New Dine-In Movie Theater In Development For San Marcos

Although some San Martians are still mourning the shutdown of Showplace Theater, the downtown dollar movie house, their craving for a unique cinematic experience may soon be quenched.

 

San Marcos residents interested in attending a restaurant-style movie theater will be able to indulge in a new form of entertainment when The Spot comes to San Marcos within the next two years.

 

According to a press release issued by EVO Entertainment, the company partnered with Endeavor Real Estates to bring The Spot to the largely vacant Springtown Center.

 

The Spot will be an entertainment center equipped with a large bar and restaurant, a patio to host live music, eight bowling lanes and a digital six-screen dine-in theater.

 

“This will be a very unique project for San Marcos and I think it will be great for the area,” said Kayla Wilson, San Marcos resident. “I feel like bringing in more businesses (to Springtown) will definitely make the town more inviting.”

 

Endeavor has invested more than $27 million to renovate the entire Springtown Center, said Buck Cody, Endeavor retail principal. The Spot will be 34,000 square feet. The building will neighbor Gold’s Gym, which will take up 42,000 square feet.

 

“EVO Entertainment group is a very strong and capable regional player,” Cody said. “If you look at EVO’s other facilities, the level of detail and the overall quality of their other projects are very first-class in nature.”

 

Cody said Endeavor had a number of other entertainment options to consider, but because of EVO’s current success in San Marcos and Kyle, the real estate company decided to focus on the partnership.

 

“We are ecstatic that EVO has planted another flag in our project and we hope to continue to work with them,” Cody said. “Our hope is that The Spot will be just as highly regarded as (EVO’s) other ventures.”

 

Kathleen Nash, employee at Bath & Body Works, said the company is one of the only tenants still in business at Springtown Center.

 

“As of right now, we are one of the only businesses surrounded by this empty space,” Nash said. “However, with the holiday season upcoming, business has only grown here.”

 

Nash said the shop experienced a decline in business after RadioShack left the center, but clientele has begun to grow in numbers. She said the The Spot will help bring in more revenue for the shop.

 

“Even when Spirit of Halloween was open, we definitely saw an increase in business here,” Nash said. “This growth is going to be awesome and will just expand our business even more.”

 

Nash said it is important to utilize the space in San Marcos that can potentially help the city’s economy.

 

“I can’t think of a better place to put a movie theater than at Springtown,” Nash said. “Since the buses run until midnight here, it will be convenient for those who don’t want to drive miles to see a movie.”

 

Jacob Schatz, bartender and concierge at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar Theater in Austin, said there is a significant difference between costumers who come to see the big blockbuster movies and those who are interested in watching independent films.

 

Schatz hopes to see The Spot show more independent film projects.

 

“Because there’s such a huge crowd for blockbuster movies, you don’t get that intimate experience with customers when there’s an independent showing,” Schatz said. “Those films also generally have more of a cult following.”

 

Cody said Springtown Center has fallen upon difficult times due to fractured ownership and failed marketing conditions. In the near future, however, he expects the center to hold a very strong real estate.

 

“Construction has already begun on the exterior of the area,” Cody said. “We hope to have this whole site completed in two years.”

 

This article originally published in the University Star.