The Shiner brothers, Deward and Alson, opened the luxurious Vernal Theatre in March 1946. Patrons stepped on beautiful carpets as they chose between three sizes of "body-form" seats, plush draperies hid the giant screen, and a marimba player entertained guests before the movie began. Although the restroom fixtures did not match, builders had to make do with whatever they could get immediately after World War II. Despite its classy atmosphere, the theater specialized in second-run films during its first eighteen months because it took that long for a film to work its way through the distribution system after its release in New York. Saturday matinees drew eager youngsters, and although the theater seated 530 people, late arrivals might not find a seat. Matinees included a cartoon, a short, and a full-length movie, while on weekdays a cartoon and newsreel preceded the feature film. For teens, being an usher became the most popular job in town because ushers escorted late customers to their seats and were allowed to watch the shows, while the worst theater job was sitting alone in the box office on cold winter nights. Over the years, as film making and projecting changed immensely, the Shiners continued to own the theater and kept up with those changes, renovating the Vernal Theatre in 1984.