Downtown St. Paul needs movie theater, businessman says

If there's one thing downtown St. Paul needs, says John Palumbo, it's a movie theater.

But not just any movie theater. It should show independent films, sell organic air-popped popcorn misted with organic butter and serve frosty beer and good wine.

He's got it all planned.

He'd house it in Galtier Plaza, where the remnants of the old Galtier 4 Cinema are still intact.

Now, can he pull it off?

Palumbo, of Roseville, will meet with Galtier officials today to sell his idea. He has the support of Council Member Dave Thune and the mayor's office.

"He's got a great business plan and model," said Stuart Simek, a real estate broker who's working with Palumbo. "But it's really going to come down to negotiating a deal that makes sense."

Of course, things haven't even reached the negotiations stage yet.

"We are evaluating the situation," said Nan Hynes, general manager of Galtier Plaza.

Should a deal happen, Palumbo is confident he could get Cinema Saint Paul running by fall.

"If there's ever a signal that there's potential for growth in downtown, it's opening a movie theater," Thune said.

There hasn't been one in downtown St. Paul for almost a decade: The Galtier 4 closed in April 1999. There are two theaters left in the city, in the Highland and Mac/Groveland neighborhoods. Meanwhile, multiscreen megaplexes with the latest Hollywood hits and lots of parking dot the surrounding suburbs.

While there's nothing wrong with the larger cinemas, Palumbo said, it dawned on him and his wife, Peggy, that there aren't a whole lot of places to see independent films around town. They also saw the Roseville 4, a second-run cinema, close recently.

"We saw the need in downtown and surrounding areas for something like this," said Palumbo, 55. He has assembled a team of consultants to help devise the business plan and design the space.

He would like to use three screens -- with about 90 seats in two and 150 in the third -- to show arthouse, independent, foreign, documentary and second-run movies. Some first-run movies might make it in, too, he added.

Starting out, Palumbo said, the most expensive ticket would be $7.

Joe Spencer, arts and culture policy aide for Mayor Chris Coleman, said Palumbo would be offering the right product for downtown, especially considering the arty vibe of Lowertown.

Concessions would consist of beer, wine, espresso drinks and a range of traditional treats and less-mainstream alternatives, Palumbo said. Deli sandwiches also are a possibility.

The venture would probably cost at least $200,000 to begin with, Palumbo said.

Both Thune and Spencer said they would find some money -- likely from the half-cent sales tax known as STAR funds -- to help out.

Nationwide, there has been a resurgence in opening movie theaters in downtowns as cities try to renew their urban cores, said Patrick Corcoran, director of media and research for the National Association of Theatre Owners.

The main challenge to running a successful urban movie house is having a stable downtown residential population, Corcoran said. "Along with housing, you need to have amenities," he said.

About 8,000 residents live in downtown St. Paul, about twice the population in 1990.

"Yeah, you want to make a profit, but we want to provide this service to downtown -- and drag in a few of those folks from the other side of the river, too," Palumbo said. His plans also call for collaborating with artists and arts organizations.

"We want to separate ourselves in as many ways as we can," Palumbo said.

Chris Havens • 651-298-1542