The Little Theater with a Big Heart

Howard and Barbara Molton

In December of 2003, Howard Molton was delivering a Christmas gift at WTZQ when he ran into local radio legend, Frank “Hollywood” Jones. At that time, Hollywood was manager of the Skyland Arts Cinema in Downtown Hendersonville and Howard told him how much he and his wife Barbara loved the cinema. He casually added that he would enjoy doing something like that someday. Hollywood suggested he call the owner and inquire about the possibility of buying the theater.

Intrigued, Howard made the call. Three weeks later, he and Barbara were the new owners of Skyland Arts Cinema - and about to embark on an adventure full of many unexpected twists and turns that has spanned nearly two decades.

At the time of the purchase in early 2004, Barbara was doing medical transcription and taking care of children while working from home. Howard had recently sold a home security and home theater company and just started a title insurance company. Howard in particular was excited about the new venture. “Skyland was just a fun place. We always liked to go there and enjoyed the concept of tables and chairs and beer and wine and pizza, and all the stuff that went along with it. Just a neat concept.” Barbara may have been a little more skeptical. When asked why they wanted to purchase a cinema, she immediately chimed in with “That’s exactly what I asked Howard!”

The Skyland was located in the space that currently houses the Appalachian Pinball Museum in downtown Hendersonville. The new owners jumped into the business full of excitement and optimism. And then … the first economic bump in the road came with the opening of the 12 screen EPIC Theater on Four Seasons Boulevard in 2005. Unbeknownst to the Molton’s, Skyland was within a 3-mile radius of the new theater and due to licensing agreements with movie studios, Epic had priority for film distribution. The Molton’s quickly discovered they couldn’t get new release movies until they were several months old.

Fortunately for the Village of Flat Rock, Howard and Barbara are strong enough to meet unexpected challenges and difficult circumstances head-on. Even so, the timing of EPIC was tough. The Molton’s had incurred debt in the purchase of Skyland and when they tried to transition to art films, EPIC entered that market as well. Howard and Barabara realized they were out of options for the downtown location. “We knew our only hope was to get out of that 3-mile licensing zone.” After considering their options, they moved the theater to Flat Rock in July of 2006 and renamed it Flat Rock Cinema.

The Molton’s leased space in the relatively new Singleton Center - what is now Flat Rock Square. The lobby of the current theater had been used as an office for Bold Life Magazine and the Molton’s opened that space into the adjoining space to create the actual theater. “We did a build-out in about 90 days. I mean, we worked hard and fast,” says Howard.

Howard and Barbara are thankful for the growth of Flat Rock’s business district - and also proud of the role they and their cinema played in helping to create a vibrant and eclectic business district that provides Flat Rock with several terrific options for dining, shopping, and entertainment. “We were bringing in 20 to 25,000 patrons a year - and our customers really helped with the viability of a successful business district in Flat Rock,” says Howard.

The couple kept their day jobs and committed to working additional hours to sustain the cinema. Barbara explains that operating the cinema is both a business and a labor of love. “We have the best staff in town. They’ve been with us for years and we are like a big family. Our cinema is also about friendships and a family feel. We really get to know our patrons. I love that part.”

In addition to the Molton’s, the Cinema has a staff of three employees - down from 4-5 before the pandemic. The dedication and experience of an excellent staff keep the operation manageable from a time standpoint. “It’s never been a hard job for us,” explains Howard. “We can leave when we want and know the theater is in good hands with our staff. We are all able to cover for each other.”

The Cinema business model is predicated less on ticket sales and more on concession sales and fees for advertisements from local businesses that run on screen prior to the start of each movie. The movie has to be popular enough to bring people in to see the sponsor ads and buy food and drink according to Howard, “We used to joke, we are an advertising agency with a concession stand. The movie just gets people in the door to buy that stuff.”

As a small silver lining when the pandemic struck, the fact that Flat Rock Cinema is a licensed restaurant was a lifeline that helped keep the little theater afloat during the rough seas of an economic crisis. Under state guidelines for businesses, the Cinema is classified as a restaurant which allowed them to open at 50% capacity with the start of Phase 2. While other theaters were closed or had much more restrictive capacity requirements, FRC could soldier on. They removed seating to be in compliance and limited ticket sales to 30 per screening.

When asked if 2020 was a time of treading water financially, Howard is quick with his retort. “I would call it more ‘drowning’” Did he ever think about closing down? “No.” And they remain optimistic about the future. “Hopefully within a year or two, we'll be back to some sort of normal. We think things will slowly begin to open back up as more people get a little more confident and as more people get vaccines. “

Another silver lining of the pandemic was the extra time freed up by reducing their movie schedule from six to three days per week. Barbara was able to use her extra hours to help her daughter Jessica launch another favorite Flat Rock business, Our Recipe Roots. In fact, the cinema kitchen served as the incubator for the very popular pie business which recently located permanently a couple of doors up the hill in another part of Flat Rock Square.

Howard is experienced enough with booking films that he actually books for three other theaters in addition to FR Cinema. The most important thing he says is to know your audience. The Cinema’s primary demographic is over-50 and Howard hopes that their customer profile will work to the Cinema’s advantage as people begin looking for movie-going options. “I think our customers are looking for more of an event experience than just flipping on Netflix at home again.”

Do theater owners have favorite movies? They do. Barbara particularly enjoyed the Elton John biopic, Rocket Man. “We are big Elton John fans and it was a really a fun atmosphere around here during the showing. We even sat in the front row on opening night and watched it with our daughter.” Downton Abby was another favorite for the Molton’s. The phone was ringing off the hook and they were selling out all the shows. Howard particularly enjoys the cinema’s Annual Golden Globe and Oscar series which features movies nominated for those awards, He also has a soft spot for the film industry underdogs. “I really enjoyed the smaller budget independent films that come in under the radar and then blow everyone away because they are so well done.”

What does the future hold for Flat Rock’s iconic cinema? The Molton’s anticipate a slow return to something that approximates the “normal” of pre-2020. Before the pandemic, movie nights at the cinema often had the festive feel of a party. Barbara senses that people now are more grateful for a place to go. “People are so thankful to get out so they appreciate something that feels a little bit normal. And we are providing an environment where they can do that safely.”

Howard sees business coming back slowly but surely - and it may look a little different for a while. “I think it will be a while before people are comfortable sitting elbow to elbow in theater seats.”

When life does return to normal, The Molton’s look forward to welcoming back old friends. They also look forward to return visits of many new patrons who discovered Flat Rock Cinema during the pandemic as they searched for movie-going options not available when the large multi-screen theaters were compelled to shut down. “We have people come up from Greenville or Travelers Rest or Brevard,” says Barbara. “People will come to Flat Rock and make a day of it. Watch a movie. Go out to eat. Stay at local lodging and perhaps go see a play.”

The Molton’s also recently began exploring the potential of offering private screenings for groups of 12 or more. The cinema is available for private showings, birthday parties, and school groups on weekdays when the cinema does not have movie showings scheduled. There is room to spread out and Howard invites interested parties to contact him to discuss options.

For now, Barbara, Howard, and their staff/family continue to keep the doors open and lights on as the world slowly emerges from the anxiety and health concerns of the past 12 months. And, for that, those of us who live in and around Flat Rock are very grateful indeed.

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Learn more about Flat Rock Cinema and see showtimes here.