The Gilson theater brings humor and creativity to the struggle

Text and Photo by Colleen Gundlach

Northwest Corner residents of the older persuasion will have memories of the old Strand Theater in Winsted. Back in the day, the Saturday afternoon “kiddie matinee” drew boys and girls to a double feature at the Strand for pennies, while their parents had Saturday afternoons at home to themselves. That, along with all other movie options, ended with the closing of the theater in the mid-1970’s. 

The Strand Theater building lay dormant for a decade before Winsted native Alan Nero stepped up. His plan was to re-open the Strand, using the same business model. He soon realized, however, that changes in the industry would no longer support a single-screen movie theater. So, in 1985, with a new model in mind of combining a theater and a café together, Nero purchased the theater building and transformed it into The Gilson, which has been a cornerstone of an evening out in the Winsted area ever since.

However, the concept of being able to sit at a table, enjoy a meal and watch a big-screen movie was a relatively new one at the time. Because the Gilson served liquor, the big movie houses such as Warner Brothers wouldn’t allow Nero to show their movies, but he persevered, screening second-run films very successfully to full houses. Three years ago the movie industry changed, allowing all movie houses to have access to the new movies, so Gilson fans now have even the newest movies available to them. “One of the most memorable movies,” says Nero, “was ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding.’ It was so popular that we ran it for 33 weeks, with full houses.” 

Nero built his business through being consistent and different. The consistency shows in the fact that he himself is on-site whenever the theater is open. His full-service staff of sous-chefs, cooks, bartenders and waitstaff is highly skilled, with many of them having worked at the Gilson from the very beginning. The menu features items that have been customer favorites for years, such as the crabmeat salad, the vegetable platter with the Gilson’s signature dip and, of course, the popcorn—served with real butter—not at all like the usual movie theater popcorn.

The difference shows in the set-up of the theater itself. Where there used to be the typical rows of side-by-side movie seats, the Gilson offers tables and chairs facing the big screen. Once you are seated, a waitress soon appears, offering a menu. Your food and drink will be delivered to your table and the waitstaff remains attentive, though inconspicuous, throughout the movie. This is true whether you choose the film running in the large downstairs theater or the smaller, more intimate upstairs viewing room. Additionally, no one under 21 years of age is allowed in the Gilson on Friday and Saturday nights, and no one under 12 the rest of the week. Children between 12 and 21 must always be accompanied by an adult. Movie-rating ages are strictly enforced.

The Gilson has been temporarily closed during the Covid crisis, but has still been making the news. “My son moved back home from the city recently,” says Nero, “and we wanted to do something fun.” So to make people smile during this time of isolation, the pair has put up the names of relatable movies on their marquee each week. Every Sunday a new one appears. Past postings have included: “Desperate Measures,” “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” “The Insider,” “The Mask” and, of course, “Home Alone.” The Neros have been doing this for the past nine weeks, and plan to continue until Covid restrictions are lifted. 

Always a businessman, Nero has found a creative way to generate income during the time the theater is temporarily closed. He introduced an online fundraiser for the business through the Go Fund Me page, where Nero wrote, “As the lockdown stretches to the end of its second month, we have been forced to realize we cannot continue to pay the costs of upkeep without income and to cover the expenses for fresh stock and to pay our 20 employees to return for our expected re-opening day.” In return for a donation of $20 or more, Nero offered two free tickets and the “donor’s name to be published in a special thanks on their screen before each showing upon our grand reopening.” The goal was to raise $10,000 to carry the theater through the shutdown. It raised $26,000 in less than two weeks. 

The Gilson is located at 354 Main Street in Winsted, and will be reopening as soon as possible with second-run films, as the release of new movies has been delayed by the major movie producers until November or December.