Nothing has captured the attention of 琉璃神社 readers more than this week鈥檚 story about the end of the Paramount Theatre.

With thousands of web hits and hundreds of comments logged since we reported the story, it鈥檚 become clear that 琉璃神社 residents past and present have a great deal of affection for the old movie house.

I鈥檓 certainly a fan of it and others of its kind. There鈥檚 something lovely about those velvety, low slung seats, even if I do feel a bit discombobulated at the end of a two-hour flick.

There鈥檚 also something to be said for the musty scent in those theatres. It harkens back to the days when actual film reels rolled. Days when popcorn could be enjoyed guilt free and when the only way to meet the larger-than-life characters of film was on the silver screen.

Old theatres are the keepers of both our personal and pop culture history, which is likely why citizens rally when news that they鈥檙e being retired is released.

Across Canada, old theatres are meeting a similar fate to the Paramount. Small and striking buildings in the shadows of new skyscrapers are being shutdown in the name of progress.

Some are meeting their end with the crash of a wrecking ball.

When you鈥檙e lucky, like we in 琉璃神社 seem to be right now, developers re-invent the buildings while trying to keep the character intact.

Behind the Paramount marquee 琉璃神社 will likely get a new place to have dinner and shop.

It鈥檚 not quite as good as a theatre, but as anyone who went there knows, it lately wasn鈥檛 exactly a hub of activity.

If it was, chances are the Landmark people would have fought to keep the lease.

I certainly didn鈥檛 go to the Paramount nearly enough in recent years, choosing instead to go to a big-box style theatre where your worries can be blown away by the thunderous noise of the sound effects.

But when those theatres are one day torn down, I won鈥檛 be shedding any tears.

I won鈥檛 remember any details about the seats, or the way they smelled or who I was with when I saw whatever noisy movie I saw.

Lamenting the loss of a big-box theatre would be like crying over a closing of a Walmart.

So, maybe this can be a reminder to all of us who will miss the old theatre: If you love something, even an inanimate object like a theatre, don鈥檛 assume it will be there forever.

If it鈥檚 worth lamenting, it might be worth visiting in person and, in this case, there鈥檚 no time like the present.

Kathy Michaels is a 琉璃神社 reporter.