The town known as 'the nicest place in America' could be losing one of it's greatest assets.

The owners of the Main Street Theater say they can no longer afford to pay expenses for a building that's been a closed for a year due to Covid.

"Crown Theater is one of the reasons why we won, got the designation of the "nicest place in America' from Reader's Digest in 2019 because of our special needs program and that's really one of the biggest driving forces here," said Erich Offenburg, executive director of the Columbiana Area Chamber of Commerce.

Who could imagine Columbiana without the Main Street Theater in it?

The Arthurs family spent about a million dollars to restore the now 71-year-old theater back in 2009 but with no operating money coming in because of Covid, they are now working with a newly formed non-profit organization called the Columbiana Cultural Collective to buy it from them to keep it going.

"We are hoping for about 5 large donors to cover the cost which is about $1.5 million and that includes renovations to make the entire building ada compliant on all levels," Offenburg said.

Organizers see the future of the facility as a community cultural center, a place where any organization could come in and show movies, stage a production or have a concert.
Fundraisers are being planned but tax-deductible donations can be made right now through the Columbiana Tourism Bureau.

"The theater is an anchor for downtown and for a lot of people who love to perform so we're thrilled to carry on that torch!" added Offenburg.