Few of Indian Land’s development projects have stirred as much excitement in recent years as the RedStone shopping center, with its plans for a dozen new restaurants and the area’s first movie theater.
And now, after three years in the making, the wait is nearly over – RedStone Theatre 14 will hold its grand opening Friday, along with at least one restaurant and others soon after.
The project has been under way since 2015, a partnership between MPV Properties and internet marketing firm Red Ventures.
“We’re extremely pleased with the final product of RedStone,” said MPV Properties Development Manager Mike Bilodeau.
“We feel like the Indian Land community was ripe for this kind of project, and we think that we’ve developed a project that will have great appeal to residents of Indian Land, Lancaster, South Charlotte and all the communities around it,” he said.
RedStone Phase 1 will have 54,900 square feet of restaurant, retail and commercial space, but the star of the show is the 54,000-square-foot, 2,100-plus seat movie complex.
Last week, the theater was a hive of activity inside and out as crews wrapped up finishing touches and technicians tested sound and movie equipment in the auditoriums for the big grand opening weekend.
Stone Theatres spokeswoman Marie Cole said the celebration starts Friday and runs through Sunday, featuring “Pacific Rim Uprising,” “Sherlock Gnomes” and a full slate of other movies.
Cole said the cinema will give away free popcorn, and the chain’s mascot “Poppy” will be there for the kids. Several area radio stations are also scheduled to broadcast live.
“You won’t be able to miss it,” Cole said. “We’ll be throwing extremely large spotlights into the sky like a premiere event.”
While free popcorn is great, grand opening moviegoers will also have the chance to enjoy a movie in the cinema’s PDX (Premium Digital Experience) Large Format Auditorium.
Touted as a “fully immersive movie experience,” the PDX auditorium features a 65-foot-wide by 37-foot-tall screen, a 4K laser projection system and a 369-speaker Dolby Atmos sound system.
Stone Theatres Vice President of Operations Dale Coleman said the screen is the largest non-IMAX screen in the market and the Indian Land cinema’s PDX system is the first in South Carolina.
“The laser projection system produces the finest image you can put on a screen,” Coleman said.
“Dolby Atmos is an immersive sound system. Each speaker has its own individual soundtrack and directs it to the exact spot (in the theater) the director wants it.
“It is the finest presentation in our industry,” he said.
Afterward, RedStone 14 will continue to offer the same movie specials and programs it does at its other locations, discounts before 1:30 p.m. and all day Tuesdays, a summer movie program with $1 admissions and monthly screenings of classic movies.
The theater will also offer special “sensory-friendly screenings” of movies for those with autism and other developmental delays.
“We think it’s going to be a great theater,” Coleman said.
Restaurants and more
In addition to the movie theater, the RedStone project includes a variety of restaurants and services.
Restaurants include Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, Hazelnuts Creperie, Jackson’s Java, Margarita’s, Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Portofino’s Ristorante, Red Rocks Café, Tropical Smoothie Café, Viva Chicken, WAFU Japanese Steakhouse and Which Wich.
Other businesses include Great Clips, iVision, Lee Nails, Med First, ReVive Spa, Salon 42, Sharonview Federal Credit Union, Tide Dry Cleaners and Tullulah Graham boutique.
RedStone’s Phase 1 leasing plan also shows spaces for a dance studio, dental office, massage office, two more restaurants, two unidentified spaces and a 14,000-square-foot building for a “junior box” store.
Bilodeau said the retail locations are currently in various points in the upfit process and will be opening on a “rolling” basis as they open.
The first retail business to open will be the Which Wich sandwich shop, set to open March 23.
Sitting at a table in his clean, yellow and black dining room working on his laptop, Which Wich franchise owner Joe Hazelwood of Fort Mill said everything may look like it’s ready, but there was still a lot of work to do before next week’s opening.
Hazelwood said he’s already hired his crew – most of whom are from Lancaster County and as far south as Heath Springs, but there are also last-minute repairs, installations, inspections and official documents to procure.
But Hazelwood said he’d be ready.
“Opening a new business is challenging. It’s not for the faint of heart,” he said. “It takes focus, strength and perseverance.
“But that’s OK. It’s been a positive, growing experience and it’s about time to open the doors and meet the people,” he said. “That’s what I enjoy.”
By Reece Murphy, Staff Reporter with The Lancaster News