2023 Wadena Progress magazine

Changes, growth and recognition: The ever-changing businesses of Wadena

PROGRESS 2023

A special Supplement to

The BBQ Smokehouse is on fire

BY FRANK LEE

For Wadena Progress

If you’ve ever wondered what success smells like, head on over to The BBQ Smokehouse in Wadena, where you’ll find owner Tyler Ehrmantraut.

The family-owned business began on Ash Avenue (Highway 10) in 2014 but has grown to include a Motley location because “where there’s smoke there’s fire” – and they are on fire.

“Nine years later – the smoked meats, the brats, the summer sausage, the bacon – all that retail stuff has really taken off,” he said. “In the last two years, we’ve taken out the sit-down part of it or barbecue part and we just do to-go and

that’s been working very, very well.”

The BBQ Smokehouse in Wadena will celebrate its ninth anniversary on Saturday, March 25.

“Back when we started this, we had sit-down (dining), and we focused mainly on the barbecue side of it,” he said. “But we also did smoked meats and made sausages, snack sticks, jerkies and all that good stuff. And then there was the fresh meat counter also.”

The 54-year-old Staples area resident said he used a mobile smoker to cater weddings or offer smoked meats at street fairs and other community events before he took over the Wadena building that formerly housed a Chinese restaurant and opened The BBQ Smokehouse.

Frank Lee / Wadena Progress

The BBQ Smokehouse in Wadena is located at 204 Ash Ave. (Highway 10 West) near Highway 71 and opened for business in 2014.

Frank Lee / Wadena Progress

The BBQ Smokehouse used to offer dine-in seating but no longer. The Wadena location will celebrate its ninth anniversary on Saturday, March 25, 2023.

PROGRESS 2023

“One of the things? Highway 10. Traffic is huge,” Ehrmantraut said for his reason to locate his business near Highway 71. “It was crazy good when we first opened. And it’s been really, really good since. I have no complaints about it whatsoever. It’s growing every year since.”

Ehrmantraut attributes the success of his business to “good customer relations and good products going out the door.”

“I saw a need for fresh meats, smoked meats, in catering or barbecue in this area,” he said of becoming an entrepreneur. “In the summertime, lake traffic is huge … heading west or going to Brainerd or whatever it’s just really … it’s good.”

Barbecue sauce has always been in Ehrmantraut’s blood, it seems, even when he drove for Mason Bros. Wholesale Grocery in Wadena for 17 years before he struck out on his own.

“My part-time job was making sausage at the local grocery store after I get out of the truck, and then barbecue on the weekends for weddings and whatever –just kept growing and growing in that – and so one day I just talked to the wife and I said it’s time to go brick and mortar,” he said.

The BBQ Smokehouse Plus in Motley is a full grocery store compared to the Wadena location.

“When people come in here, they say, ‘Well, I thought you were a restaurant.’ But once they get in here, they

2 Years in Business

2 Years in Business

Frank Lee / Wadena Progress

An employee of The BBQ Smokehouse in Wadena helps out a customer at the deli counter on March 2, 2023, in Wadena.

The

food

complement a meal such as crab wontons, mac and cheese nuggets, hand-breaded cheese curds, creamy mango habanero bites and spicy cauliflower, for example, in the store’s frozen display cases.

usually leave with something,” Ehrmantraut said with a chuckle.

The brats Ehrmantraut said he makes in Wadena remain a bestseller at his Motley location, too. He said he offers more than 50 different varieties of brats for customers to purchase and urges them to follow the business on Facebook.

“There are so many different flavors that it’s fun to hear the comments,” Ehrmantraut said. “There are so many brands out there that we get more comments on, ‘How do I decide?’”

Ehrmantraut recommends The BBQ Smokehouse’s pulled pork, brisket or “Cowboy Beans” for firsttimers to his establishment. Those items are sold in 1-pound packages.

“We go through a ton of Cowboy Beans and we get more compliments on them and it’s unbelievable,” Ehrmantraut said. “‘Cowboy Beans are a brown bean that I doctor up and put my own magic to it, I guess you could say so.”

Ehrmantraut runs the Wadena location of The BBQ Smokehouse and his wife Kari runs the Motley location.

“My goal was to get more product out there of our smoked meats, our barbecue pork, our pulled pork and all that good stuff,” he said of the Motley location, which is going on three years. “And it was just another way, another avenue of putting our product out there.”

Ehrmantraut also said he makes his own barbecue sauce and it is one of the staples he carries at his stores.

“It’s a little sweet and heat and not a lot of heat but just enough in there to make it unique. It’s not tangy like vinegar or anything like that,” he said.

Ehrmantraut said he makes his own rub, too, which he described as a “nice mild rub” that he uses on his brisket and ribs that he sells or eats.

“Nothing wrong with a good salad, but I love brisket and I love pulled pork and that kind of stuff. And, yes, I’ll eat it when I go to other places, too, so I never get tired of it,” he said.

Frank Lee / Wadena Progress Owner Tyler Ehrmantraut holds awards from the Minnesota Association of Meat Processors naming The BBQ Smokehouse a champion in 2022 for specialty bacon and uncooked fresh pork sausage items.

Frank Lee / Wadena Progress

The deli section at the family-owned business sells a variety of meat sticks for snacking, summer sausages, rope sausages, bacon and more pre-packaged for ease and convenience.

Frank Lee / Wadena Progress

BBQ Smokehouse also offers other

items to

Frank Lee / Wadena Progress

The BBQ Smokehouse also sells other barbecuerelated items such as homemade “Cowboy Beans,” potato salad, brisket and pulled pork that are packaged to go.

Frank Lee / Wadena Progress Tyler Ehrmantraut checks on the more than 50 varieties of brats he makes. He runs The BBQ Smokehouse location in Wadena while his wife Kari runs the Motley location of the business.

‘Married to a bridal shop’ — Wadena wedding gallery finds success with sole operator

The

and Forever

BY ELIZABETH VIERKANT For Wadena Progress

Sometimes, we don’t know why a major life decision just feels right, but when it does, things seem to work out. At least, they worked out well for Now and Forever Wedding Gallery’s sole owner and operator, Amanda Schmidt. Being the only bridal shop within about 45 minutes surrounding the Wadena area, she knew she was in for quite a large responsibility when she purchased the business in January 2017, over six years ago now.

“It just kind of happened,” Schmidt remembered, reflecting on this major life

change. “I was actually selling insurance prior to that. And the opportunity came about, and I took it … It just happened so fast. (Switching careers was) like night and day. I am married to a bridal shop.”

Though she’s now known fondly throughout the Wadena community as “the bridal shop lady,” her history with the area began long before this business decision. As a kid, she actually grew up in the community, a 2006 graduate from Wadena High School. Though she attended college for business marketing in Moorhead, she decided to return and build a life in Wadena post-graduation.

“My family’s here,” she shared. “I had three younger brothers at the time, still

Elizabeth Vierkant / Wadena Progress

Amanda Schmidt, the “bridal shop lady,” has been the sole owner and operator of Now and Forever Wedding Gallery since she bought it a bit over six years ago.

Now

Wedding Gallery, a Wadena staple, brings in customers from all over

at home. So I just want to be a part of their lives. And this is my home. My husband is also from here.”

Following her college graduation, she married her husband in 2012. The wedding party actually purchased all their bridesmaid dresses and tuxedos through Now and Forever, several years before buying the business was even on Schmidt’s radar. Everything has come full circle now that she’s the person making sure her clients have an outfit that makes them feel special for a special day — whether that’s for prom, a party or even a wedding.

The one and only person working at Now and Forever, Schmidt has a lot of responsibilities to make sure the shop keeps its special touch. Though working in a bridal or high-end dress shop may seem like a glamorous job, it also takes a lot of less glamorous work, such as sweeping floors, steaming dresses, planning window displays, book work and more. Not only is she the face of her shop, she’s also the brain and muscles behind its luxurious and welcoming appearance.

When you walk through the doors of Now And Forever Wedding Gallery, beautifully made dresses and tuxedos sit on display throughout the chic-but-rustic designed space. On the walls and shelves are photos and portraits of her previous clients at their weddings, smiling and happy on their special day. Through a large open doorway is the brightly-lit fitting room complete with

Elizabeth Vierkant / Wadena Progress Lacy, shiny and sequined wedding dresses from a variety of designers line the racks of Now and Forever Wedding Gallery.

PROGRESS 2023

tall mirrors and a cozy couch. In that room is the Bride

To Be Wall, a stylish dark wood feature wall with names of previous wedding clients and their ceremony’s date written in white marker.

All these personal touches in her decor are representative of how Schmidt operates her store. She acts as the gallery’s sole employee for one major reason: she wants clients’ experiences to be special.

“Every bride is different,” Schmidt explained. “I feel something for them, and we can get on the same level and do it together … I’m actually going to listen to what you want and need and what you’re thinking or what style your wedding is, so we can go off that.”

When a bride — or anyone in search of a gown — comes into Now and Forever, Schmidt will be there to work with them. First, she will chat with her client about their budget and discuss what they absolutely do not want in a dress. For example, a lot of women don’t want a strapless dress, and Schmidt wants to make sure they’re comfortable.

Then, Schmidt explains the customization possibilities to her client. What a dress looks like during the first tryon can be changed, and a lot of things can be added or taken away to get to the perfect dress. She also discusses color with her client to see if they’re more interested in a white, ivory, blush or even a black dress.

“Not everyone gets a veil, but I feel a veil is like the end piece to the puzzle,” she shared. “That makes you a bride. I couldn’t even tell you how many tears I’ve cried over people I don’t even know because if they are feeling

it, I’m feeling it. It’s just kind of heartwarming. There’s not even words for it. I’m thankful and grateful, and then I’m happy that they’re happy.”

Through this emotional connection, Schmidt really gets to know her customers well. While a lot of girls have their mothers or someone special to come in with them to do some dress shopping, not everyone has that. Schmidt expressed that she wants to be the person to make the experience unique for anyone who needs it. She’s become familiar to many families throughout the Wadena community, even getting to watch some of them grow up throughout her six years in the bridal business.

“I’ve been here long enough to where a lot of my prom

Elizabeth Vierkant / Wadena Progress Amanda Schmidt sits on her shop’s stylish blue couch in front of her iconic Bride To Be feature wall in the fitting room.

Every bride is different. I feel something for them, and we can get on the same level and do it together … I’m actually going to listen to what you want and need and what you’re thinking or what style your wedding is, so we can go off that.

- Amanda Schmidt, Now and Forever Wedding Gallery owner

PROGRESS 2023

girls from my first year are now becoming brides,” Schmidt reflected. “I love being able to experience all that with them and their family. I love when they come back and share with me how their families have grown and what they’re up to. I like going and seeing their kids out in public, and they’re like, ‘Hey that’s the bridal shop lady!’ Every day is different, and I like being the one to work with my clients.”

Not only does Schmidt stay busy to keep her clients feeling happy and special, her hard work also helps to bring commerce into the community. She mentioned that, as the only bridal shop 45 minutes around the Wadena area, she not only draws in plenty of local clients who are close by but also plenty of people

from all over. She’s had clients come in from Bemidji, Moorhead and even Fargo. Some families have multiple sisters who come from all over to get a dress at the shop, all so they can put their names near one another on the Bride To Be Wall.

“That way, we can keep our dollars local,” Schmidt said. “So people don’t have to travel as far. We can do most of the same stuff as those big places can do, probably at a fraction of the cost and with a more personable experience. And we give back a lot to the community … So it’s super important that not only do we support the community but the community supports us in order for us to continue to support them. Just stretch that dollar a little further.”

If you’re interested in stopping by the shop, no need to call ahead. Just stop by Now and Forever Wedding Gallery at 124 Jefferson St. S. in Wadena whenever they’re open. However, if you are a bride searching for a dress during prom season, Schmidt asks that you make a bridal appointment in order to schedule a private and comfortable time to try on dresses outside of the busy prom-shopping days.

Now and Forever can be reached at 218-632-2222 or nfweddinggallery@gmail.com. For more information, visit their website at nowandforevermn.com.

“The personal touch is what I was going for,” Schmidt said. “I wanted for you to have a feeling that I felt that I care. I’m here to help you — whatever you need.”

Elizabeth Vierkant / Wadena Progress

Amanda Schmidt shows off her favorite dress in the shop, a lacy sleeveless gown with a plunging neckline.

Amanda Schmidt decorates the front of Now and Forever Wedding Gallery with different photos of her previous clients on their special day, showing off the shop’s personal touch.

260 Years Total!!

Feb 2020 was the last time that all MBC staff gathered in person for the Annual Safety and Employee Recognition event. At that event, we celebrated Steve Bertram’s 50 years working with the Harrison Family and Harry Harrison’s 70+ year story with the company and also kicked off MBC’s 100th-anniversary celebration.

Then covid happened, followed by a couple of years of masks, sanitizer, swabs in the nose, and of course, the great disconnect from gathering with friends, family, and co-workers.

On 4 Feb 2023, we welcomed everyone back to an in-person event with a different twistappetizers, drinks, and, most importantly, camaraderie & reconnecting with our coworkers.

We also celebrated 22 people, hitting an award benchmark in 2022. Thank You to this group as they combined for 260 years of service at MBC: a special Thank You to Randy Riedel’s 45 years of service.

The gift of hearing

BY MICHAEL ACHTERLING

For Wadena Progress

Maybe it was the firing of a hunting rifle.

Or, it could’ve happened while working alongside noisy farm equipment year after year.

Or, maybe it was the constant, noisy bustling of a manufacturing floor.

Regardless of the reason, many lakes area residents have experienced some type of hearing loss during their lives and the specialists at Jefferson Hearing Aid Center of Wadena have been available to help lakes area residents regain the gift of sound.

37 Years in Business

Brian Hillesland, a hearing instrument specialist, started Jefferson Hearing Aid Center in 2001 but has been operating as a board-certified specialist since 1986.

Hillesland said he got into hearing services nearly 40 years ago because his dad was hearing impaired.

“He had really bad hearing,” said Hillesland. “So, he got some hearing aids … and the guy told my dad, ‘you know, our company is looking for some people,’ and I called him one day.”

The job has ups and downs like any other career field, but, he said, the reward of watching someone experience sound again, or for the first time, is worth its weight in gold.

Michael Achterling / Wadena Progress

Brian Hillesland, hearing instrument specialist at Jefferson Hearing Aid Center, holds a hearing aid that is not much bigger than his fingertip.

It’s the perfect mentor relationship, so he teaches me more about life than hearing aids, but that’s how I think it should be.

- Josh Heldt, New owner of Jefferson Hearing Aid Center

Hillesland said he and his wife took a mission trip to Nicaragua about six years ago with a group of hearing professionals and that they must have given away about 1,000 pairs of hearing aids to children and young adults over the course of three days.

“You might get an 8-year-old kid who has never heard his mother before,” he said. “That was pretty rewarding.”

When asked about the relaxing of federal regulations that allow hearing aids to now be sold over the counter, Hillesland said he sees those customers missing out on a large part of overall hearing health.

64 Years in Business

Michael Achterling / Wadena Progress

Josh Heldt, right, hearing instrument specialist for Jefferson Hearing Aid Center, smiles next to his son, Christian, at Jefferson Hearing Aid Center’s Detroit Lakes location in the Washington Square Mall.

PROGRESS 2023

“They are not doing any testing, or follow-up service, or fitting, it’s just, here’s your box and good luck,” he said. “For most people, they need some help. They need someone who knows what they are doing.”

Hearing aid technology has definitely changed over 40 years, Hillesland said. Adding, Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids have the ability to route phone calls and messages directly from the user’s phone to their ears automatically.

“They work like high-quality earbuds,” he said. “Now, if I go out and blow snow, I can listen to podcasts, or whatever I want on my phone, and put on some earmuffs over them. Just like that.”

They also have the ability to enhance speech in the presence of background noise.

However, after 37 years in hearing services, Hillesland said he is looking to transition into retirement.

He also stressed that Jefferson Hearing Aid Center will not be closing any of its locations in the lakes area and he has committed to continue his practice under the new owner through 2023, and possibly beyond, as he slowly steps back from the business.

That led Hillesland to Josh Heldt, a hearing instrument specialist from Brainerd, who took over ownership of Jefferson Hearing Aid Center in January.

Heldt said he met Brian about five years ago, but prior to that he worked in the grocery industry for 30 years and was a member of the Minnesota National Guard.

“I went back to school and was doing that online and at home, and then the wife said I had to get out of

I can’t count how many times I’ve had people cry in the office. Most of the time it’s people who want to hear their grandkids, or their kids.

the house for a day a week,” said Heldt. “So, I started answering phones at this hearing aid place in Brainerd, so that’s where me and Brian connected.” Heldt said Hillesland told him to answer the phones, keep up with his school work and they’d go from there. They’ve worked together for the last five years.

“We ended up being best friends,” said Heldt. “It’s the perfect mentor relationship, so he teaches me more about life than hearing aids, but that’s how I think it should be.”

Heldt added his family is also involved with the new business with his son, Christian, currently in training and his daughter, AnnaMae, managing the Brainerd office.

- Josh Heldt, new owner of Jefferson Hearing Aid Center

Michael Achterling / Wadena Progress Brian Hillesland, hearing instrument specialist at Jefferson Hearing Aid Center, smiles next the company’s hallway sign in Detroit Lakes’ Washington Square Mall.

“(Hillesland) and his wife still work at Wadena,” said Heldt. “His wife will work for probably six or seven more years and Brian will always be a part of it, at least for the next year.”

Heldt said Brian may drop down to four days per week next year, and maybe three days the following year, but they both want to make the transition as seamless as possible.

“It’s more of a family business, even though we aren’t family,” he said. “It’s just working out perfect.”

One of the things Heldt loves about his career and business is that he sees transformations every day with every client who clicks on their hearing aids for the first time.

“I can’t count how many times I’ve had people cry in the office,” said Heldt. “Most of the time it’s people want to hear their grandkids, or their kids.”

He also said he’s noticed the average age of hearing aid recipients drop because he believes the negative stigma surrounding hearing aids is dissipating.

“People want hearing aids more now because they are more normal,” said Heldt.

Currently, Jefferson Hearing Aid Center has offices in Bemidji, Park Rapids, Detroit Lakes, Wadena and Brainerd, but, Heldt said he plans on expanding his offerings through partnerships with nursing homes and local veterans service organizations.

“We want to be a care provider for veterans,” he said. “We’re just looking at different areas to grow.”

If you want to best protect yourself against damaging hearing loss, Heldt said, it’s as simple as wearing ear

protection whenever exposed to loud noises. However, he added, as people get older hearing loss becomes more apparent. The average age of a Jefferson Hearing Aid Center client is about 70 years old.

Heldt also showed a hearing test that was administered to an 86-year-old woman to show how she hears frequencies differently; something hearing aids can be tailored to balance out.

The audio chart showed her hearing loss in the low-tomid-range was about 30 decibels below normal, but, as the tonal frequency went higher, the woman experienced a “profound” hearing loss of about 90 decibels in certain frequency ranges.

“People are getting smarter about not waiting until they need hearing aids,” said Heldt. “You want to get (hearing aids) sooner and we have a lot of people coming in and saying, ‘I wish I would’ve done this 20 years ago.’” Hillesland said he continues to see hearing services as a growing industry in coming years because of the aging baby-boom generation.

“The people in marketing departments have been telling us for 25 years that the baby boomers are coming,” said Hillesland. “The thing about the baby boomers, first, there’s a lot more of them and, generally, have more money than their parents did, and are generally more health conscious than our parents were … so it’s a pretty good place to be.”

Michael Achterling / Wadena Progress Brian Hillesland, hearing instrument specialist at Jefferson Hearing Aid Center, shows off his current hearing aids.

Providing a ‘Cozy’ movie experience since 1923

Quincer family has owned and operated Wadena theater for 100 years

BY VICKI GERDES

For Wadena Progress

From silent films to “talkies,” mono to stereo to surround sound, black and white to Technicolor to Cinemascope, reel-to-reel film to digital imaging systems, stadium seating to recliners … Wadena’s Cozy Theatre has been a microcosm of the changes in the motion picture industry since its doors first opened in 1914.

111 Years in Business

And for most of the films that have been screened at the Cozy in the decades since then, the people who have been working behind the screens — whether it was in the projection booth or at the concession stand or in the ticket-taking booth (no longer in use, though it still stands at one of the front entrances), or more recently, downloading each week’s new movie releases onto a computerized projection system — have been members of the same family.

Wadena Pioneer Journal file photo

The Whiskey Creek Film Festival draws people to the Cozy Theatre in Wadena from across the state.

“This is a family business,” says Dave Quincer, the fourth generation of the Quincer family to own the Cozy since his great-grandfather, John C. Quincer, bought it in January of 1923. “I think all of us (including siblings, cousins, and children) have worked here at one time or another.”

When John Quincer officially took over the running of the Cozy Theatre on Feb. 5, 1923, his partner in the operation was his son, Clarence (Dave’s grandfather).

A Jan. 18, 1923 article in the Pioneer Journal said the Quincers “come to this city highly recommended and will be a welcome addition to social and business circles.”

Shortly after revamping the air-cooling and ventilation system in 1929, John Quincer brought “talkie movies” to Wadena, installing an RCA photophone system. The first talking movie at The Cozy, “The Canary Murder Trial,” debuted on Aug. 15 of that year.

The father-son partnership continued until 1940, when Clarence and his wife Della purchased the theater from his father. “Two years prior to that, the theater was extensively remodeled,” Dave said. “They raised the roof and put in a balcony.”

Art deco fixtures, with neon lighting, were also installed “inside and out,” he added, and curtains were installed in front of the screen. While all these renovations were taking place, films continued to be shown — at Wadena’s Memorial Auditorium.

In 1954, both John and Clarence Quincer unexpectedly passed away within months of each other, leaving Dave’s father Rich and uncle Don to take over the theater.

“My dad was 19, and my uncle was 23,” Quincer said. “They had their hands full. My grandmother was strongwilled and stepped right in (to help). My dad was still in school at the time, at the Minnesota School of Business in Minneapolis.”

One year later, the brothers opened a drive-in theater in Wadena, and in 1964, they purchased Perham’s drivein theater as well. (Both drive-ins have since closed.)

A fourth generation takes over

Though both Rich and Don Quincer’s families were involved in the Cozy’s operations over the years, it was only Dave who really had an interest in making it a career. In 1992, after Rich bought out his brother’s interest in the Cozy, he was struck by a terminal illness, and son Dave came home to help his father run the

theater. On Jan. 1, 1994, Dave officially took over ownership of the Cozy.

In 1996, a second screen was added, and in 2007, a third. In 2010, as the theater industry transitioned from film reels to digital projects, the Cozy did the same, which was an extensive project. With that transition came the possibility of presenting movies in 3D.

Though all of Dave’s three children were involved in the theater’s operations at some point, son Matthew is the only one to follow in his footsteps. Currently, Dave and Matthew Quincer own and operate not just

the Cozy, but also Perham’s Comet Theatre, which they purchased from the Wilson family in the summer of 2019.

“If I’d known what was going to happen, I probably wouldn’t have done it,” Quincer said of the Comet purchase, which happened less than a year before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, forcing all theaters across the country to go dark for a time.

Still, he added, the Perham theater required little in the way of renovations, as its previous owners had kept the building in good shape.

“We added a new butter machine and popcorn machine,” he said, “but other than that, it (the transfer of ownership) was basically a turn-key operation.” Quincer was honored to be asked to take over the Comet. “We knew they had been here for 40-something years, running the theater well, and they would trust us to take over for them,” he said at the time.

Drive-in was a saving grace

In addition to the two indoor movie theaters, the Quincers own and operate the Starlite Drive-In Movie Theatre in Litchfield, Minnesota which turned out to be a saving grace for them during the pandemic. When he first purchased the StarLite back in 2015, “my colleagues thought I was crazy,” Quincer said, but he was happy to be back in the drive-in business. By October of 2020, those same colleagues were wishing they had made the same investment. The handful of drive-in theaters still in existence in Minnesota were thriving under COVID-19 social distancing restrictions. Dave’s prior experience with operating the Wadena and Perham drive-ins has proved invaluable in making that investment a profitable one as well.

As a point of comparison, the fall 2020 movie release, “Tenet,” did better in four days at the StarLite than during four weeks of showings at the Cozy, despite the inherent dependency on weather conditions.

Staying afloat in an industrywide slump

All indoor theaters experienced a similar economic downturn at the ticket booth in both 2020 and 2021 — the financial repercussions of which are still being felt throughout the industry, Quincer said.

Though much of the slow-down could be attributed not being able to open their doors for several months,

Wadena Pioneer Journal file photo

A painter with Thunderbolt Signs and Lights of Bemidji spruces up the Cozy Theater marquee in 2009.

We always try to give an experience which you can’t get at home, which is harder and harder to do because the studios seem to want to get their product into people’s homes sooner and sooner.

- Dave

Quincer,

Fourth generation owner of Cozy Theatre

PROGRESS 2023

and being limited in capacity for several more, another factor was the lack of so-called “blockbuster” releases to theaters, Quincer said: Some major studios chose to go the route of simultaneously releasing their movies to both streaming platforms and theaters — thus decreasing their box office intake — while some even made those movies into streaming-only exclusives. Still, others delayed their major releases — “Top Gun: Maverick” being one prime example — until the theaters were fully reopened, without attendance restrictions.

It’s a real catch-22, he noted, as major studios don’t get the funding to produce films if investors don’t think sales for a particular movie will give them a return on the investment. But without new films, movie lovers have little reason to come out to the theater.

Though the Cozy obviously hasn’t been immune to such financial difficulties, Quincer said, he and his son have been fortunate enough to enjoy strong local

support — a support that has continued throughout his family’s century-long tenure.

Sometimes, that support has been quite tangible: In 2013, the Cozy was chosen as the top theater in Minnesota, in an online poll conducted by the Twin Cities’ WCCO-TV.

Keeping up with the times

The community’s support has also enabled them to keep up with technological improvements and other changes in the industry, by making investments such as the addition of two more screens, improvements in seating, sound systems, acoustics and screen projection. Reel-to-reel film has been entirely superseded by digital movies, and the theater’s three projector systems are now entirely computerized, with each week’s new film selections being downloaded from a satellite and secured by an encryption key.

Vicki Gerdes / Wadena Progress

Dave Quincer behind the counter of the main concession stand at Wadena’s Cozy Theatre, which the Quincer family has owned and operated since 1923.

Wadena Pioneer Journal file photo

The Cozy Theatre, circa 1924.

Most recently, in November of 2022, Screen 3 was transformed to provide a truly “cozy” movie-watching experience, with reclining, “zero gravity” theater seats as well as updated wall and floor coverings, speakers, screen and lighting.

Each of those top-of-the-line Irwin theater seats, which were manufactured at a facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan, cost around $550, he added.

“To put this kind of investment in a business is a pretty big deal right now,” Quincer told the Wadena

Pioneer Journal back in November, adding that while such luxurious comforts are what modern moviegoers want, it also shrank the capacity of Screen 3 considerably, from 162 seats to 60. Therefore, it was an investment that the Quincers didn’t undertake lightly. The decision to shrink the auditorium’s capacity so drastically with these new, larger seats wouldn’t have been considered even a few short years ago — but making such investments will hopefully ensure people keep coming out to support their local theater, even if it’s in lower numbers than it once was.

“We always try to give an experience which you can’t get at home, which is harder and harder to do because the studios seem to want to get their product into people’s homes sooner and sooner,” Quincer said.

Living history

Despite all the innovations, the theater’s centurylong history remains visible within its walls, Quincer said — he still has some old film prints, and a classic reel-to-reel projection system that he may decide to break out for a more old-fashioned theatrical experience sometime soon. While the pandemic was wreaking havoc with movie release schedules, the Quincers managed to keep their doors open and crowds flocking in by hosting screenings of classics like “Hocus Pocus.”

The neon-lit, classic art deco theater marquee and inside lighting fixtures remain, and the theater’s basement still has the old smoking area and adjacent bathrooms where movie-goers used to flock when indoor smoking was still allowed.

In its storage area, the basement also houses a treasure trove of classic movie posters, old theater bills, and even a handful of life-sized advertising placards from the Cozy’s brief foray into the home video business back in the 1980s and ‘90s. (The area on the main floor where the video business was once housed is now the main concession area.)

Getting involved in the industry

Quincer is also invested in small-town cinema ownership on a larger scale: Currently, he is the president of the North Central chapter of the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO), which covers not just Minnesota, but also North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa.

He advocates for theater owners across the region on issues like having studios pay for part of the cost of converting theater equipment from film to digital projection (a hot-button topic several years ago), as well as the current conflict between streaming services and theaters with regard to major movie studio releases.

He is also a familiar face at CinemaCon, the largest and most important annual gathering of movie theater owners from around the world. In April of last year, Quincer helped present the CinemaCon screening of “Jurassic World: Dominion,” and had the chance to meet stars Bryce Dallas Howard and Jeff Goldblum.

A film festival all its own

Quincer and his friend Jamie Robertson, the former director of the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center, began the Whiskey Creek Film Festival in 2005.

“We wanted to bring films to town that normally wouldn’t play because most are independently produced,” Quincer said.

Since then, the festival has brought a half-dozen unique and independently made films to the Cozy each fall — with the exception of 2020-21, when pandemic restrictions caused the event to be canceled. The event had a triumphant return in 2022, however, screening six films including “Vengeance,” A Love Song,” “The Phantom of the Open,” “Mr. Malcolm’s List,” “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On,” and “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris.”

The films were chosen by the film festival board, which includes Quincer, Robertson, Alice Martin, Rod Nordberg, Mary Dye Moen and Elizabeth Hawkins.

Getting access to films can be a challenge, as not all are available. Through contacts made, the board has been able to secure films that were notable box office hits at venues that play independent films.

“We (the film festival committee) pick movies that will appeal to our customer base,” Quincer said. “We start with a lot of ideas and titles and narrow it down from there.”

He said the film festival’s name came from the river that runs through the east side of Wadena. “I wish I could tell people a neat story about whiskey being poured into the river during prohibition, but I don’t know how the river got its name,” he said.

Contributed / Dave Quincer Dave and Matthew Quincer renovated Screen 3 at the Cozy Theatre with all-new, reclining seats in November of 2022.