Saying Goodbye: My Memories of the Video Store

A few weeks ago a friend and I were driving out to the only movie rental store still around our area. For months you were able to walk in, scan an ex-rental pile and take home used movies for as little as $2 a DVD. I don't think I've ever purchased as many usually expensive foreign releases in a single place. When we arrived we saw that the 'Blockbuster' sign had been taken down, the doors were locked and the store was empty. It dawned on me that the final of these great facilities in my location will never loan out another movie ever again. It was very harrowing for me, especially given that this particular store seemed to be surviving in the digital age. Clearly the times caught up with it.

I won't try to hide the fact that I get very sentimental thinking about the video store. The bankruptcy of Blockbuster in the United States marked the end of an era. In writing this, my goal is not to blame streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. They have their place in our modern world of entertainment, and they've succeeded for good reason. Nor am I going to blame piracy or the indifference of the masses. All I want to do here is share my fond memories of these places and hopefully communicate my admiration for everything that they were.

My visits to the video store began at a young age. I can't pinpoint what my first experience was. All I know is that as young as 5 I would be engulfed by excitement every time I went in. It wasn't just the joy of knowing I'd be going home to watch what I rented, but I loved walking around the store and looking at all the different titles. Wandering through the science-fiction, action, drama, comedy and horror sections was my earliest lesson in the importance of genre.

Upon entering my teen years the store gradually starting feeling like a second home as my visits became more frequent. The particular one I used to visit was in a local shopping center that was only a ten minute walk from my house. It was a Civic Video, a popular chain in Australia and it was HUGE! I could go in looking for a specific movie and there was an incredibly good chance that I'd be watching it at home that same day. I made the most use of the store on Wednesday afternoons. I'd finish school, walk home to get changed and be off to the store with some money. They had $1 Weekly Rentals and I utilized the hell out of it. One time I went home with ten movies and I watched every single one of them.

At that time I used to spend a lot of time in meditation. I walked through the streets blasting heavy metal on my iPod to deal with whatever I was feeling. On my usual route I'd go into the video store. I wouldn't necessarily be looking for something, but I simply loved the environment so much and looking at all the movies in there that it didn't matter that what I was doing was completely aimless. Sometimes I'd visit the place several times a day, a benefit of being a schoolboy with no real responsibilities. I became such a regular that most of the staff just let me rent anything without caring about my adolescence. This is something they could have been in a lot of trouble for, but they knew there'd be no issues loaning these DVDs to me given my frequenting the place and my well-known viewing habits. I even applied for a part-time job there once, but sadly such an opportunity never came.

I wish I could pick a specific memory that stands out, but this was never about particular experiences. Instead it was always about its role as a sanctuary for my exploration of my film passions, and as a place of discovery. The demolition of the shopping center because of soil pollution meant the end of this store, and towards the end of 2010 it closed for good. It was a sad day, but one I had prepared for. For a while I was visiting the place's former competitors, and none could ever match it. Not in quality of service, movie catalogue, convenience or emotional attachment. Eventually I settled on a Quickflix subscription that I still use to this day.

As video stores closed one after another it became clear that the show was over. Although some stores are still around, they won't be for long. For me, the end came when my Civic Video had to close its doors. I can't even find a picture of the place online and it goes to show that the past and those good times really are over. Times have changed, I have changed, but the memories of the video store are something I'll cherish forever.