New Business: Littleton cinema set to reopen amid statewide closings; Gusto Taphouse opens in Lakes Region

May 3—AT LEAST FOUR movie theaters have gone dark across the Granite State in the past few months, but there's one in the North Country getting ready to return to the spotlight.

Littleton business owners, John and Ashley Alberini, who own Alburrito's Mexican Restaurant & Tequila Bar, will reopen and become the new management for Jax Jr. Cinemas, closed in 2020 as part of COVID-19 shutdowns.

The cinema is still owned by Jack Eames, whose family has operated the spot for more than 100 years.

A movie booker has become the first employee of the revived cinema and is working to get the flicks for when it reopens later this month. The management company has permission to show Paramount, Disney, Universal, MGM, Lionsgate and Warner Bros. The first movie to roll remains to be announced.

Slushes and popcorn will also make a return.

Jax Jr. will likely be open during popular evening hours and weekends. (The restaurant remains the couple's focus.)

"One of main goals is to keep it like the Eames family has been running it for all these years," Ashley Alberini said in a phone interview. "We want to keep it just as nostalgic as when we went there as children."

The news comes as Weirs Beach Drive-In Theatre won't be showing flicks this summer. Chunky's Cinema Pub closed locations in Nashua and Pelham. And Regal Cinema, the only theater in Concord, is no more.

"We are definitely not doing this for the income," Ashley Alberini said. "We were told right off the bat that it is not a money-making thing. We are doing it for our community. We are doing it for our kids, for our family, friends, neighbors. It is sad just seeing it sitting there with its door closed."

The couple has launched a GoFundMe to get the community involved in the reopening. The biggest purchase has been new Dolby IS 3000 processors for the digital projectors.

Jax Jr. Cinemas opened at The Premier in 1920 and is described as "an integral role in the cultural fabric of Littleton."

The response has been positive.

"I know I am going to be seeing these little kids on their first dates," Ashley Alberini said. "People will be coming on their anniversaries or whatever."

Gusto growth

Gusto Italian Cafe in Center Harbor opened another venture, Gusto Taphouse. This is on top of the cafe, market and pizza truck.

The space was previously home to Osteria Poggio.

The taphouse menu dropped on Thursday featuring pizza, signature pastas and plenty of starters and salads. The taps will feature brews from Notch Brewery in Salem, Mass.

Gusto celebrated its fourth anniversary at the end of last year.

New to Tuscan Village

Buff City Soap was set to hold its grand opening at Tuscan Village in Salem this weekend, from Friday to Sunday. The store sells handmade soaps to custom-scented, plant-based laundry soap, according to a news release.

The first 50 people will get free soap for a year.

Tuscan Village is the sprawling mixed-use development in Salem at the former Rockingham Park horse track.

Also coming soon is Sweetgreen, known for its fresh salads, plates and grain bowls, and Playa Bowl, known for its acai and smoothies.

The Friendly Toast aka the "All Day Brunch and Bar" also expects to open in the "hub for all things dining and shopping" in late summer.

Nashua before Salem

Before coming to Salem, The Friendly Toast is set to open its 12th overall and third New Hampshire location in Nashua and is now hiring. The grand opening is set for May 20.

The location, at 225 Denial Webster Highway, is described as a "bustling retail hub of South Nashua, an area we've had our eye on for quite some time."

The plaza is also home to Starbucks and Not Your Average Joe's.

New shine at The Shanty

The Salt Hill Pub — The Shanty has completed a weeklong renovation project at its location on Route 103 in Newbury.

The Shanty is located at the base of Mount Sunapee. The pub also operates locations in Lebanon and on Main Street in Newbury.

The upgrades include a new bar top, barstools, railings and remodeled restrooms. The whole place was cleaned and repainted, according to a post on Facebook.

The Shanty claims to have the "area's best outdoor patio dining."

If you have an interesting business or commercial real estate story idea email reporter Jonathan Phelps at jphelps@unionleader.com.