It’s ready! Pickford Film Center’s second location set to open tonight.
Nestled between a restaurant and a café, the new Pickford on Grand first appeared to be another storefront blending into the rest of the city block. But on the night of an advance screening, it flickered into something different.
Today Pickford on Grand, at 105 Grand Avenue in Bellingham, will host an open house at 5:30 p.m., with complimentary popcorn and a chance to tour the building. Short features will play on the new screens.
The theater will focus on community-gathering, event-based moviegoing and film heritage, aiming to provide a personal touch and atmosphere.
“Our hope is to create a unique and magical experience that really kind of harkens back to the old-fashioned ways of people coming in to watch movies,” said Andrew Lahmann, a Pickford Film Center board member.
At the advance screening, the front door handles were still wrapped with brightly colored tape — a reminder that the theater was still being worked on. Inside, the lobby, spacious and sterile, rumbled with footsteps and workers speaking softly behind the sleek counters. Exposed pipes curled around the walls.
The new look is a stark departure from the Pickford on Bay Street. At the original theater, exposed brick walls and wooden accents create a warm, comforting atmosphere. But at the Pickford on Grand, matte black paint coats the walls, white-glowing letters are cut with precise edges, and the modern architecture feels like a minimalist showroom.
“They’re gonna have a different look and feel,” said board member Heather Allegrina. “But honestly, we kind of want to look at it as an extension.”
I stepped toward the counter, surrounded by the clean walls and the soft lighting above. Behind, the line grew long, and the restlessness made people chat among themselves.
An empty theater can feel unsettling, like sneaking over a fence or going into a house before it’s fully furnished.
Early attendees began to trickle in, some in pairs, others by themselves. Eyes wandered, pausing here and there as they took in the newness, just as I had. Eventually, each settled down, and the quiet room was gradually was filled with soft murmur.
Rows of springy, high-backed chairs stretched out before the screen, a noticeable improvement over the well-worn seats at the location on Bay Street. I sank into the new foam. It didn’t wobble or creak but comforted and supported. I wasn’t alone in this experience, as one of the early attendees echoed the same relief.
“There’s more legroom than the other theater,” said Marylou Phillips, another early attendee. “It’s really been nice how they really paid attention to that.”
Vicky Moyle, a volunteer with the Pickford Film Center, was excited about the Pickford’s expansion.
“It’s really important to have more screens,” she said, “because there’s so many film aficionados in Bellingham and we show all genres, so we need screens to show all our genres.”
She added that there’s an interesting subculture within movie programming, where larger production companies demand their movies be the only one shown on a particular screen until a set time.
Sitting beside her, another early attendee, Ed Wayt, echoed that sentiment.
“It increases the amount of different films that can come through,” he said. “People … are hungry for something different, not mainstream. Hopefully, there’s gonna be more opportunity for that sort of film to come through.”
The room flashed as the gray screen began playing advertisements. Lights dimmed, and people settled into their seats, waiting for the 1988 Italian drama “Cinema Paradiso” to begin.
I stepped into the main lobby and watched as people began to float around the concessions, grabbing popcorn and pouring soda into little water cups. Even for a new theater on opening night, it didn’t long for there to be a red-stained spill around the soda machine.
On my way out, I ran into Susie Purves, the Executive Director of the Pickford Film Center. I asked her what experience she hoped to create for moviegoers at the new location.
“Magic,” she said. “What else do you want?”
— By Ronan Lynch
Also read in Salish Current:
• “Nonprofit cinema to open second location this summer,” May 27, 2025
• “Arts, recreation, stories in the dark: where lodging tax revenues go,” Jan. 29, 2025
• “Back to the future: Film is Truth returns,” Nov. 4, 2024
• “Commentary: A love of theaters and volunteering,” April 26, 2024
• “Local festivals, theaters — and movie lovers — boost independent films,” Nov. 13, 2023