End of an era as Malverne Cinema & Art Center closes its doors for last time

They came to say goodbye.

On Sunday, in the hours before the Malverne Cinema & Art Center screens went dark for the last time and the movie house closed for good, owners Anne and Henry Stampfel embraced those who had helped make the theater a local institution. It felt like a shiva call. The crowd stood in the lobby with the plush carpet for hours, sharing laughs and memories.

People like John Aresta, the Malverne chief of police, whom Anne Stampfel had hired as an usher in 1981.

Like Jo Constantelos, a longtime friend of the Stampfels whose son worked at the theater in high school

Like Joanna Volpe, the Stampfels' daughter, who grew up at the cinema.

The Stampfels, who live in Massapequa, arrived around 5:30 a.m. on this dark and chilly Sunday to clean out the building.

"I was sad," Anne said. "The weather outside kind of matched my mood."

The final slate of Hollywood fare: "Lee," "Reagan," "Transformers One," "The Wild Robot."

For neighborhood movie fans, the theater's demise meant the end for first-run features close to home. For the Stampfels, it marked the end of a challenging few years of business.

The cinema closed for much of 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic hit before temporarily reopening that October.

But "it cost too much to unlock the door each day," Anne Stampfel said, and the theater closed again in January 2021.

The Stampfels opened again, this time in May 2021, with an assist of a federal Shuttered Venue Operators Grant.

"That helped us get this far," Henry Stampfel said.

As far as additional help, his wife added with a note of despair, there is none "out there now. I’ve searched."

Last Tuesday, the decision was made to shut down the theater after the couple couldn’t reach an agreement with the landlord, Sunrise Management, over building renovations.

It marked the end of a three-decades plus journey for the couple, who purchased the theater in 1990. The original theater was built in 1947. It's located in a strip mall on Hempstead Avenue where the roadway meets Nassau Avenue, has five screens and can seat up to 700.

"Sunrise Management is saddened that a deal could not be reached to keep the Cinema operating in the heart of Malverne as it stood since 1947," the company said in a statement provided to Newsday on Monday. "The Stampfels did an excellent job as they explored every avenue to keep the doors open for as long as they did in an industry of uncertainty. We are optimistic about signing a deal that will bring much joy to the community as The Malverne Cinema & Arts Center has done for decades."

The Stampfels had met at a theater in Oceanside. He was working as a projectionist; she as a candy salesperson. They bonded over their love of the industry and built their own film fiefdom: Over the years, the Stampfels have run theaters in Bellmore, Hempstead and Long Beach.

But it was in Malverne where the Stampfels became most involved with the community, their daughter said. They would often hold film talks with residents.

"It would be sold out all weekend Thursday through Sunday," Volpe said. "And even Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday were busy, because people would just come here, and find out what was playing when they got here. They trusted it would be good because they knew films would be carefully curated."

Aresta said it was at the Malverne Cinema where he saw his first-ever movie with his father: "The Poseidon Adventure" in 1972.

"This is the last landmark in Malverne," Aresta said. "It’s going to hurt seeing Anne and Henry leave. And just their legacy. They’ve employed so many kids over the years."

About 7 p.m., as the final films let out, Anne Stampfel sat on a chair in the lobby, watching her customers, for the final time, filter out into the damp night.

“Thank you,” one customer said, turning to her.

Stampfel let a small smile form on her face: “Thank you.”

By Joshua Needelman

joshua.needelman@newsday.com

Joshua Needelman covers the Town of North Hempstead for Newsday. A Long Island native and University of Maryland graduate, his work has appeared in publications including The New York Times and The Washington Post.