How to Run a Video Store in the Age of Streaming

If you're a moving picture fan, you probably accept subscriptions to several video streaming services. Simply you might well be missing out on some cult cinematic gems because (*gasps*) the internet doesn't have everything. After all, smart algorithms can only surface suggestions on materials they've catalogued, analyzed, and have admission to in their digital databases.

The same goes for music. Non everything has been digitized, hence the resurgence in vinyl.

If you're in Southern California, stop by Vidéothèque in S Pasadena. Celebrating its 15th birthday this month, it'south both a archetype video store—with 30,000+ titles—and a hybrid hipster hangout, with a vinyl section, vintage cinema stills transferred to magnets and T-shirts (available on Etsy), and achingly cool black-and-white postcards from a supplier in Paris (naturellement). We dropped past to conversation with owner Mark Wright about running a video store in the age of Netflix.

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Every bit yous might expect from the proper name, Vidéothèque has a whole Francophile theme going on, from the massive old-way cinema anteroom with Jean Luc Godard posters on the exposed brick walls to the Serge Gainsbourg on the turntable. Wright moonlights equally DJ Pierrot; take hold of him at Décadanse Soirée. Merely the seed for Vidéothèque was planted while Wright was studying French at nearby liberal arts school Claremont McKenna College, and working at the local Rhino Records.

Rhino Records "appear they were near to open a video shop too, then I applied, and got the job as manager, staying with them for five or six years. I had such a great fourth dimension that I thought I could go out at that place on my own, inspired by video stores I had seen on my travels," Wright said.

"Growing upwards, at that place was a good video store in my local neighborhood in Fresno, which was the size of a shoebox, simply had everything really well organized, divided by directors and countries. Other places that influenced me were Kim'southward Video & Music, in NYC, which sadly no longer exists, and Scarecrow Video in Seattle, which thankfully still does, and has an incredible collection."

South Pasadena is separate from Pasadena (and way cooler, the locals would have you know). Take the Metro gilt line from Spousal relationship Station—driving is so over in LA—and information technology's less than a iii-minute stroll.

"South Pasadena is super cute," said Wright. "I used to go to the 1920s vintage movie palace Rialto, which is round the corner, and currently pending restoration. I would walk downwardly this street, which was largely empty then or dotted with a few antique stores, and idea it had great potential. This building used to be a grocery shop. You lot can see remnants of the wall-painted advertizement for lard, which I gauge was once visible from the train tracks a cake over."

Afterwards its stint as a grocery store, the edifice became office of the Chouinard Art Constitute, which was folded into CalArts, Walt Disney's aggressive training ground for 1960s-era creatives (PCMag visited not long agone). Just for the devoted scream queen crowd, the area is near famous for beingness role of the real life location for (the original) Halloween.

"People come down this street, all dressed upwards, on Halloween, and all our copies of the movie, and every other horror picture show in stock, gets rented out that week," said Wright.

So, aside from Halloween, what are the top rentals from the past few years?

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"The original Star Wars is by and large No. 1," Wright pointed out, checking his listing. "People desire to discover the backstory, or introduce their kids to how it all started; followed by Studio Ghibli Japanese animation classic My Neighbor Totoro . Blade Runner (original) is too very popular, plus basically anything by Wes Anderson, and Singin' in the Pelting is a perennial depict."

How has Vidéothèque survived despite the proliferation of online services? Because Wright stocks titles, and entire categories, that the digital giants frequently overlook, including hard-to-find documentaries, besides as films that take never been digitized for streaming, but have made it to DVD (recall: subtitles).

Membership is free; a three-dark new release rental is $four.50. But many loyal cineaste members (this is LA after all) like to purchase rentals past the cake, upwards to 100 for simply under 200 bucks.

Vid�oth�que

The staff are all deeply knowledgeable, in de rigeur skinny black jeans. Merely if you're too shy to admit ignorance on the effectively points of Fassbinder (German manager, not the Alien: Covenant star), in that location are press cuttings pasted on the side of stacks from serious reviewers and titles are carefully curated, with the sort of theming you lot've come to expect online. For instance, Charles Mingus jazz documentaries are shelved next to those about Nina Simone.

If you lot're trying to seduce someone significantly sophisticated back to your identify, endeavor the store's "Plow Your Living Room Into a French Movie Festival" department. Night in with friends? Peruse "Italian Crime" or choice up the entire run of The Wonder Years for a a "tbt" evening.

The store is open up until xi p.m., which is just as well, because you lot can become lost in thought between the stacks, or fall deep into conversation with other locals who share a love for Linklater. You lot don't (yet) go that experience at home with your remote scrolling through the recommendations from an A.I.

Vidéothèque is open Monday - Sun 11 a.grand. to eleven p.m. (10 a.grand. on Sat), and located at 1020 Mission Street, #J, S Pasadena, CA 91030.