Rex remodel just the start for Chouinard

BONNERS FERRY— Anticipation is high for an early summer opening of the newly renovated Rex Theater on Main Street in downtown Bonners Ferry.

With a background in the film industry, owner and hometown girl

Abra Chouinard not only has several college degrees, she has an astute business sense and cares deeply for the community.

Chouinard isn’t just talking about promoting Bonners Ferry, she is actively putting the town and county on the map.

To start, the Rex Theater will offer a cry room with independently controlled speakers so parents can dial the movie’s volume to a level that won’t wake the little ones.

It will include large handicap accessible bathrooms, including a toddler toilet for families.

Adding more dimension is a large performance stage which was hidden for 75 years.

In addition to traditional concessions, complete with the beloved vintage popcorn machine, Chouinard is offering a Spanish-style tapas food bar to theater-goers.

Pending approval from the state of Idaho, Chouinard also anticipates serving beer and wine in the 21-and-over balcony seating area that will include full dinner tables.

“I am humbled every time that someone shares with me a love story that centers around the Rex Theater,” said Chouinard, “So much of the community has a story. (They) will be exceptionally pleased with what we have accomplished.”

Beyond the Rex Theater brand, Chouinard has been working closely with Picturesque owner Nissa Henslee and the undeniable hot spot, Under the Sun, “to compliment, not compete with businesses downtown,” she said. “There is great business cooperation among owners downtown and I am excited to bring more of the arts and music to downtown on a scale different than community theater. (We are) adding more dimension that will benefit all businesses in Bonners.”

In July 2014, Chouinard was invited to the Boundary Economic Development Council (BEDC) to speak. She talked about several ideas that would have a positive impact on the community.

Jim Hammond from Panhandle Area Council (PAC) also spoke to the BEDC, believing in the mission of PAC to help communities build their economies.

“Abra sees more than the rest of us for potential because she left and came back,” Hammond told the BEDC. “We forget what we have here because we see it every day. We need to let people know they are lucky to come here and see us.”

As part of her investment into Bonners Ferry, Chouinard has already locally sourced North Idaho Ironworks to build a Downtown District sign that will name most of the goods and services in the Bonnerport area of Bonners Ferry. The signage will be resurrected in the old Chevrolet sign location on top of 7224 Main Street.

Chouinard isn’t asking a penny from other business owners. She is doing it to help stimulate the local economy, she said.

All of downtown will benefit from the increased exposure.

“Mike (Naumann, Kootenai River Brewing Company owner) and I were talking about driving traffic to the brewery via signage a couple weeks back,” Chouinard said. “I officially announced that “brewery” would be on the Downtown District signage with an arrow pointing directly at his building from about 30 feet up on a beautifully and locally created LED neon sign.”

Chouinard purchased the old Chevrolet dealership located between the Rex Theater and City Hall last spring. With the current tenants’ leases expiring, she plans to remodel the building into a full-fledged movie studio with 5,000 feet of retail space upstairs. A Little Moore Quilting will moving to a space more suited for its customers in the next few months, while Sequels LLC has not disclosed its plans.

“Bringing in talent and crew from Los Angeles and Portland will mean more people spending outside money and boosting our local economy,” Chouinard said. “I am excited to see someone’s face when they recognize that the person sitting next to them at lunch is someone they just watched on Netflix the night before.”

Chouinard is also under contract to purchase the old Mason First National Bank that houses Huckleberry Variety. The store’s lease expired early last fall. With Darlene “Dolly” Boling putting the business up for sale, Chouinard realized it was time to do something innovative with the corner of what she calls one of the most important blocks in downtown.

She is planning to open a high-end retail clothing store and a suite of offices which will compliment business downtown.

“We get asked almost weekly if we will rent the small offices in the front two corners of the Rex Theater,” Chouinard said, “By opening plug-and-play office spaces with a front desk attendant and reliable high speed internet from E.L. Internet Northwest built-in, we can offer office space to our community’s non-profits, independent realtors and start-ups without sacrificing main street storefront space.”

Chouinard also is spending money to help the local economy.

“Last week alone I spent money at almost every shop downtown, several hundreds at Bonners Books for a Valentine’s gift for my husband, hundreds at Selkirk Northern Treasures, Under the Sun, Huckleberry Variety, A Little Moore Quilting, Rusty Moose, Baby-Go-Round, Soulshine and Radio Shack,” she said, “I have the receipts and the goods to show it. I don’t just preach shopping local, I can prove I am shopping local.”

Chouinard is working with the public and non-traditional schools so students can learn filmmaking. She also is teaming up with Henslee for internships and mentor programs for local youth.

She is never without ideas and is working on even more substantial projects that will benefit the state of Idaho as well as Boundary County.

“I grew up here. I graduated high school here,” she says. “I have moments when talking with people and I can say, ‘I broke my arm on the Pyramid Lake hiking trail the weekend before seventh grade,’ or ‘Olivia and I rode our bikes all summer to the Culvert to swim’ or ‘Brenda and I took her vintage Camaro out around town on a Friday night.’ At first no one believes I did these things, then they realize, oh, she did!”

Coupling her creative talents with an ever ceasing well of immense energy, Chouinard is bringing all she can back to her home town to benefit the community.

“As my 6-year-old son would state with assurance, ‘that makes my heart smile,’” she said.