Couple took out $1M loan to save America’s oldest drive-in theater—now it brings in $500K a year
When Matt McClanahan and Lauren Mcchesney learned that the local car theater was in danger of being sold to developers, they knew that they had to protect the beloved neighborhood center and an important film history.
Opened by Wilson Shankweiler on April 15, 1934, Shankweiler’s Orefield, PA, the Drive-in theater in PA is the world’s oldest business driver theater.
In 2022, McClanahan and Mcchesney evacuated life savings and received a loan of $ 1,000,000. Although the couple is determined to preserve the vintage charm of the theater, they work with modern sensitivities.
“Shankweiler was a quiet backyard theater,” 35 -year -old McClanahan says. “Films had to play for the neighborhood and that was really. We are trying to raise it and bring it to another level.”
One night screening at Shankweiler’s Drive-in Theater.
Today, 91 years after the opening, as Shankweiler said in the Preshow announcement, it is still crowded with new versions, community events and “Best popcorn in the Lehight Valley”.
Tickets cost about $ 9 for children and $ 13 for adults, and the classic car-in-style Shankweiler plays a double feature every night.
‘If not, who else?’
Shankweiler always had a special place in the heart of McClanahan: “It was a very personal connection, because I came here, so I had that power to protect a part of my own childhood.”
McClanahan, a lifelong film enthusiast, had previously turned to another car theater and founded a mobile film exhibition company during his pandemi.
He met 41 -year -old McChesney in his driving.
“We got my ticket and we started to leave a year later,” McChesney recalls. The couple is now engaged.
When a local newspaper reported that Shankweiler could be sold, McClanahan knew it was time to make a move.
“If we are not a kind of ‘, who else?’ The situation, “he says. “I had qualifications. We had a background, we had plans to redefine the job. So who would do it other than us?”
Lauren Mcchesney and Matt McClanahan.
At that time, Shankweiler was listed for $ 1.2 million, but after talking to the couple, the old owners settled at a purchase price of $ 1.05 million.
McClanahan and McChesney received a small operating loan of $ 1,000,000 SBA 7 (A), which required a down payment of approximately $ 112,000.
The owners agreed to finance some of the down payment, and McClanahan and McChesney made the rest of the money from their personal savings, pension accounts and contributions from family and friends.
“Because history, because it’s so special, there’s a pressure we need to succeed in it.”
After purchasing, McCHESNEY quit his job in health services to focus on reviving the theater.
Im I thought that giving up my previous career would feel much more frightening, or he says. “But when making this shift, they all sat down and made sense to me.”
Only seven days after completing the purchase process, McClanahan and Mcchesney reopened the Shankweiler in November 2022.
Failure for the couple was not an option: “Since it is history, it is very special, there is this pressure we need to succeed with it, Mc says McChesney.
To make “enough” to continue
While most driving work seasonally, Shankweiler is open 7 days a week between the commemoration day and the Labor Day and the rest of the year.
“We must be open throughout the year because we have all these payments and we need to start paying our loans and we have invoices.”
McClanahan says the first year’s meeting is “rough”.
Shankweiler brought about $ 300,000 in total income in 2023 and after covering all the costs of the theater, the couple paid themselves enough to “put on the table on the table”.
Introduction to Shankweiler’s Drive-in Theater.
For most of the year, Shankweiler operates with a loss. McClanahan says that the theater is usually profitable in summer and that summer revenues are “carrying the theater throughout the year”.
July is usually the most successful months and its total income is $ 122.602 last year.
Sometimes, a big hit will increase out of season income. Shankweiler normally loses money in winter, but the success of “Wicked” in November 2024 clarified $ 36.264 per month for the Moon.
According to McClanahan, the main cost of the theater is the film license: it constitutes about one -third of all the operating expenses of Shankweiler. Other major costs include credit payments; Public Services and Power; Food and materials for Snack Bar; and payroll.
“You have a ton of money and then you have a ton of money.”
In the summer high season, McClanahan and McCchesney hire part -time workers to run a snack bar and ticket cabin, but they still do most of the work themselves.
Shankweiler became profitable for the first time in 2024, and the total income is about $ 550,000 and a net operating revenue of $ 50,000 after expenditures.
McClanahan and McChesney were able to pay a combined salary of approximately $ 36,000 for the year.
Employee
McClanahan and McCHESNEY had to be creative to increase off -season participation.
This year, for Valentine’s Day, Shankweiler’s “The Book” presented a special “History Night in Drive-in Night” event with the display of Charcuterie panels and cocktails.
The theater is a popular family trip with the annual Halloween Magrun or Treat event, local vendors games, costume competitions and dessert treats.
McClanahan, “There are many things in addition to the films that customers have to look forward to when they come to our theater.” Says. “More than movies. All night.”
Shankweiler’s Drive-in theater is located in a 4-acre land.
The couple is trying to expand the theater by hosting day -day activities such as craft fairs, local markets and even automobile shows on four -acre property.
According to McClanahan, Shankweiler’s run “is a high -risk, high -award -winning operation”, but it’s worth maintaining the magic of the driving experience.
“When you play movies and watch hundreds of people share this magnificent experience, and they have a great time and everyone is happy, as if the weight has been removed and that’s why you are aware of what we do.” “The community comes together in this field and we make something really easier.”
Do you want to stand out, enlarge your network and get more business opportunities? Sign up for SMARTER by CNBC, the new online course, How to create a prominent personal brand: online, personally and here. Learn how you will exhibit your skills from three expert instructors, you will have a star reputation, and that you will create a digital asset that AI cannot reproduce. Sign up with Earlybird today for a 30% promotional discount from $ 67 (plus tax) regular course price. The offer is July 22, 2025, until 2 September 2025.
Plus, Sign up to CNBC Make It Bulletin Here are tips and tips for money and success in life and Request to participate in our private community in LinkedIn To connect with experts and peers.
