Everything from the theater seats, to the faucets, to the popcorn maker will be sold in a massive liquidation sale and auction at the now closed 10-screen Mount Vernon Multiplex.

"It will be extraordinary for me to watch it go down," said Steve Bochan, who was district manager of the theater for about 20 years and is now in charge of preparing the land to be passed on to a new owner. "But I would rather have it done this way then for them to bulldoze it all down."

The multiplex at 7940 Richmond Highway was the largest theater in the Northern Virginia area when it first opened its doors in 1986.

The theater shut down in 2008 after suffering from increased competition from cinemas offering newer amenities such as stadium seating. The liquidation sale started yesterday, and will continue today, and Friday before a grand auction on Saturday.

"Mega complexes are the ones that are most inviting to people now," Bochan said.

Since the closing, the multiplex's glass front doors have been boarded shut. The shrubs in the front of the property have gone wild. The panes of glass are for sale now. So are the shrubs. Even the Kohler urinals in the public bathrooms must go.

Before the building shuts down the lights for good on Sunday, there is time for one final performance. The auction and sale, Bochnan hopes, will attract a different kind of audience including a plethora of nostalgic theater patrons and contractors looking for a good deal.  

"Who knows, it could be a flop," Bochan said.

National Amusements Inc., headquartered just outside of Boston, sold off most of their Northern Virginia theaters in the late 2000s, Bochan said.  Costco has plans to develop a 140,000 square-foot store the site, though that proposal is still in the works.

"Everything you can think of is going starting from the rooftop HVAC units, to the light poles in the parking lot," Bochan said. "Why not salvage what is there?"

The auction will take place inside the theater at 7940 Richmond Highway  at 10 a.m. today and Friday. On Saturday, the theater will hold an auction starting at 10 a.m. For more information on the auction, email theatreauction@yahoo.com or go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILKieo-b9wI to see a full preview of all that will be for sale.