Business & Tech

Do You Want a Movie Theater in San Anselmo?

Resident begins grassroots effort to bring a theater to town.

Since the Tamalpais Theater closed in 1989, San Anselmo's downtown has been without an entertainment venue. But, that's something that one resident is hoping to fix.

Charlie Clifford's mission is simple and summed up in the small cards he plans to start posting around town: "We would love a theater in downtown San Anselmo."

Clifford has begun collecting signatures, with nearly all the downtown merchants supporting the idea, and will begin distributing these comment cards to every residents' house in an effort to gather more support and ideas. He hopes that when residents see the cards taped to their mailboxes, their interest will be piqued. 

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Why?

Because they'll have already seen the sign that was hung at the Hub today, asking if you want a theater in town to then "Sign It and Send It."

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The cards ask for supporters names, emails, comments, and to either drop it in the mail or bring it in to one of the coffeeshops in downtown. 

Supporting businesses is what the grassroots effort is all about.

"A lack of an entertainment element in San Anselmo really hurts businesses," said Clifford.

Clifford argues that without entertainment to draw people to town in the evenings, the businesses and restaurants are hurt by a lack of foot traffic and gatherings.

Although Clifford knows what he would like a theater in downtown to look like, he's hoping that the campaign draws lots of different ideas and input. Some people, he said, have suggested that what they'd really like to see is a jazz festival. Others have wanted senior events or movies at Creek Park year-round.

"I simply want a theater," said Clifford.

His ideal theater would be a social center as well with different curators running programs for different age groups. For example, someone could work to run San Francisco Opera simulcast and then coordinate with the restaurants in downtown to have pre-Opera drinks and dinner.

Does that mean there's an actual plan being proposed? Or that there's one in the works? No.

But, that's not stopping Clifford. 

With so many artists and entrepreneurs in town, he hopes ideas will come forward. And, once signatures and emails have been gathered, that enthusiasm and support will go a long way towards enticing someone to develop a theater in town. 

"If there's a will, it'll happen," he said.

Now that he's go and visited every business in town and posted the sign at the Hub through the Downtown San Anselmo Merchants Association, all he has left to do is visit every house in town on his electric and tape one of the comment cards to every resident's mailbox.

"I have no idea how long it's going to take me," said Clifford. "But, somebody has to get that ball rolling uphill."


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