On Tuesday, Oct. 1, Kira Moore announced the new owners of the Bijou movie theater in Mount Vernon.

Kelli Kennon-Lane and John Lane will be taking ownership of the space, and plan to reopen the theater during the holiday season.

Kelli and John have lived just outside Mount Vernon since 2017. Kelli previously served as education director at Indian Creek Nature Center and teaches exercise classes at the Lester Buresh Family Community Wellness Center currently.

“The Lanes’ are passionate about bringing people together, spending time outdoors, living lightly on the earth by being mindful of waste and focusing on sustainable practices, live music, and supporting small businesses in Mount Vernon, Lisbon, Solon, Springville, Ely and in the Corridor,” Kira wrote.

The Lanes will be doing work on the lobby and restroom areas ahead of reopening for the holiday season, with that work beginning this past week.

In a Facebook post Friday, Kelli noted one of the first improvements that was made was getting LED lights installed in the movie theater to help reduce energy costs. The couple has also cleaned and organized the space ahead of the lobby refresh, and over the weekend work was done to the landscaping of the exterior of the movie theater.

Kira and Chris Moore thanked the community for their support over the past nine years of ownership of the theater, especially during the rocky years following the pandemic as business owners.

“Thank you to everyone who has attended the Bijou in the last nine years,” Kira wrote. “It has been such a joy to participate in a treasured local venue. During these years, I also journeyed into the world of motherhood and loved to bring my babies with me to the theater. Even as they grew, the Bijou was like a second home.”

Kira said she is excited for the new owners of the theater and will continue to attend shows at the theater in the future as a patron of the facility.