Kelli Kennon-Lane is proud to continue the Bijou Theatre’s 50-year-old tradition of bringing the Mount Vernon and Lisbon communities together to enjoy films on the big screen.

“We thought this was a great opportunity to breathe some new life into the business plan, keep the theatre going, but maybe in a slightly different direction,” says Kennon-Lane, who bought the Bijou from its previous owners, Kira and Chris Moore, in late 2024.

In just the second year of owning the Bijou, Kennon-Lane has been awarded Business of the Year by the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Community Development Group.

“I think when you have 20, 50, 70 people together in a small room, watching something together, there’s that shared sense of camaraderie that people are missing,” said Kennon-Lane, who adds that when she and her husband John bought the theater, they wanted to keep all the things that make the Bijou a staple in the community, while enhancing that experience for the next generation.

The first order of business was revitalizing the storefront.

“We just did a ton of cleanup, basically upstairs in the projection room, here in the lobby, new carpeting, just cosmetic things.” In March of 2025, the Bijou was also awarded a $50,000 grant from T-Mobile, which afforded Kennon-Lane a new, energy efficient door for the front of the building, in addition to providing her the opportunity to host free, outdoor screenings in the grass lot next to the building.

“We did a lot of landscaping with native pollinator plants that we purchased from our local farmer: Rhubarb Botanicals,” said Kennon-Lane, who adds, “It just created a cozy little outdoor theater where people can bring a blanket or a chair and watch a movie together once a month.”

Creating fun new opportunities for families to come together has been key to Kennon-Lane’s vision for the Bijou.

“We showed an independent film, ‘H is for Hawk,’ that I actually had to beg the distributor to let us show because we’re such a small theater,” said Kennon-Lane, who adds that she also invited a local falconer to attend the screening, giving movie watchers a chance to see a real life red tailed hawk.

“As a business, it’s really important to us that we wrap around our schools, and our youth,” said Kennon-Lane, who says that the Bijou is constantly making donations to different youth sports teams, clubs, organizations, and non-profits. “We also host fundraiser screenings, where a group will host a screening for a movie, and then they’ll get 50% of all concession proceeds.”

In addition to helping the outlying community, the Bijou has stayed committed to its longtime clientele. Replacing the old sign and poster boxes to give the front a more modern feel, along with adding awnings to the outside.

“We oftentimes have a line wrapped around the building, and when people are waiting, it allows them to be out of the rain, or out of the sun.”

Another new addition to the Bijou tradition? Theater rentals. Groups can reserve the entire theater to themselves for any type of outing on Saturdays or Sundays. Whether it’s a birthday, retirement, or bachelor party, the reservations go quickly, and is now the Bijou’s hottest selling experience. “I think in 2026 and beyond, we really want to dial in our rental operations, because they’ve been a huge running steam for us.”

Lastly, Kennon-Lane says investing this time, energy, and money into the community, and planning events for families is a no-brainer. “I guarantee you that if I give a donation, or I support a local youth group, then that family is going to come through these doors, and they’re going to support me in return … you might not get that in a community that’s larger.”