(p. A15) “Whoa, a video store!” said a man recently walking by Video Free Brooklyn, loud enough to be heard inside the shop.
It’s true: Video-store holdouts still exist. Their goal is to keep pushing DVDs, Blu-Rays and even VHS tapes in an age when streaming movies is second-nature.
Owners and customers of the more than 100 independent and nonprofit video stores still kicking throughout the U.S., often in places with strong locavore food scenes, say the stores offer variety film lovers can’t find elsewhere. It might be a deep roster of anime films by Hayao Miyazaki, or one of Dario Argento ‘s more obscure grindhouse efforts. They allow a browsing experience impossible online and serve as libraries for movies and TV shows that will likely never transfer to an online format.
For the full story, see:
ERIN GEIGER SMITH. “Revenge of the Video Store.” The Wall Street Journal (Mon., Nov. 28, 2016): A15.
(Note: the online version of the story has the date Nov. 26, 2016.)