The Fairchilds elevated movies in Tri-Cities. Now, a new generation steps up with new ideas
Lisa and Jeff Fairchild elevated movie-going when they added reclining seats, food, alcohol and Dolby Atmos sound to their Eastern Washington theater complexes.
Now, the long-time theater operators are retiring. Fairchild Cinemas announced the torch has been passed to the Fairchilds’ son, Kevin, who grew up in the family business with his three siblings.
Mamie Gale, long-time manager, will stay on to run the theaters. Fairchild has complexes in Kennewick, Pasco, Richland and Moses Lake.
One of the first tasks for the new leader: Overhaul the 12-screen Pasco theater.
Pasco was the first Fairchild Cinema built in the Tri-Cities and doesn’t have the finer features of its neighbors in Richland and Kennewick.
Pasco opened in 2007, followed by Richland (12 screens) in 2015 and Kennewick (10 screens) in 2019.
Pasco will be upgraded with reclining seats, Dolby Atmos sound and elevated food, as well as a family-friendly suite of arcade games, Duckpin bowling and private event space.
Jeff Fairchild said creating family entertainment destinations is the key to competing with streaming services for in-person customers.
He encountered Duckpin bowling at an industry expo and was hooked.
With shorter lanes and bowling balls weighing just 5 pounds, it fits well within the existing format. Guests play in street shoes, so there’s no need to manage bowling shoes.
“And it’s fun,” he said.
Fewer seats
Fairchild said the Pasco theater will stay open while the work is carried out in phases. The schedule will be sensitive to peak movie-going seasons — spring break, summer blockbuster season and the winter holidays.
Designs haven’t been finalized. Options include using space now dedicated to theaters for the new amenities, or extending the front of the building, taking out some of the property’s extensive parking lot.
The 12 theaters in Pasco collectively hold 1,600 seats. That’s more than it needs, Gale said.
Recliners take more space, so the net outcome will be fewer seats overall. Gale said the seat-count will be trimmed to about 1,000, possibly more if the project ends up removing theaters.
The transition to the next generation caps a 50-year theater career for Jeff Fairchild.
He said he was one week shy of 15 when he got his first job, at the Lincoln Theater in Port Angeles, a classic old-school movie house since renovated.
By 16, he was managing a different theater for the owners, a drive-in. He stayed with the company 18 years before venturing out on his own.
He and his wife moved to Ephrata in the late 1980s and bought the Lee Theater, now operated by his brother.
Fun job
Running a small theater in a small town was sleepy enough that Fairchild pursued a second career remodeling homes. He found he loved working for himself and continued to pursue real estate development along with the movie business.
“It’s been a fun job,” he said.
The Moses Lake cinema came next. It was the first project the Fairchilds built from the ground up.
They expanded to the Tri-Cities, drawn by the opportunity presented by the fast-growing population. Along the way, Fairchild Cinemas was a family affair. Jeff recalled his daughter selling popcorn, candy and soda atop a rolled-up carpet.
As the business expanded, they evolved to keep up with a changing landscape that included the rise — and fall — of video stores and now streaming services.
Fairchild Cinemas may have embraced the luxuries that draw in movie-goers today. But Jeff Fairchild said he sometimes misses the behind-the scenes work that went into showing films before digital technology changed everything.
Movies came on 20-minutes reels that had to be glued together at first, and later spliced. That gave way to films loaded on giant platters.
Projectors were clackety machines that had to be carefully maintained and managed to ensure a seamless exhibit for customers.
“I miss the sound of the projector room,” he said, recalling the wonder of showing the back-room operations to visitors. . “It used to be fun to take kids on tours.”
The Fairchilds plan to spend time in Arizona and to keep pursuing other interests, including home building.
A small cluster of homes under construction near the Kennewick Union Street library is a current project.
This story was originally published December 31, 2024 at 5:00 AM.