ASHTABULA TOWNSHIP – There will be a happy ending for movie lovers in Ashtabula.
A local family is reopening the movie theater at Ashtabula Towne Square mall more than two years after AMC Classic – Ashtabula 6 closed.
Sometime before the holiday season, J-PAL Cinemas will open for business in the former AMC movie theater location.
Anthony and Lindsay Pascarella, and their children Jackson, 10, and Piper, 7, are the family behind J-PAL Cinemas. Each letter in the acronym corresponds to the first letter of their names.
“Everybody says they want it (the movie theater) back, so we’re doing it,” Anthony, who used to manage the location when it was Carmike Cinemas back in 2010, said.
He said they have signed a lease and are doing some renovations prior to opening.
They will primarily show first-run movies, but also some of the classics.
Four of the theaters will be operated as movie houses while the other two will be used for private events such as birthday parties and corporate events.
“We’re building stages to do live events,” Anthony said.
Anthony and Lindsay, who graduated from Edgewood High School, are already business owners. He owns Ohio Hometown Insurance and she owns an insurance billing company for dental offices.
They’re excited about their new venture of running a movie theater. They will think it will be a fun time, and look forward to giving residents in the area something to do.
“We want something that makes people happy,” Anthony said. “I think people are happy to go to a movie.”
Anthony, who said he loves the entertainment business, said they hope to keep the cost as low as possible so people can afford to come to the movies.
Lindsay said their children are also thrilled to help out.
“It’s an exciting new chapter for us as a family,” she said, noting they have support from her mom and Anthony’s parents.
John Brace, one of the owners of Ashtabula Towne Square, was happy to see the locally-owned independent movie theater coming to the former AMC space.
“I’m very excited about that,” he said. “We’ve been chatting with them for a while about it, then we just signed the lease a couple weeks ago.”
