If your place is an old movie palace, why not try to return it to some of the gandeur or gracefulness that the original designer may have intended? If it has been refaced, then try to find the blueprints or opening era photos to show you what was. Maybe you can't afford new marble slabs to duplicate the originals, but there are lots of new wall facings that might duplicate that look. Contact a local designer/architect to see samples and get prices. If the building was a period decor, try to find things to reflect that period as in ornate poster frames, sconces, doors, and materials.
Did they cover ornate windows that were originally draped nicely? Perhaps you could uncover those windows, and if the daylight is not now welcome behind them, make them mock windows with opague glass, or colored aluminum panels set into muntins to immitate the panes of glass. You say the windows were strictly simple double hungs? Then consider replacing them with more ornate casement (swing-out) windows subdivided into quarrels or other shapes, maybe by a local stained glass artist. If the window is to be mock, then put a recess behind it able to hold lights to back light it at night on a timer (neon tubing around the edge is effective and cheapest to run in the long run. Go to a neon artist for this, rather than a neon sign shop).
Is there a marquee? Is it old and run down? Here is a major place to create a handsome and clever design, as well as a good place to advertise. Make it more ornate and maybe curved, rather than just another aluminum box. Create lots of light under it, for that creates a Pool of Light at night, and people are psychologically drawn to a very bright spot when it is dark out. Follow Roxy's suggestions on another topic here and the marquee will soon pay for itself; just realize that there are different scale marquees for the intended audience: small scale with much more data for foot traffic, and larger more simple designs for vehicular traffic. But do remember to put handsome poster cases outside too so as to give the passersby a way to 'preview' the movie/attraction so that they do not have to rely just upon the title and rating. If you put up critic's comments or blurbs about older films, it will help your patrons decide and will also show your enthusiasm for movies, and that enthusiasm will rub off on the patrons.
SHOWMANSHIP is the name of the game if you are to succeed against the competition in the long run. Yes, showmanship takes more energy and imagination, but the rewards, both pecuniary and otherwise, will be the pay off in the long run. And you are in it for the long run, aren't you?
Always check local ordinances before engaging in any renovations!
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