THE END | Louisville says goodbye to beloved Village 8 movie theater

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- No one does a goodbye quite like the makers of a movie. And a place that's shown Louisville so many is preparing for a goodbye of its own.

Village 8 Theaters in St. Matthews opened in the 1970s.

"My boys are in their 40s now, and we came here when they were youngsters," movie-goer Mary Cleary said.

The theater has shown thousands of movies in the decades since. Red Ramsey was there for a lot of them. First as a watcher, then as an employee.

"I've been working here since August 2000, so 22 years," Ramsey said.

He's done every job in the building, eventually picking up the nickname "Popcorn man" for his lively way of selling the theater's signature snack.

"I'm the popcorn man, the popcorn man, the popcorn man," he says to customers. "I can popcorn as fast as you can. I can popcorn as fast as you can."

The Village became his home.

"I became friends with some customers, just because of working here," Ramsey said.

It's easy to understand why he's feeling a certain way about the theater entering its final act.

"Probably a month ago, my manager comes into the box office saying 'Sorry Red, our last day is July 5,'" Ramsey said. "I was just so sad."

Just like the minutes leading up to showtime, there were previews of what was to come.

"They originally told us five years ago," Ramsey said. "They was like 'All right we are going to be closing.' But there were still some things up in the air, that they may relocate."

Norton Healthcare owns the property and had eventual plans. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, closing doors for months and hurting theaters everywhere. Even those with new technology and reclining chairs.

Every movie-goer loves a comeback story, and Village 8 tried.

"On Tuesdays, it's only $2," Cleary said.

"You can't beat that anywhere," Ruby Backert added.

It just wasn't enough.

"I'm going to try not to shed a tear, especially in front of my co-workers," Backert said. "But it may come out."

Winnie the Pooh taught us you're lucky to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard. For Red, the Village 8 was it.

"I don't want to see it end," Ramsey said.

It's a theater loved right until "the end."

Many of Village 8's employees will transition to working at Baxter Avenue Theaters.