While the Rivian restoration of the old South Coast Theater feels like a public-private partnership, it’s not.
It’s a private venture that relied on a fair amount of community input, and moving forward, the site will offer public activities. But it’s still a car dealership, first and foremost.
In many ways, you could argue that it’s a new model for commercial awareness. This distinction may sound academic, but from a social or community perspective, it’s important.
In the eyes of Rivian, the showroom is a way to ingratiate itself into a proud local community (and sell more vehicles). The community, by contrast, may welcome the commercial offerings, but in reality, most people probably are just interested in the swag: the movies, popcorn, lectures, kids’ art lessons, and other free activities.
So think of it as a community space, if you want, but a little hipper and with an agenda. All of that is not necessarily bad, by the way.
In some ways, it harkens back to the same vibe as IKEA when it launched in the United States. Remember when it was a thing to hang out in IKEA cafeterias? OK, maybe that was just us – in college, poor and nearly homeless.
Rivian is pushing all of our electronic buttons, and they’re doing a good job of it. They are local so they’re able to talk the talk – if you count Irvine as local.
“Stop by our Laguna space — a revived 1930s theater with community screenings on deck,” they write on their attractive website. “Get to know our electric adventure vehicles, map your trip to Mammoth and sit behind the wheel. Sandy shoes welcomed.”
Aww ….
They’ve partnered with the Coast Film Foundation so expect nice, motivational movies and music. No doubt all of it will be very curated and professional. Every Saturday of the month, you can watch an independent movie. Check out the site for a list of all upcoming events.
In the meantime, we are indeed planning a Mammoth trip but without sandy shoes because everyone knows sandy shoes are rather annoying.
