BRINGING THE BIG SCREEN Back to Little Falls

BY SHEILA HELMBERGER | PHOTOS BY JOEY HALVORSON

Every small town should have a Susy Prosapio.

With a deep love for her community, she invests her time and talents in making Little Falls a better place for everyone.

Her latest project involves reviving the old Falls Theatre that originally opened 90 years ago. Soon it will be possible to enjoy a dinner next door to the theater and enjoy a flick on the big screen after. “The thought we had,” she says, “was to make it a theater with an attached restaurant and bar so you could bring a beer or wine into a show. It’s not an original idea. There are theaters around the country that do that. We thought it might be a fun addition here, too.”

Before she tackled the theater project, she wet her feet on a few other projects around the town of less than 10,000.

Susy and her husband Phil had two young children when they moved to Little Falls 32 years ago. Phil was an orthopedic surgeon and Susy decided to become involved in her new community. She served as the coordinator of family services, as a healthcare consultant and with various nonprofits as well as serving a stint on the school board. Originally from Fargo, she has an undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering from Princeton University and is a graduate of The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

In 2014 she helped found The Purple Carrot, a start-up food market. “When I found that I had to drive 30 miles to get the flour I wanted to make some bread, I threw the idea out to some of my friends who were into natural foods.” Today the co-op has 720 members. When Susy was searching for a building to house the Purple Carrot, she stumbled on the structure that is The Shoppes of Little Falls today.

“It started as a little bit of an experiment,” she says, “to try to provide a home for local artisans. We developed an interesting little community of vendors. When they decided they were getting a little crowded they purchased the building next door and expanded into that one, too. Between the two buildings, there are about 80 vendors in the 13,000 square feet. Visitors can find everything from local authors to jewelry makers, wood turners and quilters. “We originally thought we would keep it for 6 to 9 months and we’re going on seven years,” she laughs. “We like to say we’re the arts and crafts fair that doesn’t go away.”

Susy and her husband helped revive the bakery in town after it closed. Phil couldn’t imagine living in a town without a place to get a doughnut, so they bought the Little Falls Bakery and Deli and ensured it stayed open. They also renovated the building that Tony’s First Avenue and Framing is located in.

“It is all just a way to give back to our community. Our downtown is beautiful, but we had a lot of empty buildings. Some were built in the 1800s and early 1900s. They are old, but in good shape and this is such a nice place to visit.”

While she was serving as the director of Great River Arts, she was looking out of the window one day and her eyes landed on the theater across the street. She thought how fun it would be to revive it. An initial attempt to purchase it was turned down but last August they completed the sale.

Susy owns The Shoppes of Little Falls which has about 80 vendors/local artisans including authors, jewelry makers, wood turners and quilters. She and her husband, Phil, also revived the bakery in town and helped renovate the building that Tony’s First Avenue and Framing is located in. Susy also helped found The Purple Carrot, a start-up food market. “It is all just a way to give back to our community. Our downtown is beautiful, but we had a lot of empty buildings. Some were built in the 1800s and early 1900s. They are old, but in good shape and this is such a nice place to visit,” Susy said.

The project to revive the theater is funded in part by the Initiative Foundation, a regional community foundation. “They have been tremendously helpful in allowing us to do some of the extras that will make The Falls Theatre and Ciao Thyme extra special buildings,” she says. The theater will open first and Ciao Thyme will follow.

There is a lot of learning in the latest project.

“In the 1930s the original theater was built as one huge theater. In the late 80s it was divided into two screens. We will leave those two and add a smaller screening room in the building with the restaurant.

“If I had a hammer and a nail they would probably never meet,” she laughs about her hobby of renovating. ‘Honestly, our local contractors are all so excellent and we’ve developed a wonderful working relationship with them.”

“I’m 63 years old,” she laughs. “I keep saying this project is my last one but I’m planning to be around a while yet. Once we get these businesses up and operating, what we seriously hope is that these businesses find other people to take them on and that they will be open and operating in our community for a long time.

I am so lucky that this community embraced our family the way they did. The residents supported my husband’s medical practice and helped us raise two kids. Getting to do this work in the place we call home is just so much fun,” Susy said.