The Planners said, ‘NO.’ The Banks said, ‘NO.’ So how did we build The Red Carpet Cinema?
Ten years ago we set out to build a small two screen cinema and cafe bar where people could enjoy a two course meal and a film under one roof. The idea of a meal and a film was nothing new but we did believe that people would enjoy it more if they could eat and chat in a relaxed atmosphere and then be invited to wander over to their screen and watch a film in a small, peaceful cinema in their especially reserved seats. We thought it was a romantic idea, enchanting...simple really. We were going to float through this on a wave of measured optimism, sound business experience and realistic goals and timescales.
Four years and four months later we looked exactly like a spectacular ‘Grand Designs’ style disaster. We had that slightly wild, forced, entrenched and delusional look about us all the time. We had purchased land without any finance, been through four rounds of planning, been turned down by 7 banks, sold everything we’d ever owned except a ten year old car, changed our architectural plans 53 times and along the way had picked up two digital projectors we didn’t know how to work. We had no home, no pension plan and no jobs. We never slept, we barely ate, we regularly had meetings at 4am, we were, definitely, without doubt, completely bonkers.
That was six years ago; six incredible and quite scary, life changing years. Then we opened the doors and the support we have received was simply unbelievable. We have certainly felt every bump along the road, some more brutally bone shaking than others but we’re also incredibly proud of The Red Carpet and its place within the local community.
To everyone who chooses The Red Carpet, we can’t thank you enough for your support.
Kate and Ian