Hey, Do You Remember the Video Store?

Want to meet me there and check out some movies?

Some might think it’s nostalgia. That I’m pining for the past. But the truth is — the video store really was as good as we remember.

These days, everyone has an opinion on movies, everyone’s an expert. But when you were young and interested in film, it was just you and the guy who worked in the video store.

And he knew absolutely every movie ever made.

You’d visit the store on Tuesday nights because on that particular night you’d bump into that cool old guy who knew all the best black and white movies and there was that girl who knew every indie film inside out.

Photo by Sean Benesh on Unsplash

You’d be there for hours. You didn’t even need to watch the movies, sometimes it was enough just to see the covers!

The streaming age was meant to bring more choice. You can see everything at the click of a button.

But back in the video store days, you’d watch the latest Spielberg film but then you’d also rent a video that explained the entire history of Wrestlemania and then you’d watch a horror film that absolutely nobody in the world had ever seen before.

There was more variety then than there is now. That shouldn’t be true but it is.

Carrying the videos home was the greatest pleasure in the world.

These days, nearly every film you see is bad.

But back then, films weren’t bad and they weren’t good, they were just movies, and you loved them.

I worked in a video store, for way below the legal minimum wage, and it was the best job I ever had.

I was working there towards the end, when there were only a handful of customers and the writing was on the wall.

But those handful of customers were some of the best people I ever knew.

The thing about the video store is that it was the place where people like us felt understood. We could hang out for hours.

If you wanted a conversation, you’d find an instant best friend who had great taste in movies.

And if you wanted to be left alone, you could look at the DVDs for hours and no-one would disturb you.

”I always tell the girls, never take it seriously, if ya never take it seriosuly, ya never get hurt, ya never get hurt, ya always have fun, and if you ever get lonely, just go to the record store and visit your friends.”
-Penny Lane, in ‘Almost Famous.’

I can literally still smell that place.

I can tell you where to find the latest movies and I can talk you through the gaming section.

You still owe a late fee by the way, but don’t worry, I’ll heavily discount it because I know how much you love movies.

The guy who owned my local store died, not too long after it closed down. He was only in his 40s. And whenever I’d bump into him, he’d tell me how he’s trying to find a way to re-open it.

I wish he did.

The video store era is gone.

And teenagers today have absolutely no idea what they’re missing out on.

There are probably some great movies on Netflix. I could probably find a lot of magic by scrolling through Amazon Prime.

But I want to be in the video store.