NORTHVILLE, Mich. (WWJ) - For nearly 100 years, the Marquis Theatre has been a fixture in downtown Northville, and for the last 50 its been under ownership of one family -- the Zayti family.
Inge Zayti became just the third owner of the historic building in 1971, and then her daughter Christina took over ownership in 2009. But after many ups and downs over the last 11 years, Zayti says she's had to make the hardest decision of her life -- selling the beloved theatre.
"Due to maintenance problems and the roof and other issues, I had to sell the theatre. I was going to give myself two years. A year went by and then I said, 'I'm going to work hard one more year and see if I can keep it going.' And then in September, I knew I couldn't," Zayti told WWJ's Ryan Wooley.
Zayti said she either had to sell it or the roof was going to come apart -- something she couldn't bear to see.
Along the way, the Marquis Theatre has hosted many events, from Children's shows and camps, to weddings, dance recitals, church services, and more.
Zayti says it's hard to say how many kids have actually had the honor of passing through those doors, but says it has to be "thousands."
She admits the decision was hard to make because of what the theatre and community have meant to her. But hearing how the news of the sale has affected those around her has made it even more difficult.
"I went to Target and I was talking to a lady and the theatre just happened to come up and she got all teary-eyed," Zayti said. "I was getting cakes for the last show and the lady at Costco in the bakery, she found out and got teary-eyed."
"A lady called this morning wanting to know the next shows for the season and I told her we closed and she started crying."
The Theatre's first children's show was back in 1981 and their last just concluded with "Beauty and the Beast" on January 26th. Zayti admits it has been nice to hear from everyone when they learned of the sale, no matter how long it's been.
"It makes me feel very special, that's for sure," she said. "The other day, I was walking down the sidewalk and these two girls stopped and gave me a hug. They're in college now and just wanted to say they heard and they're sad about the theatre. They said thank you for all the memories and they'll always remember them."
The new owner, who is a Northville resident, does plan to keep the theatre open, but as for Zayti's second act in life?
"I really don't know. I've done this all my life. It's a big change," she said.
Zayti is planning a "Marquis Theatre Hidden Treasure Sale" every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in March, with the first date being Friday, March 6th and running 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. All other dates, the sale will run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
All items have been priced by an antique appraiser and will go anywhere from $1 up to a couple thousand dollars, as many items are vintage antiques.
Among the items you can expect to find include chests, vases, lamps, costumes, masks, Victorian apparel, furniture, books, crystals, props, paintings, dolls, and more.
The sale will be cash or credit only, but if you're using a credit card, it must be a purchase of $200 or more.
