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The Vine Cinema & Alehouse is celebrating its 70-year anniversary. (Photo by Jude Strzemp) 
An advertisement for the grand opening of the Vine in 1956. (Image courtesy of Kenny Way) 
Owner Kenny Way began working at the theater in 1989. (Photo by Jude Strzemp) 
Owner Kenny Way unwinds film at a display table dedicated to Vine Cinema’s 70th anniversary. (Photo by Jude Strzemp)
The Vine Cinema & Alehouse is considered a community staple by many, but that doesn’t mean the road has been easy.
It overcame a near closure in the ’90s. It waded through over a year of pandemic-induced closures. It confronted the streaming industry boom.
All the while, the Vine has maintained its post at 1722 First St.
Watching the theater’s evolution for nearly half its lifetime is current owner and Livermore-native Kenny Way.
“I’m grateful for the community supporting us enough to still be around in this tough climate,” Way said.
Through an inconspicuous door and up a private staircase, one can find the Vine’s projection booth.
Within the loft, digital machines played movies for each of the two theaters below.
Sidelined nearby were archaic projectors, no longer rolling movie reels with the iconic “clicky clack” sound Way said accompanied the 35mm film projectors.
Similar to most other theaters, the Vine runs digital — a $275,000 investment in the early 2010s to replace the use of film.
“It’s a better product now, but I miss 35mm greatly,” Way said.
Downstairs, a display is set up with relics of the Vine in celebration of its 70th birthday. The cinema is offering specials throughout the year for the milestone.
Way gestured toward match-like sticks on the table. Projectionists used to perform change-overs of carbon arcs mid-film with the goal of providing a continuous supply of light to project the film, he explained.
Despite delighting in leading the Pleasanton Weekly on a journey through Vine Cinema history, Way admitted he was not initially interested in working at the 1956-born theater during his teenage years.
But with a little convincing, he began working as an attendant at the cinema in 1989. By this time, the theater had been halved into two separate rooms for screenings.
“I didn’t even want the job, but my best friend talked me into it,” Way explained.
As a Granada High School sophomore, he found the job to be fun and began rising through the ranks. After graduation, he remained at the theater and earned a degree in business from San Jose State University.
Around 2000, the block housing the Vine went up for sale.
“We were just a dump at the time,” Way said of the theater under its previous ownership. “We were playing second-round movies. There was no money put into this place and it was really bad.”
But under new ownership, including co-owner Way, the theater underwent renovations including the refresh of its marquee.
The theater entered new waters when Livermore 13 Cinema opened in 2006, about half a mile down First Street.
Way and his business partners thought the Vine was fated to close.
“It’s the age-old story,” Way said. “The big 10-,15-, 20-screen theater comes into a city and the one- or two-screen theater closes down and becomes a church or closes down and gets rubbled.”
“We tried to compete with them on a normal basis and we couldn’t, so we took a major pivot,” Way said.
Around 2008, the Vine found success in selling meals, beer and wine, even adding “Alehouse” to its name in 2009.
Way said the shift was a “big deal”, because theaters were not typically serving alcohol.
In addition to the consumables, the Vine introduced table seating and began showing classic and independent films as well as hosting sporting events.
The Vine has maintained its lane with select screenings of box office hits.
“We’re the community theater. We do premieres. We do the local events,” Way said.
Among the movie-side events in late April was an employee celebration by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
“It was different than the normal luncheon that I’m used to, so I thought it was a fun idea,” attendee Sarah Kennedy said.
“I love that it feels like a community staple,” Kennedy said of the theater she has frequented outside of work. “It’s a little bit more personal than the bigger theaters.”
Flashback to pre-pandemic and Way said revenue was beginning to drop. Everything changed once COVID hit — prompting the theater to close for 14 months, he said.
The Vine hung on through efforts like the sale of pick-up snacks and beverages.
“Some days we would pop our popcorn all day long,” Way recalled.
By around 2021, Way became the sole owner of the theater after acquiring the Vine in portions.
“I like the business of it … my customers, my regulars,” Way said. “It’s great because it’s always different. We open up a new movie and we might get a whole new clientele here for that movie or have your regulars come in, or both if you’re lucky.”
Among those who have enjoyed visits to the theater is Sharissa Easter, 43, a former Livermore resident who recalls attending the Vine during her teen years.
“It is a staple of downtown Livermore,” Easter said in an email interview, likening the theater to the longstanding Donut Wheel. “I hope the Vine is never remodeled or changed!”
Although the pandemic is in the rear-view, Way said he is just beginning to see an equilibrium between theaters and the streaming industry, which underwent a pandemic-induced boom.
Many people became accustomed to watching movies at home during the pandemic, he said. During the first couple of years after COVID, theaters held some films exclusively for just two to three weeks prior to the film’s release on streaming services, he explained.
“The impact of streaming is absolutely huge and it’s starting to wane just now, five years after we’ve been reopened,” Way said. “We’re starting to coexist.”
Audiences are starting to recognize the films they want to see in the theater, he added, noting that they are often big-budget, action or adventure.
Rom-coms and smaller budget films are often going straight to streaming. “Those kinds of movies are some of the stuff that we used to play and do well with,” Way said.
But ultimately, the theatrical value of a movie is in the eye of the beholder, he added.
“Nothing new, but pictures and sound has always been the advantage we had over the home,” Way said.
