Moviegoers at the White Bear Township 17 Theatre can look forward to flicks with better picture quality and better sound. The theater plans to swap out its 35mm projectors for new digital projectors and upgrade sound systems in its 17 auditoriums, said Dale Haider, director of operations for Mueller Family Theaters.
With the switch to a digital format, "The picture quality will be the same on the first day as it is in the fifth week [of a show]," Haider said. "The picture won't be scratched or deteriorate."
The switch to digital equipment mirrors a trend in the movie industry as filmmakers want to get away from the costs of having to reproduce copies of each film and eliminate shipping and storage costs, Haider said.
Mueller Family Theaters will spend $50,000 to $70,000 per auditorium for the upgrades, which are expected to begin in April and be finished by mid-summer. The chain also is upgrading theaters it operates in Delano, East Bethel, Plymouth, Lakeville, Waconia, Monticello and Rogers.
WOODBURY
Massage Envy expanding Massage Envy is adding five rooms and more employees to handle the demand for facials and massages.
According to a city building permit, the store at 572 Commons Drive will spend $32,000 to grow from 11 rooms to 16. Work was scheduled to begin last week and be finished by mid-March, said Massage Envy Regional Developer Gary Meyers.
The store, which opened in 2005, has 2,477 members and about 50 employees. Meyers said he expects to hire five to 10 more workers once the expansion is completed.
Massage Envy has 18 metro locations and plans to open four more in the first quarter of this year, Meyers said.
