Video rental stores - are they going to come back in a smaller scale like arcades have?

Shrap

Shrap

Member
I watched this cinemassacre video earlier today:


It made me think there is a demand out there for the old school video store. Not large scale but from a smaller crowd of enthusiasts and people nostalgic for the old video store experience. The store they covered has taken a smart approach in running a physical video store in 2019 - make it a shrine to movies with insane selection, memorabilia and even a cinema. All things you can't get on a streaming service along with the obvious physical interaction. It's an experience that can't be recreated in the digital space.

So it's possible that more of these stores will pop up a lot like adult arcades have for the same reasons - nostalgia and the experience for those who grew up with them.

What do you reckon?
 
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The only audience would be people looking for the gems that aren't available on streaming/rental or back channels

so no
 
Theres actually a handful here in portland oregon. The atmosphere of a video store is like no other.

I hope you're right op. The world needs at least a handful of places like this, if only to show the future what the past was at one time.
 
Saw that Video just recently, Portland still has the worlds last existing blockbuster video store still too right?

🤔 I don't know what that says about Portland 😁 I'm kidding, I do miss a video store sometimes, especially looking at all the Video Covers, particularly the Horror Section, you'd know what I mean if you were a fan of old VHS horror covers too.

but also I can't be bothered with returns, late fees & choosing what's left out of the crappy movies or Re-renting something again because the top film I want to see is always rented out. That said if there was one within walking distance to my house and it was as good as the one in that cinemassacre video, I'd probably use it for fun.
 
It's too easy to jump on Amazon/Google/Apple/PSN/Vudu to hire a movie these days. I can't imagine physical stores making a come back.
 
Got a small rental place near us that also sells records and older consoles/games.

There's always a stream of people in there buying and renting stuff, trading in old games.

Not sure how lucrative it is but feels like an untapped market these days.
 
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Where I live we got a Family video (with a pizza place next to it so they do cross promotions); and a local gaming store with used games, movies of all types and classic consoles, I love going to physical stores.
 
I could see it if it was for more obscure expensive blu-ray stuff. Code Red, Vinegar Syndrome, and all those labels that release titles for ~$25. Otherwise it's worthless. Just stream capeshit movie #784588345974397523689324760-25-86 at home. VHS tapes are already all used as fuck.
 
Do I really need to know what a Vinegar Syndrome/Severin incel smells like? No.. not really.
 
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Jesus Carbomb said:
Do I really need to know what a Vinegar Syndrome/Severin incel smells like? No.. not really.
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Doesn't smell like AIDS or Kurt Cobain's brain.

y0gBU7J.jpg
 
Even if they did, who would leave their house to rent the trash they put out today.There's a reason Redbox worked, people were going to go to walmart anyway.I can't speak for anyone else, but I used to take dedicated trips to the video store, I can't see people doing this again en masse.
 
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I must say not something I am interested in.
Distant memories of video store - what I want is always rented out.
 
I used to use a disc service called Cinema Paradiso not to long ago to get muh quirky international (see: Asian) movies. Might re-sub actually.
 
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It's a risky business, because you need to know you're going to have a decent clientele for that retro stuff. Most young people won't care even if it's an establishment next door. There were a retro games store and a retro bar in my city - both closed down after about 1-2 years despite having passionate owners who weren't into it for the easy money.
 
Wouldn't be hard to do. VHS tapes are like $1 at thrift stores you could easily get stock that way then rent to people with VCRs (heck, rent those out too, find me at thrift stores). Of course whether the demand is enough to pay your rent that's a different story.
 
i dont understand the younger crowd fascination with VHS, but yea a couple guys i worked with were like 18 or 19 and really into collecting and watching VHS. so i could see it being a thing like vinyl and arcades
 
Kev Kev said:
i dont understand the younger crowd fascination with VHS, but yea a couple guys i worked with were like 18 or 19 and really into collecting and watching VHS. so i could see it being a thing like vinyl and arcades
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Welcome to NEOGAF. I konw this is sort of OT but I dont see how VHS could get that popular again.

Vinyl can produce arguably better sound than a digital track, depending of course on your setup, amp, speakers, turntable, record quality etc. But there is an argument to be made.

Arcades at least give you the communal aspect that is sort of missing from modern day gaming. Going out drinking, playing tons of different games etc.

VHS is brutal to watch.
 
DGrayson said:
Welcome to NEOGAF. I konw this is sort of OT but I dont see how VHS could get that popular again.

Vinyl can produce arguably better sound than a digital track, depending of course on your setup, amp, speakers, turntable, record quality etc. But there is an argument to be made.

Arcades at least give you the communal aspect that is sort of missing from modern day gaming. Going out drinking, playing tons of different games etc.

VHS is brutal to watch.
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thanks!

like i said, i have no idea what the interest in VHS is (i'm 32 so i grew up with them and don't miss them at all, so in a way i don't see how it could work either) but i've seen enough interest in it, and from younger people no less, that it majkes me believe a small store that carries all "analog" products could work. i mean you not gonna se me tryin to open that store lol, but i wouldn't be surprised if i saw one pop up somewhere

arcades are certainly offering a whole other experience. in this area however, i never hear people talking about them
 
These stores actually still exist in some areas. There will always be a subset of people who will want this. Will likely never become a major business again, but it's there.

It's like vinyl. (Go ahead and flame me because it sounds so much better). It's just not practical to most people anymore. Some will never lose their love for it.
 
VHS had lots of flaws but those are all interesting now. Tracking and colour bleeding and ghosting and all kinds of weird analog effects that you will never see in a million perfect streams. You can't do that with instagram. There is something magical and ghostly about VHS media

Plus some movies, like 80s horror, just FEEL RIGHT on VHS. When I listen to a vinyl record I know that was the end product the Beatles had in mind while mixing, I think it's similar for many films of the 80s/90s.
 
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I think they were basically replaced with used book, game, and movie exchanges. They are popular as hell around here.

Not too much with the VHS tapes though.
 
I'm the cliche arcade kid who used to go to the local arcade and scrounge every machine to find one loose token and spend it on beating one of the many fighting games from start to finish. I have always been fairly short and young looking and it was my joy to beat the living shit out the local marines watching them rage out as this little shit keeps costing them more coins.

I was so diehard i used to take a city bus on an hour long drive to an every better arcade on the weekends.

Sadly over time before they all faded away the games that made them what they were disappeared for fad/gimmick games required 1$ versus 25 cents.

If an arcade business could be sustainable today, I would probably be running one. Similarly video rental stores would exist if there was a sustainable model.

Digital Media is certainly a double edged sword to brick and mortar.
 
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Kev Kev said:
arcades are certainly offering a whole other experience. in this area however, i never hear people talking about them
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I have to go to sites like Arcade Heroes, Wilcox Arcade and ArcadeOtaku to get regular arcade updates. That's how I found out about stuff like the Exa-Arcadia system and its games (I hope that does very well, btw).

Thankful to have, too; there's some genuinely cool stuff being done there that I'd say (IMHO) is even more exciting than any of the next-gen console stuff, at least from a tech and gameplay innovation POV. Wouldn't mind there being an app or storefront for PC/console versions of some of those arcade games from SEGA, Raw Thrills etc.
 
Maybe a used exchange like some have suggested, but nostalgia glasses aside I don't really miss Blockbuster's overpriced rental system. Maybe it could be a niche thing, but going forward there are going to be fewer and fewer people that even have the ability to play these old discs/cassettes.
 
How much longer are VHS tapes even going to hold up? I still have a few (star wars OT SEs) but I cant even watch them because my old VHS player only has component out and I dont think any of my TVs accept those inputs.

As much as I loved video stores back in the day there is nothing they can offer over an internet based version IMHO. Digging up obscure films or curating a recommended watch list can be better leveraged via a forum than some store in one town.

I do see a need for netflix or some other streaming service to offer more curated recommendations and playlists. It frustrates the hell out of me that I cant get an arrow verse stream with everything in release date order instead of having to bounce between 4 separate show lists. Some Halloween movies or "classic greats" lists coming from a recognized authority would be nice as well and would essentially act like a good video store clerk.
 
Family Video is a thing still, and actually keep opening new locations. It's not like your example in the OP but it's definitely an old school rental chain like you remember Blockbuster/Hollywood being.

Great deals on used blu-rays too on their website, I usually wait until around Xmas time and throw 50 bucks at them and pick up 10-12 movies I missed out on throughout the year.
 
I have awesome memories of going with my father to a video rental place called Charles video in the 80's and 90's (it was themed with Charlie Chaplin stuff, hence the name). Magic memories.

As for gaming, my favorite place was called Hollywood Games and they always had the latest shit. It was fucking magical to be able to rent the latest games or finding hidden gems. They also had an arcade and consoles that you could play for an amount of time. It rocked so much.

Great memories.
 
Perhaps in the same way that viynyl music has come back into vogue in certain circles.

Small local businesses, that sorta thing.
 
There's possibly a niche market for it. I can imagine all the folks who grew up with fond memories of video rental would like to experience it again.
 
Hypereides said:
There's possibly a niche market for it. I can imagine all the folks who grew up with fond memories of video rental would like to experience it again.
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Sometimes that was part of the charm. It was kind of a library, and you would sometimes strike up conversations with strangers if you have seen a film (or played a game) or they have seen a film (or played a game), and either/or would recommend or not recommend it.

Now, everything is all at your fingertips at home, and people become more and more shut in.
 
Step it up a notch. Ditch the individual rental costs if they pay a modest membership fee, then besides the browsing/rental area have two sizable comfortable viewing areas where you play movies according to a planned schedule you publish to members. One area will be for "movie talkers" and the other area on the other side of the store will be for non-talkers. They'll have fairly thick doors so sound doesn't bleed across, and both areas will have a small concessions corner. One night a week, have an evening for adults were alcohol is served and the films are of a mood for something more sociable.
 
DeepEnigma said:
Sometimes that was part of the charm. It was kind of a library, and you would sometimes strike up conversations with strangers if you have seen a film (or played a game) or they have seen a film (or played a game), and either/or would recommend or not recommend it.

Now, everything is all at your fingertips at home, and people become more and more shut in.
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Well, you're obviously right. Most things have become exponentially more accessible nowadays. However, that doesn't exclude the possibility that it could make a comeback as a concept. People have already mentioned vinyl and barcades as examples. Might just be a question of how to tackle it properly.
 
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