A 17-year-old woman casually leans against the concession counter of the Teicher Theaters' Northwest Dollar Movies 5, better known as the dollar theater. The scent of popcorn and nachos fill the air as she greets potential customers with a smile and a cheery, "Can I help you?"
Surrounded by coworkers working to disassemble concession stand pieces, Dasha Ingram, mother of a two-year-old, fiddles with a ratchet. She wonders where the money for the next package of diapers will come from.
As of today, Ingram, and every other dollar movie employee, is unemployed.
The Northwest Plaza will be demolished to make room for a Ruby Tuesday's and a Bob Evans. Employees were notified of the closing by theater patrons Monday and manager Belinda Clift said she immediately called her boss to confirm what the customers said. The 10-person staff had only three days' notice to find a new job. As of Thursday, one out of the 10 had found a job.
Thursday night, however, it was business as usual at the dollar theater. Throngs of students and families came through the doors headed for the ticket booth, arcade games and concession counter.
Sadness, anger and confusion were the emotions expressed by patrons of the theater. Ball State University freshman Ashley Meyer and a group of friends stood outside the theater and schemed to handcuff themselves to the theater "until the bulldozers came."
Ball State freshman Andrea Rutter was enraged about the future developments planned for the site.
"We don't need another restaurant," she screamed. "We need 50-cent movies."
Tara Drown and her two children, Kelsie and Nate Drown, stood at the concession stand to purchase their last "Kiddie Combo," which they would enjoy while watching "Night at the Museum."
Kelsie Drown said she was sad that the theater was closing.
"[The theatre is] awesome," she said, smiling. "It really is! It's only a dollar!"
Tara Drown said the family comes to the theater often, and from now on will most likely just rent DVDs.
Clift said that's what saddens her the most about the closing of the theater.
"I hope someone starts doing something for the lower-income people of Muncie," Clift said.
Dollar Movies via the Teicher company will never again be an option for students and residents seeking a good deal at a movie theater in Muncie. Alan Teicher, owner of the Teicher chain, is calling it quits in Muncie. Because his business is based in Ohio, he was not in town for the closing of his theater.
"This is the third theater I've been kicked out of in Muncie," he said in a previous interview. "Right now I just want to get as far away from Muncie as I can."
While abandoning his theater efforts in Muncie, Teicher is also leaving behind 10 employees, none of whom he told about the closing.
"I almost cried on the way here because it is my last day," Ball State freshman Jessica Hill said.
Ingram, Clift and Hill all agreed that the family-like atmosphere of the theater made working fun, and not like a job.
"We've always done everything together here," Hill said. "For Christmas and other holidays we have a big dinner."
At 4 p.m. today the group will dine together for the last time at Puerto Vallarta's.
"I'll miss the people that work for me and the regulars," Clift said. "We've got so many people that come in on the same day, on 50-cent day."
Group homes such as Hillcroft, Complete Mental Health, the YOC and elementary schools are just a few groups Clift said had recently used the theater.
While the staff worked to remove posters, take tickets and sell concessions, projectionist Kris Watterson made his way upstairs to start the next round of movies. Although all employees know how to operate the projectors, Watterson said one person is typically in charge of projecting the movies each night.
He began as an usher and would clean the theaters after the movie finished.
"People leave the strangest things in movie theaters," he said. "One time someone had taken off an entire set of fake nails and just left them here. And another time I found a whole package of the Break & Bake cookie dough. I've never found a $100 dollar bill, though. That's what I've always wanted to find."
While ushering never yielded a financial windfall, Watterson said he received a big surprise while operating the projectors a few weeks ago.
Watterson said he was preparing a movie to show but placing the reel of film on the platter it sits on while the film travels to the projector and the platter started to spin very fast.
"I put my hand on it to stop it," he said. "My hand hit a dry spot on the platter and I wound up with a scab on my hand. The reel was still spinning though and it went spinning off the platter and hit the wall. The film went all over the floor."
As the night drew to a close, Clift said she was at a loss as to what her next career move would be.
"I don't know what I'll do next," she said. "I went from food service to this."
After the last movie finishes, Clift will count up each register and the box office drawer, clean and wipe off the counters and then lock the door to the theater that has been her second home for the past year and a half.
Later in the week Clift said crews will come in and remove the seats from the theaters and take the screens down before construction begins on Ruby Tuesday's and Bob Evans.
However, no matter what takes the physical place of the theater, the new developments cannot erase the memories that exist in the minds of the 10-person staff who strived to give movie-goers a warm welcome.
"I'll miss all the smiles," Ingram said.
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