LAIE, HI — A much loved local cinema is reopening as the Palms Cinemas under new ownership.

The Laie community and BYUH students have shown great enthusiasm about the reopening of the Laie movie theater. Since the theater closed in early 2008, Don and Alicen Nielsen, who recently moved to Laie from the Central Coast of California, have decided to reopen the theater as an independent theater called Laie Palms Cinemas.

The Nielsens arrived for the Fall 2008 semester. Alicen was accepted to BYUH to complete her IDS degree in Art and Anthropology. Don had been looking for a job. Despite his previous experience in finance business and having worked at a bank in California, he was not successful in finding a job. Alicen saw a letter from a community member posted on campus that said that if the community had known Laie Cinemas was going to go out of business they would have gladly paid more. Alicen felt like something should be done and talked with her husband about starting a family business. Alicen believed they were lucky and blessed with the timing of everything.

Read the full story in Ke Alaka’i.

UDPATE 7/20: Star Bulletin story.