March 30, 2017

Every video store has a story. And all of us of a certain age certainly have our own personal tales and memories of that long lost era of the video shop. Scanning the rows of tapes, wasting hours speculating and talking about movie titles with friends, dates, and family. And then finally settling on something that we’d all watch together.

I’m not intentionally trying to harp on nostalgia. I think things are pretty great now too with access to so many hard-to-find movies via Blu-Ray and digital outlets. But what I miss are the personal stories associated with the video stores.

I stumbled upon this mini 17 minute documentary that focuses on one store in particular, Video World based out of Woodbury, Connecticut. It’s been several years since the store closed down, or even since filmmaker Ben Churchill put this short together, but I like seeing the story of Ed Kaczynski and his loyal customers. And it’s also interesting to hear people theorize where the video market is going just a short 4 years ago! Actor Joe Pantoliano pops into the store during its final weeks after hearing it was closing down, which is fun & heartwarming as well. It may be gone, but not forgotten. Here’s a tribute to a little store called Video World.