worked as a courier for Music Express, delivering documents for artists such as Harry Nilsson and Neil Young.

Keith worked as a DJ for his college radio station, and after graduation was hired by I.R.S. (International Record Syndicate), the label behind such bands as REM, The Go-Gos and Fine Young Cannibals. He eventually became the national sales manager for I.R.S., and later for Rhino Records.

Keith remembers exactly where he met Betsy – in the middle of the center aisle of Tower Record’s Sunset Boulevard store. Between immediate chemistry and a mutual love for REM they quickly fell in love.

Both remember Tower Records as a place with a culture of its own. A place where every employee loved music. A place where the energy was palpable. A place where you never knew which famous artist or star might stop by.

Question: Tell us more about your decision to leave the music industry.

Answer: By 1995, Los Angeles had endured the Rodney King riots, the Northridge earthquake, and several fires. We knew we wanted a safer place for Molly to grow up — a more wholesome place, somewhere with a distinct sense of community, somewhere we could be more present for her. Keith thought that purchasing either a wine and cheese shop or a small movie theater would be the best path forward – Betsy chose a movie theater. We looked across the country – there were opportunities in New Mexico, Illinois and Michigan, but the best one was here in Lincoln City.

Q: You’ve gone through some difficult times in the last 30 years. How have you gotten through them?

A: We joke that we are not a non-profit organization, instead we are simply nonprofitable.

The theater was built in 1937 so when we bought it in 1996 it was already 58 years old — maintenance is a constant issue. One of the first things we did was increase the number of showings per day from one to three, so that helped immensely. Today we offer two showings each day with the help of our five employees. Our first big challenge was in 1999 when a six-screen multiplex theater opened in Lincoln City. We refocused and built a niche by featuring independent films and films that appeal to older audiences. Retirees are still our primary audience although we no longer only show independent films.

The next major challenge came in 2012 when the film industry switched from 35 mm film to digital distribution. We suddenly had to find a way to purchase a digital projector. Amazingly, we were able to raise $50,000 on Kickstarter and with walk-in donations from the community. Then came the coronavirus epidemic. We couldn’t show films, of course, but we set up a drive-in theater with both the Lincoln City Community Center and the Lincoln City Cultural Center as a partners, and we sold popcorn every single night from 6 to 7 o’clock through our ticket window. Staying in touch with the community felt imperative, and those efforts gave people a reason to connect with us.

During that time Keith also concentrated on the online eBay business he had started about the same time we bought the theater, and he continued with two other income streams – working as a DJ for KBCH and as an agent for Halie Loren, a jazz singer from Eugene who is popular throughout the world, but especially in Asia.

One thing we miss is presenting an annual independent film festival in Newport at the Performing Arts Center. Unfortunately, we can no longer do that because the PAC doesn’t have a digital projector and rental costs have increased significantly.

Q: What do you do to make going to see a movie at the Bijou an “experience”?

A: We are constantly looking for ways to stay close to our patrons and to attract new movie-goers.

On Mondays and Fridays, we have an organist play for half an hour before the 2 o’clock show. Some people come in just to listen to the music and leave without seeing a show. On Mondays both showings have closed captions – those have become two of our most popular show times.

We also host an annual film festival, and every year the actors from Portland’s Clinton Street Theater come down for our showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Over the years we’ve hosted anniversary parties, birthday parties, and all kinds of special events. To make the theater more comfortable we’ve installed nine recliners, and now offer beer, wine and food from Zellers. During the summer we offer children’s movies at 11 a.m. for just $3 per ticket. Our goal has always been to make the Bijou more than a place to watch a movie. We want it to be a community pillar.

Q: You have contributed over $30,000 in the five years to the community. How have you done that?

A: We installed our nine recliner seats in 2019 after we received a large donation from one of our benefactors and began charging $3 extra for each of them. Every dollar from that surcharge goes to promoting a local nonprofit organization. Each month we choose a new nonprofit and promote it throughout the month, making our patrons aware of that nonprofit. Depending on the month, we’ve been able to contribute between $500 to $900 to the organization being highlighted. We are grateful for the strong support we’ve had from Lincoln City over the years, and this is our way of supporting others in the community.

Q: How do you decide what shows to bring in?

A: The six-plex went out of business during Covid, so now we are the only theater in town again. We still love independent films, but we also must stay fiscally viable, so we primarily book first run movies. We tend to choose films featuring actors who are popular with older audiences — like Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks – while also trying to get films that will appeal across multiple age groups. We book films for an initial two-week run and then decide whether to keep them longer. If people are still coming in we hold onto them. Most of our income is from the concessions since the studios take up to 65 percent of each ticket.

Tell us a secret.

Most theaters have posters in their lobbies of the movies they are currently showing or movies that are in their line-up. Almost every inch of our lobby is filled with photos and posters of movie stars and movies, past and present. Our customers delight in finding their favorites.

More info: 1624 N.E. Highway 101, Lincoln City; phone: 541-994-8255; Website: www.cinemalovers.com; Facebook: bijoutheater