Cobble Hill Cinemas was able to re-open its doors to the public this March after approximately a year of being closed because of the pandemic. The theater, located on the corner of Court St. and Butler St., has been a staple of Cobble Hill since it opened in the 1980’s.
“The toughest thing was the unknown,” said Andrew Elgart, who works in management for the theater and is the son of the theater’s founder, Harvey Elgart. “We kept thinking we would open up and then it kept being pushed back. Also, we weren’t sure if people would want to come back and feel comfortable inside the theater. When we did re-open, it was tough but great. The people that did come were so grateful and happy to be back. It was like the same excitement as going to a movie for the first time again.”
One factor that helped the theater get through a year without customers was the Save Our Stages grant.
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“It’s a grant for the arts and culture industry that gave us money to basically pay our bills while we were forced to close,” Elgart said.
While the theater was closed to the public, Cobble Hill Cinemas rented out the theater to PS 58. That gave the students a place to go when they weren’t able to be inside the school building due to social distancing requirements.
“I read in the New York Times that in Germany, schools were using the cinemas as remote-learning spaces and I thought instantly of Cobble Hill Cinemas,” said Carolyn Rogalsky, director of PS 58’s Carroll Kids Aftercare Program. “It turned out they had been reaching out to offer themselves to host learning and so a beautiful friendship was formed.”
“We also had one couple get engaged under the marquee, which was fun and beautiful,” Elgart said.
While Elgart was happy that the theater was still able to be used, one of the toughest parts of the pandemic was letting go of all of the staff while the theater was closed to the public. Although unable to employ them for that stretch of time, he was able to stay in touch with many of his workers.
“We re-hired almost all of the staff,” Elgart said. “They are great people and they enjoy working here.”
While Elgart is thrilled that the theater is open again, business has not returned to normal yet; however, the theater has had a few busy weekends. Some people may still be hesitant to go to movie theaters but many loyal moviegoers have returned to Cobble Hill Cinemas. Despite the struggles faced since re-opening, Elgart has a positive outlook on the future of the theater.
“Hopefully the future will be the same as it’s been so far for Cobble Hill Cinemas… To keep it a great local theater experience to go watch some films and escape for a few hours,” Elgart said.
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