Although the facility did attract visitors, local residents' support failed to reach the numbers expected by the founders. Original projections of 300,000 admissions per year were never met. In October 2006, the museum announced plans to turn galleries into conference rooms, remove most of the museum's focus on art, and lay off 28 of its 85 employees (most of whom were security guards for the art gallery). At the time, Copia had $68 million ($ today) in debt. That year the museum also lowered its original adult admission fee of $12.50 to $5. For three months in 2006, the museum admitted guests free of charge, and attendance and revenue increased. The museum also began hosting weddings and renting its space more frequently in order to raise revenue. In 2007, the museum altered its theme significantly by removing its focus on food and art, and instead focusing solely on wine. It replaced some of its gardens with vineyards, changed its displays to focus more on the history and aspects of wine and viticulture, and decreased the restaurant's and programs' focus on food.