Echo Theatre (Closed)
Laurens, SC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Here's an old movie house with a second act nobody could have predicted. The Echo Theatre opened in Laurens, SC in 1940, and even after the movies stopped, the old theater front and marquee were still easy to spot just off the courthouse square. By the time this shot was taken, though, there was something very different going on inside. 03-08

The former theater had become the self-proclaimed "World Famous Redneck Shop." Opened in 1996 by a former Ku Klux Klan leader, this wasn't your usual roadside souvenir shop. It sold white supremacist merchandise and became a meeting place for hate groups. Quite a change from the days when people lined up here for a Saturday night movie.

Echo Theatre Front Facade Close-up
Laurens, SC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

There was another twist to the story. Ownership of the building eventually passed to Rev. David Kennedy and his predominantly Black congregation, while the shop continued operating under a lease. After years of legal disputes, the Redneck Shop finally closed in 2012.

Plans later called for turning the Echo into a museum and education center examining the building's difficult past. The story surrounding the theater, the shop and Rev. Kennedy also inspired the 2018 movie Burden, starring Forest Whitaker and Garrett Hedlund.

UPDATE: The Echo Project's redevelopment stalled, and the City of Laurens condemned the building in October 2025 after serious structural problems were discovered. The old theater facade and marquee structure still stand, but for now the Echo is closed once again. 08-26

Liberty Theatre
North Wilkesboro, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Here's one of those downtown movie theaters that looks like it has been showing pictures forever. The Liberty Theatre in North Wilkesboro, NC opened in 1947, and that great triangular marquee still reaches out over the sidewalk along B Street. When this shot was taken, the building was showing its age a bit, but the movies were still rolling inside. 05-08

The Liberty started out as a big single-screen house with around 700 seats, back when going downtown to catch a movie was part of the Saturday night routine. It was later divided into two screens, but much of the old theater character remained.

Liberty Theatre
North Wilkesboro, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

While plenty of neighborhood movie houses disappeared when the multiplexes came along, the Liberty somehow kept going. The projectors eventually made the jump from 35mm film to digital, and first-run movies continued appearing on the marquee.

The old place has been spruced up since this photo was taken. In 2021, the weathered facade was repaired and repainted, giving the Liberty a fresh coat without losing the vintage theater look that makes it worth slowing down for.

UPDATE: The Liberty Theatre remains open and continues showing first-run movies in downtown North Wilkesboro. The old marquee survives too, still hanging over B Street and announcing what's playing inside. 08-26

Booker T. Theatre
Rocky Mount, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Those big BOOKER T letters still stand above the entrance, but when this shot was taken the old theater was looking pretty tired. The Booker T. Theatre in Rocky Mount, NC had a faded facade, weathered marquee and the unmistakable look of a movie house that hadn't seen a Saturday night crowd in quite some time. 05-08

The theater opened in 1929 as the Savoy and later became the Booker T., serving Rocky Mount's Black community during the segregation era. It was part of the Douglas Block, once a busy downtown district of Black-owned stores, restaurants, offices and other businesses. Back then, this stretch of town had plenty more activity than the quiet scene seen here.

Booker T. Theatre Close-up
Rocky Mount, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

By 2008, much of the Douglas Block had fallen on hard times. The Booker T. was still standing, though just barely looking the part of a theater. There was some good news on the horizon. The City of Rocky Mount had purchased much of the surrounding property and announced plans to redevelop the block. According to the Rocky Mount Telegram at the time, "The Booker T. Theater and Burnette building will be saved."

And they were. After years of sitting faded and forlorn, the Booker T. was restored along with the surrounding Douglas Block and reopened in 2011. The familiar letters above the entrance survived the transformation too.

UPDATE: The Booker T. Theatre remains open as a city-operated event space, hosting performances, movie showings, meetings and other community events. Quite a change from the tired old movie house photographed here in 2008. 08-26