The Liberty Theatre sits on the edge of downtown North Wilkesboro. Founded in 1932, it has been a “Wilkes County institution” for nearly a century. Showing three movies a day, the Liberty offers a movie-watching experience at an affordable price — bringing the cost of their movie tickets well below their competitors.
The Liberty has a prime location on the North Wilkesboro Main Street. Many downtown areas of western North Carolina have been getting some upgrades over the past few years. North Wilkesboro’s progress seems to be slower than the rest, with little money being put in from the county. According to Junior Ayers, manager at the Liberty, though, progress is still coming. Ayers remains hopeful that downtown updates will provide more foot traffic in the theater.
In 2024, The Liberty was selected to receive a Backing Small Businesses Enhancement Grant of $10,000. The grant, provided by American Express and Main Street America, was used to buy a new projector for theater two — the second and last of the showing rooms at the Liberty.
Upon walking into the theater, guests are greeted by a concessions booth where they buy their tickets and food. Just as the Liberty keeps its movie prices low, its food prices are no different. A large popcorn with free refills runs for $8, and a large drink with free refills runs for $4. According to Ayers, concession sales are largely how they make a profit.
Popcorn flies out of the cooker as a worker flips it over in the large popcorn machine. Guests at the Liberty get to enjoy unlimited popcorn of any size for under $10.
Ayers emphasized the importance of concessions and merchandise sales at the theater. Due to its low prices, the Liberty essentially breaks even with its ticket sales. Community support through concessions and repping the business helps keep it alive in the town.
To the left of the concession stands, a stairwell spirals up onto the second floor of the theater. Claw machines glow enticingly, and movie posters line the walls. According to owner Lani Cook, the goal is to have a wall of Liberty history covering the walls of the stairwell. Many guests go upstairs during their visit to the Liberty. The second floor is where the bathrooms are located. Until two years ago, these were the only restrooms. A single-stall accessible room was built on the first floor at that time.
On the right side of the Liberty building, there is an alleyway with a fire escape. During segregation, this is where African Americans would go to enter the theater on the second floor.
A view of an empty screening room from the projector room on the second floor. When African Americans came to the theater during segregation, they would be seated on wooden benches, located on the second floor. The first floor was reserved for white Americans. At that time, the theater was all one room — capable of seating up to 800 people. According to Ayers, the theater was split into two showing rooms and a lobby in 1975.
When African Americans would come up the fire escape, before taking their seats, they would get their tickets at a separate ticket booth on the second floor (pictured in the back). Now, this ticket room is used for extra storage. Currently, a Halloween skeleton sits inconveniently in the middle of the entryway.
The projector room, as well as the storage and office space for the theater, is located on the second floor of the Liberty. Though the projector equipment is expensive, the door to the room sits wide open — a perk of the small, honest community the Liberty finds itself in. According to Ayers, the theater has a kind of “cult following” that they all know and love.
The Liberty made the switch to digital film in 2015. Before this, they worked with old film equipment. The new digital technology is more costly, forcing the crew to learn how to troubleshoot issues with the equipment. When a part breaks, the crew will pull from a mini graveyard of projectors and find spare pieces to Frankenstein together.
While small and somewhat behind the times, the Liberty has remained a place where anyone can go see a movie for a price that won’t break the bank. After 93 years in the community, owner Lani Cook and her employees look to the future with a lot of optimism. With constant cosmetic updates and a commitment to serving the town of North Wilkesboro, the Liberty remains an important part of Wilkes County’s life and history.
