# Are there still any video rental stores in business in your area?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-any-video-rental-stores-in-business-in-your-area/952789
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [October 19, 2021, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-any-video-rental-stores-in-business-in-your-area/952789 "2021-10-19T21:28:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2021, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-any-video-rental-stores-in-business-in-your-area/952789/51 "2021-10-21T01:29:27Z")
I think there’s only one left in Seattle now: Scarecrow Video. The second-to-last video store here [closed just 3 months ago](https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/movies/goodbye-to-seattles-next-to-last-video-store/?amp=1).
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### Author:  [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2021, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-any-video-rental-stores-in-business-in-your-area/952789/52 "2021-10-21T01:58:49Z")
We have one video store which has a decent collection of films. They sold off all their VHS tapes 25 years ago. They have always offered free popcorn and have branched into video games. But they still are plugging away.
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### Author:  [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2021, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-any-video-rental-stores-in-business-in-your-area/952789/53 "2021-10-21T02:30:37Z")
That I know of the last chain of DVD rental stores in New Hampshire was Movie Scene and the last of those closed in 2012. The one nearest me closed a year or three earlier than that.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2021, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-any-video-rental-stores-in-business-in-your-area/952789/54 "2021-10-21T04:36:43Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#):
>
> I was gonna nominate [I Luv Video in Austin](https://www.statesman.com/story/news/coronavirus/2020/09/24/as-austinrsquos-i-luv-video-closes-owner-tries-to-keep-film-library-alive/114129144/), but it seems they closed last year.
Damn. I knew Vulcan Video had closed last year but I wasn’t aware I Luv Video had also closed.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2021, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-any-video-rental-stores-in-business-in-your-area/952789/55 "2021-10-21T04:42:40Z")
> [@Senegoid](#):
>
> Do we have any San Francisco Bay Area Dopers who can tell us the current (or last known) status of Rasputin Records?
I don’t know about Rasputin Music but I found this recent article about Video Wave in Noe Valley. The article described it as the last operating video rental store in the San Francisco area.
> **[How SF’s last video rental store survives Netflix](https://www.sfexaminer.com/culture/how-sf-s-last-video-rental-store-survives-netflix/article_fddfd508-62f2-5ae9-9b81-5b01d2503748.html)**
>
> Video Wave of Noe Valley is for streaming sceptics
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2021, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-any-video-rental-stores-in-business-in-your-area/952789/56 "2021-10-21T04:49:28Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#):
>
> > [@CalMeacham](#):
> >
> > I don’t think there are any straight video rental places left in the greater Boston area. The last one I knew was in Marblehead, and that went belly-up a couple of years ago.
>
> I visited Boston a couple of years ago and there was a coffee shop/video rental store that was in business then. They did have a few shelves of videos for rent but I feel their main focus was selling coffee and the videos were just a gimmick to draw in customers.
>
> I can’t remember their name now and I didn’t find them with a quick google search so I suspect they’ve since closed.
I was wrong. Some more searching and I found that [VU (aka Video Underground)](https://thevuinjp.com/) is still in business.
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### Author:  [@allyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/allyn)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2021, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-any-video-rental-stores-in-business-in-your-area/952789/57 "2021-10-21T04:51:23Z")
There’s an article in Wikipedia about Rasputin Music:
> **[Rasputin Music](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasputin_Music)**
>
> Pages for logged out editors learn more
>
> Rasputin Music is the largest independent chain of record stores in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. It was founded as "Rasputin Records" in 1971 in Berkeley, California by entrepreneur Ken Sarachan. It is named after an early 20th century Russian political/religious figure Grigori Rasputin.
> Rasputin Music operates five locations: the flagship store in Berkeley, Campbell, Pleasant Hill, Modesto and Fresno. Rasputin formerly operated stores...
Their website indicates they still have physical stores in Berkeley, Fresno, Campbell, Modesto, and Pleasant Hill. I’ll have to check out the Campbell store…
When they were in Mountain View, I use to drop by occasionally…it was fun to browse…
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### Author:  [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2021, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-any-video-rental-stores-in-business-in-your-area/952789/58 "2021-10-21T13:17:42Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#):
>
> I was wrong. Some more searching and I found that [VU (aka Video Underground)](https://thevuinjp.com/) is still in business.
That’s the one in Jamaica Plain that I mentioned.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2021, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-any-video-rental-stores-in-business-in-your-area/952789/59 "2021-10-21T13:55:12Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#):
>
> > [@Little\_Nemo](#):
> >
> > I was wrong. Some more searching and I found that [VU (aka Video Underground)](https://thevuinjp.com/) is still in business.
>
> That’s the one in Jamaica Plain that I mentioned.
Sorry. I missed that mention in your post.
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### Author:  [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2021, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-any-video-rental-stores-in-business-in-your-area/952789/60 "2021-10-21T15:00:12Z")
Yes!!
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### Author:  [@Mavis\_Topholese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mavis_Topholese)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2021, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-any-video-rental-stores-in-business-in-your-area/952789/61 "2021-10-21T17:47:30Z")
I’d never been to Videoflicks, and apparently I missed my chance, as they closed in 2019.
> **[One of Toronto’s last remaining video stores closes its doors - Toronto |...](https://globalnews.ca/news/6125458/video-flicks-store-closing-toronto/)**
>
> The store has been a movie rental staple in the Avenue Road and Lawrence Avenue area for those who enjoyed the old way of taking in a movie.
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### Author:  [@BeeGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeGee)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2021, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-any-video-rental-stores-in-business-in-your-area/952789/62 "2021-10-21T17:49:15Z")
Yes there are.
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### Author:  [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2021, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-any-video-rental-stores-in-business-in-your-area/952789/63 "2021-10-21T18:10:03Z")
> [@Mavis\_Topholese](#):
>
> I’d never been to Videoflicks, and apparently I missed my chance, as they closed in 2019.
>
> [One of Toronto’s last remaining video stores closes its doors - Toronto | Globalnews.ca](https://globalnews.ca/news/6125458/video-flicks-store-closing-toronto/)
Wow, what a shame! I specifically checked before I posted and their website is still up, but I do notice now that the little Google popup on the right says “temporarily closed”. Maybe there’s still hope that after this COVID plague they might re-open, but I suspect the odds are slim.
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### Author:  [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2021, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-any-video-rental-stores-in-business-in-your-area/952789/64 "2021-10-21T18:46:56Z")
Yes. [Casa Video](Http://casavideo.com/). They have lots of foreign films.
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2021, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-any-video-rental-stores-in-business-in-your-area/952789/65 "2021-10-21T18:52:49Z")
> [@kitap](#):
>
> Yes. [Casa Video](Http://casavideo.com/).
If they’re still in business (and Google Maps suggests that they are), they haven’t updated their “New Releases of the Week” feature on their website since March of 2020 (as that’s when those films came out on home video).
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### Author:  [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2021, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-any-video-rental-stores-in-business-in-your-area/952789/66 "2021-10-21T19:19:19Z")
Yeah, I noticed that but they are open.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2021, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-any-video-rental-stores-in-business-in-your-area/952789/67 "2021-10-22T01:53:20Z")
I am the OP of this thread. So I will officially say it is not necessary to limit your posts to a yes or no. If there is a still operating video rental store in your area, feel free to give its name and location.
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### Author:  [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2021, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-any-video-rental-stores-in-business-in-your-area/952789/68 "2021-10-23T15:31:45Z")
I admit, I thought you might have been in my [regional neighborhood](https://videocasataos.com/)
“Casa Video” \<–\> “Video Casa”
Tripler
Mi casa de video es nuestro casa de video.
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### Author:  [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2021, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-any-video-rental-stores-in-business-in-your-area/952789/69 "2021-10-24T18:24:00Z")
Victoria still has [Pic-a-Flic Video,](https://pic-a-flic.video/) in its (I think) fourth location now, with tons of foreign/cult stuff, going on 40 years. Owner Rob said it’s not going gangbusters, but fortunately niether is it on life support.
ETA: Not to be confused with scamsite [pickaflick.co](https://ca.trustpilot.com/review/pickaflick.co)
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### Author:  [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2021, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-still-any-video-rental-stores-in-business-in-your-area/952789/70 "2021-10-24T20:42:46Z")
In Suffolk, Virginia, the Blockbuster that I worked at closed in March or April of 2013. They offered the employees a transfer to another store that would last a little longer, but it was far enough away that it wouldn’t be worth it, so I took unemployment for awhile, went back to school, had a nervous breakdown, and am now on disability.
Family Video and Movie Gallery lasted a little longer, but they’re gone now. All that’s left is Redboxes.
Quite frankly, I knew we were toast when Redboxes started appearing in front of every 7-Eleven in Hampton Roads. There are a _lot_ of 7-Elevens in Hampton Roads.
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