Introducing Tiny Grindhouse!
Baltimore’s Independent Microcinema, Video Store & Cinematic Hangout
Tiny Grindhouse is a real place for people who love movies.
Not just film buffs. Not just collectors.
Just regular people who miss going to the movies and being around other people for it.
It’s a 50+ seat microcinema, a video store, and a place to hang out.
A spot where movies aren’t just something you watch—they’re something you do together.
Not a pop-up. Not a gimmick.
A real place and a permanent home for cinema and you!
This is about bringing moviegoing back to something simple again.
A place in Baltimore where you can show up, sit down, and feel like you’re part of something.
You don’t just watch movies here—you come out for them.
What Is Tiny Grindhouse?
Imagine walking into a place where the movie starts long before the lights go down.
You grab your snacks.
Browse the shelves.
Check out movie memorabilia.
Play the arcades in the lobby.
Take a photo with seasonal photo ops.
Maybe discover a film you've never heard of.
Maybe run into someone who loves the same movies you do.
Then it's time for the show.
The lights dim.
The vintage trailers and ads roll.
The room settles in.
For a couple of hours, everyone is sharing the same experience.
Some nights it might be a horror double feature.
Other nights it could be a comedy, a cult classic, a local filmmaker showcase, movie trivia, live comedy, or a special guest sharing their story.
No two visits should feel exactly the same.
Tiny Grindhouse isn't just a place that shows movies.
It's a place built around movie culture.
Why Baltimore Needs This
Baltimore has always been a city with character.
A city of artists, makers, musicians, storytellers, and people who aren't afraid to do things their own way.
But like a lot of cities, we've watched places disappear over the years.
The neighborhood movie theater.
The video store.
The local hangout where you could spend an evening without feeling rushed to leave.
Those places mattered because they brought people together.
Not online.
Not through an app.
In real life.
Tiny Grindhouse is our way of bringing a little bit of that back.
A place where neighbors become friends.
Where local filmmakers can share their work.
Where someone can discover their new favorite movie sitting next to a complete stranger.
Where a night out doesn't have to cost a fortune.
And where the simple act of watching a movie together still feels special.
We believe Baltimore deserves places like that.
Not just places to spend money.
Places to belong.
That's what we're building.
The Space
Auditoriums that feel like home
Tiny Grindhouse is designed to feel less like a multiplex and more like your favorite place to spend an evening.
A place that's comfortable. Welcoming. A little quirky. A place with personality. It's a space that immediately feels like the spaces you grew up in. It's that family room, den, or finished basement that welcomes you to stay a while and get comfy.
Instead of endless rows of identical seats, you'll find a mix of re-purposed vintage-inspired seating, couches, tables, and chairs arranged to create a more relaxed and intimate experience.
The room will seat 50+ guests, making every screening feel personal without feeling crowded.
The screen will be big. The sound will be great. The lights will dim. The movie will be the star.
TINY GRINDHOUSE is inspired by the glitz, glamor, and often times over the top theatrical grind houses of our past on streets like 42nd Street, NYC and the outside the box DIY intimate examples set by modern theaters of today such as The New Parkway, Oakland, CA and The Starlight Room, Port Townsend, WA
The Lobby
Your friendly neighborhood video store...and more!
The movie doesn't start when the lights go down.
And it doesn't end when the credits roll.
One of the things we miss most about the old video store wasn't just renting movies.
It was the discovery.
Walking the aisles.
Picking up a box because the cover looked interesting.
Getting recommendations from friends.
Taking a chance on something you've never heard of before.
Tiny Grindhouse brings that feeling back.
Before the show, browse shelves filled with movies from every genre imaginable.
Cult classics. Horror favorites. Forgotten gems. Foreign films. Family movies. Weird stuff. Great stuff. Stuff you've never seen before.
Not sure what to watch next?
Ask someone.
Start a conversation.
That's part of the fun.
The lounge area is designed to be a place where people can spend time, not just pass through. A place to meet up before a screening. Hang out after the movie. Talk about what you watched. Play a game. Flip through movie books and magazines. Or simply relax and enjoy being surrounded by people who love movies.
Because sometimes the best part of movie culture isn't the movie itself. It's the people you meet because of it.
The space is also designed to be flexible. One night it might host a horror movie marathon. The next night it could be a filmmaker Q&A, a comedy show, movie trivia, a live podcast, or a community event. No matter what's happening, the goal stays the same: To create a place people genuinely want to spend time in.
Not just a theater. Not just a video store.
A destination.
Curated From
Start to Finish
Every screening includes a handpicked pre-show featuring:
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Vintage snipe reels, lost ads, weird PSAs, drive-in bumpers, intermission countdowns
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Theme-specific ephemera: 80s toy commercials before a cartoon screening, horror trailers before a slasher double feature
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Analog and digital formats—whatever gets the mood just right
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Thoughtfully programmed intermissions to breathe, snack, and stay immersed
This isn’t filler. It’s cinematic foreplay—a ritual that makes the feature film feel like the main course it’s supposed to be.
Special Guests & Filmmaker Q&As
Baltimore and our surrounding areas are filled with filmmakers, historians, collectors, and cinema lovers—so we invite them in.
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Appearances by local and regional filmmakers for post-screening Q&As
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Live commentary nights, podcast recordings, and director's cut discussions
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Guest presenters, genre experts, VHS collectors, and archivists
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Occasional touring artists, documentarians, authors, and curators from beyond the city limits
These aren’t just showings—they’re shared moments with the people behind the camera and inside the culture.
LIVE and Interactive Shows
Tiny Grindhouse also brings the stage to life:
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Stand-up comedy, alt-cabaret, and themed live shows
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Video game tournaments and ROCKBAND Karaoke projected larger-than-life
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Movie trivia nights with real prizes and ridiculous questions
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Horror host evenings specially curated from local larger than life characters
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Shadowcasting great films such as Rocky Horror Picture Show, Repo!, Labyrinth and more!
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4D Movie screenings featuring Lighting, Fire, Fog, and Water effects.
The Programming
Tiny Grindhouse isn’t just about showing films—it’s about building a film culture. Our programming is the heartbeat of the space: hand-curated, deeply intentional, and always evolving. This is a theater that’s as much about discovery as it is about nostalgia. And every event is a love letter to the kind of moviegoing experience we refuse to let die.
At Tiny Grindhouse, the programming is:
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Repertory-first – Cult classics, foreign gems, underground hits, and forgotten wonders and of course Vintage Classics
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Community-informed – Audience ballots, local guest curators, and city-focused themes
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Artist-focused – Regular showcases of Baltimore-based filmmakers and independent voices
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Bold and joyful – Not just serious cinephilia, but fun, ridiculous, genre-bending, midnight-ready weirdness
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Inspired by the grindhouse tradition – DOUBLE FEATURES every weekend, priced accessibly, with discounted entry for second-show-only walk-ins
Built for Baltimore Creators
Baltimore has no shortage of talented people making things.
Movies.
Music.
Art.
Podcasts.
Comedy.
Stories worth sharing.
What many of those creators don't have ample places to bring people together around their work.
Tiny Grindhouse aims to be that place.
Alongside repertory screenings and special events, we'll regularly open our doors to local creators looking to share what they've made with the community.
That could mean:
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Independent film premieres
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Local filmmaker showcases
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Work-in-progress screenings
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Q&A discussions
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Podcast recordings
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Live performances
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Community presentations
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Special one-night-only events
We believe local creators deserve more than a social media post and a few likes.
They deserve a room full of people.
A place where conversations happen face-to-face.
A place where new friendships, collaborations, and ideas can grow.
Baltimore is full of creative people doing incredible work.
We're building Tiny Grindhouse to help give them a stage.
Meet the Founder
Tiny Grindhouse is the vision of Jonathan Young, a lifelong movie lover and entertainment professional with nearly three decades of experience in movie theaters, live events, attractions, and audience-focused entertainment.
Jonathan began his career in exhibition at age 16 at Eastpoint Movies 10 in Baltimore County and has spent more than 25 years working across nearly every corner of the moviegoing experience.
His theater career has included positions with:
• AMC Theatres
• The Frida Cinema (Santa Ana, California)
• Route 66 Skyview Drive-In Theatre (Litchfield, Illinois)
• SNF Parkway Theatre (Baltimore, Maryland)
• Flagship Cinemas
Beyond theaters, Jonathan has worked in entertainment, events, and production for some of the most recognized names in the industry, including, Universal Studios, Beacher's Madhouse Los Angeles, and almost a decade in events production for the Disneyland Resort.
His experience also extends beyond traditional theaters and theme parks.
Major inspirations include managing a Blockbuster Video in the early 2000's during the transition from VHS to DVD, hosted and produced movie podcasts with live shows and movie screening events during the early days of podcasting, and served as cast leader for K.A.O.S., a Rocky Horror Picture Show shadow cast that has run successfully for more than a decade and continues to entertain audiences today.
In 2023, Jonathan launched Vintage View Cinemas after seeing firsthand how communities rallied around moviegoing during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, while traveling the country after being laid off from Disney, he witnessed packed drive-ins, thriving outdoor screenings, and audiences eager to share movies together despite unprecedented challenges.
That experience reinforced a simple belief:
People still want to gather around movies.
Since launching Vintage View Cinemas, Jonathan has produced numerous sold-out screenings, special events, filmmaker showcases, and pop-up video store experiences throughout the Baltimore region, including the annual Home-Recorded Halloween Horror-Thon, Creepshow Beachshow, recurring sold out screenings at The Wine Collective, and collaborations with Crypt Video Rentals and other local partners.
Tiny Grindhouse brings together everything learned from a lifetime spent in theaters, video stores, live entertainment, and community events.
It is the culmination of decades of experience and a commitment to creating a permanent home for film culture in Baltimore.
Help Build Tiny Grindhouse
Tiny Grindhouse won't be built by one person.
It will be built by movie lovers, local businesses, artists, creators, and people who believe Baltimore deserves a place where film culture can thrive.
If you'd like to help bring Tiny Grindhouse to life, here's how you can get involved.
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