The Strand in Clinton announced Thursday the historic theater will close permanently at the end of December.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the theater to close for 15 months starting in March 2020, which took a financial toll from which the business could not recover from, according to the Facebook post from the theater.
Rob Nierintz and Bill Grady have owned The Strand for nine years. The theater was originally built in 1924 as a vaudeville and silent movie house, and the duo reopened it, with a mix of newly released movies and annual movie events, like showing “Jaws” every Fourth of July weekend or “Rocky Horror Picture Show” in October.
Nierintz said while the lockdowns are over, the pandemic is still ongoing, making movie-goers apprehensive, especially with new variants and increasing case numbers. While moviegoers were still attending The Strand’s special events, patronage at regular movie showings has been down.
“It is a downstream effect that affects people in seats whether they are in theaters or restaurants. Ultimately, it comes down to the bottomline,” he said in an interview with WBJ.
The historic venue has been a part of the Central Massachusetts entertainment industry for generations making the decision to close heartbreaking, said Nierintz.
“I love the theater. I was a patron of the theater before I bought it,” Nierintz said.
