A pediatric dentist has moved into the building that once held Ramsey's beloved movie theater, turning the shuttered cinema at 125 East Main Street into a modern dental office that still nods to its big-screen past. Joie Pediatric Dentistry opened inside the former Ramsey Cinema in July 2026, according to Dr. Sabrine Obbad, more than six years after the theater closed for good during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The building has a long history under multiple names. Per Cinema Treasures, it opened as the Superba Theatre in 1918, became the Holly Theatre in the 1920s, and was renamed the Ramsey Theatre in 1936, when it was listed with 380 seats. It closed to moviegoers in 1952 before reopening as the Ramsey Cinema in 1960, later becoming a twin-screen theater in 2001. The cinema closed a second time in 2013, reopened in January 2014 after renovations that added digital projection equipment, and then shut its doors for the final time on March 16, 2020, with owners announcing in September of that year that the closure was permanent, Cinema Treasures reports.
Dr. Obbad found the abandoned theater in 2024 and said she felt an immediate connection and vision for the space, according to Daily Voice. On the practice's own site, she described the moment differently but just as warmly: “the space at 125 E. Main Street —the beloved former Ramsey Theater—we knew we had found our stage,” according to joiepediatricdentistry.com.
From Movie House to Eight Themed Treatment Rooms
The office includes a mini movie theater in the waiting room, popcorn chandeliers Obbad designed herself, ceiling and wall TVs in every treatment room, and the cinema's original marquee still outside, Daily Voice reports. The practice itself describes the project in similar terms, noting it has “transformed this historic space into a modern, state-of-the-art pediatric dental office,” while keeping “the spirit of the theater alive,” per joiepediatricdentistry.com. The site adds that the theater setting is meant to help dental visits feel like a special event rather than a chore.
That design extends room by room. According to Best of NJ, the office has eight treatment rooms and a spacious waiting room, each with its own distinct look and feel. The practice offers care that grows with a child, from a first tooth through the teenage years, including cleanings, fluoride treatments, and digital X-rays, the outlet notes.
Obbad said friends and family thought the conversion was very cool, and that she hopes the building can bring joy to local families in a new way, Daily Voice reports. The name Joie means joy in French, Obbad's first language, per the same outlet.
A Pediatric Dentist Shaped by Her Own Training
Obbad earned bachelor's and master's degrees in chemistry along with a dental degree from New York University, Daily Voice reports. She then completed a general practice residency and a pediatric dentistry residency at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn, according to the Best of NJ profile. A provider listing from Hackensack Meridian Health's getcare.hackensackmeridianhealth.org shows her pediatric dentistry residency at Wyckoff Heights completed in 2023. Joie's own about page identifies her as a board-certified pediatric dentist and a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.
Obbad specializes in pediatric dentistry because she loves working with children and wants to shape how they view dental care long-term, Daily Voice reports. She also works with children with special needs, per the outlet, and said she aimed to create an environment kids would look forward to visiting rather than fear. She told Daily Voice that parents care deeply about their children's dental experiences, and that the practice prioritizes making those visits positive.
Booking an Appointment in Bergen County
Joie Pediatric Dentistry says it is now officially accepting new patients in Ramsey and the surrounding Bergen County area, according to joiepediatricdentistry.com. The practice accepts most major insurance plans and says it is in-network with several popular providers, per the same source. Families can book appointments by calling 201-500-6314 or visiting the practice's website, Daily Voice reports.
Ramsey's theater-to-dentist transformation isn't an isolated trend among former movie houses. A former movie theater in North Bergen was recently sold and will be converted into a self-storage facility, according to nj.com. Elsewhere, a former movie theater in Kissimmee was converted into a medical office building, the Orlando Business Journal reported, while the old Georgetown Theater in Washington, D.C. was renovated into apartments while retaining its 1940s-era movie-house look, according to WTOP. Ramsey's own cinema, it seems, has found its second act in dentistry rather than storage or housing.
