The theater should stay a theater! One of the best things about Teaneck is it's wide array of services and venues It's nice to be able to stay in town and see a movie. Some ideas to help raise the money are a benefit concert and a price increase for tickets.

With every loss there is opportunity. A core group in formation, including leaders of the Teaneck International Film Festival, the Puffin Foundation, the Teaneck Chamber of Commerce and several non-profits with pipelines to governmental grant programs for funding the arts and subsidizing employment programs for people with disabilities, have expressed an interest and are meeting with the landlord's representative. Their goal is to keep cinema on Cedar Lane, in an upgraded movie house with a wide variety of programming.

Make it a performing arts venue for local groups.

ASAP the affluent town of Teaneck should sponsor charity drives all over -- in the schools, places of worship, local businesses, even on a website -- and get the $300,000 needed to upgrade to a digital projection system. I bet at least one patron could easily foot $100,00 of the needed funds. There's monied families in Teaneck!

Sad for many people I am sure, especially those seeking low admission prices. Low prices was the only reademing feature of the theater and for senior citizens on fixed income, it will be missed. Overall appearance and comfort level of the theater along with the rather depressing environment of Cedar Lane on Friday and Saturday evenings when many people want to go out make going elsewhere a more satisfying experience. Unfortunately my family stopped going to the theater many years ago for many reasons and I rarely go to Cedar Lane now. Quality of most of the restaurants are moderate at best with very few exceptions based on my experience as well as the reviewers of patrons who offer online reviews.
I am not at all optimistic that Cedar Lane can be revived given the slow but steady decline. I ask what is the profile of the individual or family that Cedar Lane wants to attract? What happened ot BLAST for example? Paying higher ticket prices may be the only way to run a profitable theater, then I am not sure what the motivation would be to go to a Cedar Lane theater?
I wish the grassroots organization well and would support some efforts depending on what is proposed. I have no interest in giving money to a private real estate owner or operator to enhance their facility with community donations

My daughter lives in High Falls, NY and was a major player in saving the Rosendale Theater nearby. A large group became involved: they raised money, did some re-furbishing and now the theater is used for plays, movies and community events. I would think the same can be done in Teaneck. Let me know if you want her contact info.

One of the charming features of a downtown area is the local theater. Which creates additional foot traffic for the nearby small businesses. The town should pull together as other commented above and help this theater with fundraisers, etc., to renovate (which it can't compete with nicer theaters currently). Hopefully, the owner can afford to upgrade the heating system as well. Unfortunately, I refused to go there in cold winter months because it was too uncomfortable (we do go in the summer). As much as I try to support my local businesses, if it is too uncomfortable and for hi-tech movies the audio & video is so outdated, the tendency is to go elsewhere. My husband and I prefer going locally, We would support efforts to raise money to keep this icon up and running in our community. BTW- loved the freshly popped corn.

A modernized theater in the style of Bergenfield's Clear View Cinemas on Washington Ave would be perfect. It woulddraw the crowds for local merchants and encourge foot traffic.

I agree with Steve Savitz's comments 100 percent. Sorry but giving money to a private real estate company seems wrong. We need a longterm goal/plan for Cedar Lane. It is very depressing with many low quality places at this point.

Im a dancer, singer, actor, with a bachelors in business and communication. Im Director of the Rec. Therapy prog. at NewVistaNursing Newark for specialized programs for the sick and disabled. A Certified substance abuse counselor. I'm also the co-founder of Rejoti Theatre Co. in Teaneck & production manager. We would like to see a team effort to continue the cinema ,Live theatre possibilities and other programs that would benefit the community at large. A place where all sorts of programs can be developed. We love the Cedar Lane Cinema, its a part of our history. Tjquadir@AOL.com

Definitely a theatre for performing arts for local artists

the problem is not the closing of the theater, the problem is what caused it to close in the first place. there are many:
1. the overall appearance of the area. we spent thousands of dollar for studies as to how to improve the area. what a waste of money. all that had to be done was take a ride through downtown ridgewood. we need a nice uniform look to all the storefronts. the town could give the tenant a tax credit of 80% of the approved improvement to the storefront (spead over five years) . new tenants of course would not receive a credit. paper signs in windows .should be banned.
2. we need larger green and white signs to municipal parking areas.
3. the new side walks are ugly and in some areas are already crumbling. why didnt we use brick, which looks nicer and lasts longer?
4. we need 3x as many trees and they should plant more mature trees so we dont need to wait 20 years for them to mature.
5. to attract a higher class of tenant we might try contacting universities with good business/marketing depts and offer internships or class projects to research ideas as to how to improve our rental clientele . this is much less expensive than paying tens of thousands of dollars to a consulting firm to come up with ONE idea.
6. with the diverse talents of our citizens we should be able to form a committee to get these plans of the ground.

The fate of Cedar lane, there's no reviving this area until these idiots realize it's been stigmatized for one set of people, stop wasting taxpayers money, one religious group of people dominate the decisions made about Cedar lane, I've made comments in the past about 8 months ago and the reason hasn't changed, every business on cedar lane will eventually close, it's unavoidable unless Teaneck change their guards but we already know that's not gonna happen, so these are the results

That kind of attitude will not help anyone. We must come together to improve Teaneck. IN fact the only "decisions" that matter are those of consumers who opt not to come to Teaneck. Look at all the dollar stories, nail salons and banks. Who wants that? has nothing to do with religion at all. Englewood has similar demographics to Teaneck yet has a much nicer downtown.

i agree with the comment re englewood. we have plenty of vacant stores. we just need a creative idea as to attract upscale diverse businesses.

Thank You Jackie Miller! Funny But i am happily enjoying my recent retirement.
Agree with you Trylon Man.
I might also point out that the Cedar Lane Cinemas is gone because there were no customers. So why no customers? It was a pretty uncomfortable place and long in disrepair. That is a problem for many Teaneck stores specifically on Cedar Lane.

Personally, I do not shop in Teaneck or go out to eat there (except for Bischoff's). I go to malls or Englewood. Maybe Teaneck should invite Englewood to come speak to the Council about how they fixed things up downtown.

Cedar Lane needs diversity. Right now it is boring and drab to say the least. A variety of markets and shops would revitalize the area but Starbucks was struck down and I'm sure any other venue that would attract a younger diverse population will be denied as well. I would love to have a downtown area such as Montclair, Englewood, Ridgewood and many other towns. With so many stores closed on or early on Saturday which are not diverse or enticing at all and the majority can't open on Sunday who really wants to stay or venture out to Teaneck to shop? Oh well! I agree with those above that state they cannot endorse using public money for private real estate. I think we need to have an honest dialogue on who we want to attract because with so many shops being so similar and not attracting me and a diverse population then we might as well forget about spending any more money, effort or time on Cedar Lane or Teaneck Rd. It's a shame. I'm heading out to Message Envy and then Blue Moon in Englewood right now btw.

Chris Fox and Steve Savitz hit it on the head. Cedar Lane dies on the weekend. Why would anyone want to shop there. Most of the restaurants are overprice for the quality of food served. As for the movie, the owner should sell it to the town or the Puffin Center for $1 (that would be a nice gesture to the town), then maybe something good would come of it. As to the citizenry collecting money for a private compay, forget about it. Not a tuppence.

Why would any private business owner sell a property for a one dollar? that makes no sense at all. Also the articles say there is a landlord so it is not a matter of selling property. the problem is they need to find another tenant to use the theater which is not likely because of the high cost for digital technologies.

Puffin Center? sorry but that wont attract the crowds. those shows do not have wide "commercial" appeal however nice they may be. You need something to bring younger folks who will stop to eat dinner etc. Go to Englewood or Ridgewood tonight. Restaurants are busy and people are out. A modern movie theater would be nice although probably wont happen because there are so many others on the highway.

Agree w/NNY'r above. Having lived here since '81 it is clear to me that our town is living on past hopes and accomplishments. I admire the optimists in town but find it hard to dream past the reality of what I see occuring at a slow but depressing pace. Cedar lane, true diversity, the struggle to end racism, political dialogue, The Plaza, Teaneck Rd are all heading in the wrong direction. Having been active in the towm many years ago I am now comfortable going elsewhere for food, shopping and culture even if I have to pay more for a better quality of life. Life goes on

Having grown up in Teaneck I remember the Cedar Lane Theater as a grand , majestic theater, One giant screen and a beautiful balcony... I remember the Bowling Alley.... I remember going and hanging out on the Lane getting our yummy Ice crean cones.. It is so uncomfortable on the Lane now ..there are no places to go to with the kids to do things . Besides Crossing the Lane is dangerous and awkward.

I am saddened that I agree with so many of the less than positive remarks in the comments. I would not have come to Teaneck or bought our house on Garrison were it not for Cedar Lane, its shops and movie theatre. Cedar Lane is part of the value of our homes. Social trends now are toward walkable communities, shared services and use of public transit. Sadly, our municipal leadership was preoccupied with the trends of the past century. It remains so. If only our Council read the comments on the Patch they'd be a lot better informed about what Teaneck residents really think of our community. Cedar Lane is down but not out. Neither is Teaneck.

So many GREAT ideas! Everybody says "We should..." Somebody has to say let's meet and DO it! I've previously volunteered my house to meet, if someone will volunteer to take the reins! (At least to coordinate ideas and see where to go from here!) What about 2020? Or Bergen Grassroots? Or a local charity group? (Rotary, or something similar)

In 1973, Huntington, LI began the New Community Cinema-which would become the Cinema Arts Centre (CAC). Although this was not created as the result of a closing theater, but in a dance studio the community wanted artistic, independent, and international cinema on Long Island. Members of the community had a vision of engaging people in cinema culture, creating a new community of film-goers on Long Island who sought access to a broader choice of films in their community and to use the power of film toward a greater social good. In-depth discussion, often with directors, film artists or guest speakers relevant to films’ topics, evolved to become a central component of CAC programming. Such discussions often served to explore and illuminate issues such as the environment, social and economic justice, diversity and equality. The mission of the Cinema Arts Centre is to bring the best in cinematic artistry to Long Island, and use the power of film to expand the awareness and consciousness of the community. The use the space to hold special events. Membership to CAC is the key to their survival.
•Membership dollars are approximately 20% of the CAC’s budget and vital to the health and growth of the Cinema.
I hope we in Teaneck can do the same with the theater!
.

It needs a major upgrade across the board. I would be happy to go to Teaneck to see a current movie, versus driving to Ridgefield Park.

Somehow they can make small theaters work in Tenafly and Bergenfield. Tenafly may certainly have a little more money than Teaneck, but that is no excuse, since Bergenfield does not.

The place needs a renovation badly, and needs to play current movies. Unfortunately indie films and the like will provide the anchor that Cedar Lane desperately needs.

Agree with you 100 percent JD07.. Arts and indie stuff does not sell.
And now Louie's closed. Terrible!!! Teaneck needs major help!!!! Wake up! We are in dire situation here.

Maybe the theater could go vintage and only show classic old movies (Casablanca style, black and white) - would that eliminate the need for the digital upgrade? Then the old becomes charming ...

One pretty easy thing that can be done is to make the Cedar Lane business district website functional. It's outdated, and it's hit or miss on listing special events (eg trick or treating).

i know trees have leaves that fall once once a year. big deal. as far trees and branches falling...talk to me in twenty years when they are mature. what is nicer than a tree lined street? i still think contacting local universities with marketing depts and suggest fixing cedar as a course or an internship to get some fresh ideas for free. i heard louies is going to be another pharmacy, OMG.

wow Trylon Man ... are pharmacy??? A block from the CVS and across from the other one? Thats the last we need. Terrible I hope that is not true.

I think someone has to come in renovate it-bring it up to today's standards and open it again as a movie theater. Why should we give in and go to a Multiplex. With all the money that we pay in taxes etc there should be a way to give someone tax breaks etc to come in and put money into it to do this.