Studio 35 has been a landmark of Clintonville and an inspiration to independent movie theaters since its doors first opened Feb. 17, 1938. It sits among a chain of locally owned stores on Indianola Avenue and its old-fashioned protruding movie marquee makes it stand out.

Studio 35 has gone through many changes in the 70 years since it began showing movies, and has managed to survive in a day where giant, corporate-owned theaters rule the industry.

“It’s something from the past but it still works … It’s rough around the edges,” said Eric Brembeck, who owns Studio 35 with his wife, Rita Volpi.

They became sole owners of the theater April 1.

Studio 35 is not like today’s traditional movie theater: Its single screen limits the amount of movies shown each night.

But what Studio 35 lacks in quantity, it makes up in quality.

The staff at the movie theater is not made up of typical theater employees.

“(They) are friendly people, not just interested in selling you popcorn,” Brembeck said. He said the people working behind the counter are fans of movies and want to create a fun atmosphere. He said every day first-time customers leave the theater vowing to return again.

Josh Eason remembers when his uncle used to take him to Studio 35 to watch movies.

“There were always friendly people there,” Eason said.

Movies shown on the one screen at Studio 35 are generally not family-friendly and the audience is not what is normally expected of a movie theater.

“It’s not a lot of young teenagers on their cell phones being rowdy,” Brembeck said, acknowledging the vast majority of customers are adults and some college students.

“A lot of people in Columbus don’t know that Studio 35 is around,” Brembeck said. He said he is trying to change this by constantly marketing events at the theater.

Brembeck hosts more than just movies at Studio 35. The theater shows Ohio State football games every Saturday – for free.

“We had a bunch of people running up and down the aisleway when we scored a touchdown,” Brembeck said about OSU’s tight victory Saturday against Wisconsin.

Studio 35 also has an extensive beer list, both on tap and in the bottle. In fact, Studio 35 was the first movie theater in the country to have a liquor license, beginning in the 1970s.

“I like that they have beer there,” said Jack Meyer, a sophomore in communication at Columbus State. Meyer also said the atmosphere at Studio 35 was something that set it apart from other movie theaters.

Brembeck said the theater offers food from Clintonville Pizza Primo, including salads, subs and pizza. Eason said he loves the food, especially the pizza.

Once a quarter, Studio 35 has a beer tasting, which offers 10 samples of beer and a movie for $10. Meyer has attended the beer tasting and said he recommends it.

Not only does Studio 35 host football games and beer tasting events, it also is home to The Rocky Horror Picture Show the first Saturday night of each month, and offers Formula 1 races on Sunday mornings.

Brembeck recently tried something new when he opened Studio 35 for the vice-presidential debate between Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. Joe Biden. The theater was filled to capacity and he said he felt bad because they had to turn away 125 people.

Tonight, Studio 35 is showing the presidential debate broadcast from Belmont University.

Brembeck said they are still debating whether they will show the presidential election coverage Tuesday, Nov. 4.

Like many old buildings, Studio 35 is allegedly home to paranormal activity.

Staff members have reported strange noises in the theater and the cleaning crew does not like to clean late for the same reason. Brembeck said he has never seen or heard anything out of the ordinary, but doesn’t rule it out.

Studio 35 is located at 3055 Indianola Ave. More information about the theater can be found at www.studio35.com.

Matt Hancharick can be reached at [email protected].