{"id":9880,"date":"2014-10-20T23:46:32","date_gmt":"2014-10-21T03:46:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=9880"},"modified":"2015-10-12T13:09:03","modified_gmt":"2015-10-12T17:09:03","slug":"video-store-day-post-1-slight-preamble","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=9880","title":{"rendered":"Video Store Day: Slight Preamble to VSD IV"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Rogers_Contest_blog_pic\"<\/a>

Why’s this slick dude smiling? Check out a future post on Video Store Day.<\/p><\/div>\n

Preamble<\/strong><\/p>\n

This past Saturday was International Independent Video Store Day, and if the posts at the official IIVSD Facebook page<\/a> are any indication, the campaign was successful in attracting some attention to the industry, boosting foot traffic, and adding a few new stores to the existing tally of shops that exist outside of North America.<\/p>\n

A pessimist would argue the celebration is preaching to the converted \u2013 customers who already buy & rent stock from local shops, not those who\u2019ve switched to Netflix and Amazon for cheap rentals and deep discount pricing, respectively \u2013 but an optimist would note how VSD went from a variation of Record Store Day in its early years to something more reflective of its own industry, reminding movie fans and the studios that there\u2019s still an alternative to online streaming.<\/p>\n

The limited selection of big box stores and their and conscious effort to stock only what\u2019s necessary and immediately sellable means indie shops (online, and bricks & mortar) are one of the the main resources for film fans to acquire catalogue, specialty, and niche titles on disc. \u00a0The fact some labels are wiling to deal directly with stores and circumvent distributors removes the middle man and makes pricing more competitive.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, there\u2019s Amazon, but there\u2019s one edge stores have over online outlets: if a customer gets to hold what they want, knowing they can have it right now, half the battle\u2019s won, plus the money spent goes towards a local business, and there\u2019s no doubt local shops are in the most challenging phase of their existence.<\/p>\n

Toronto lost two rental shops in 2014, with a third set to close in early 2015 after its owner decided to extend its stay into the holiday season. Last year\u2019s winter \u2013 cold, icy, and frankly quite shitty \u2013 didn’t help merchants in general, because when it’s really nasty outside, the customer instinct is to hunker down and make do until the sun comes out.<\/p>\n

There’s also the perception of an industry that’s often presumed dead because Blockbuster’s implosion was so expansive.\u00a0<\/span>\u2018I didn\u2019t think video stores existed anymore?\u2019 is a really, <\/span>really<\/em> common reaction, and it’s bolstered by the reality that the corner or mall shop that used to pepper every suburban development is long gone – be it in Canada, the neighboring U.S., or Australia. Toronto’s downtown core is blessed with several stores, but their concentration is largely in the west end.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some may view video stores as a novelty rather than a niche industry – something absurd in an era where so much content\u2019s been digitized and is readily available from large corporate labels an sites.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s also a battle against being perceived as archaic, yet offering wares and services that are physical and done face-to-face, respectively – a process that’s not really weird or outmoded considering many still buy clothes, groceries, shoes, or a car in person. You know – getting out, and through social interaction, getting what you want from a human.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the term Shop Local is more important than ever, getting consumers to reacquaint themselves with viewing and buying options that have been around for some time.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve posted a tally of shops within Toronto that rent and sell videos, but if you check out the full list at the official VSD website, you\u2019ll see listings for Canada<\/a>, the U.S.<\/a>, and International<\/a> shops.<\/p>\n

You may have seen the video Inside Scarecrow Video: The Largest Independent Video Store in the World<\/strong> (2013), a two-level shop carrying a wealth of\u00a0material that\u2019s available for rental, some of which never migrated from tape to disc. The argument that stores have become rare archives of marginalized and forgotten film and TV history isn\u2019t false, nor unique to Seattle, WA, but in an effort to keep the store and its collection alive, Scarecrow Video<\/a> has become a non-profit archive which, as this piece details<\/a>, is a bold new experiment:<\/p>\n

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