Bringing Back the Videos Killed Video To Go
Yesterday's Daily Hampshire Gazette had a sad story with an unfunny pun for a headline. "Video to Go to Go Away forever," and told the story of Kitze McCormick, who started the store in 1984, and it's been her life ever since. She's closing down and selling all of her movies.
The sad inevitability of the demise of video stores is nonetheless sad, because it is more than just another store closing. It means a place where people know movies will no longer be an option. I remember renting videos from Kitze's store in the '90s. They had foreign movies and arranged them by director.
That's the mark of a real film buff, movies sorted by Hitchcock, Kubrick, Scorcese instead of endless rows of the most popular new Ben Stiller dumb-a-thon.
"We are not a 'Do you want fries with that?' kind of place,'' McCormick told the Gazette. "We're there 'cause we love movies. If you walk down our new release wall, it's not three shelving units of one title. It's a very full new release wall with singles of all kinds of things you may have never heard of. I'll take a chance on all kinds of things, and we're happy to tell you whether to waste your time on it or not.''
But I've got say that I understand why they went down. I mean, I hate that old routine about 'bringing the movies back to the store. How many times in my life have I paid some late fee for a silly video that my kids never watched, or that ended up beneath the couch cushions!
I sit here with one Netflix and one Blockbuster by mail DVD. Sorry Kitze, I just didn't wanna have to remember to return them the next day, but you did a great job and your customers will miss you.
The sad inevitability of the demise of video stores is nonetheless sad, because it is more than just another store closing. It means a place where people know movies will no longer be an option. I remember renting videos from Kitze's store in the '90s. They had foreign movies and arranged them by director.
That's the mark of a real film buff, movies sorted by Hitchcock, Kubrick, Scorcese instead of endless rows of the most popular new Ben Stiller dumb-a-thon.
"We are not a 'Do you want fries with that?' kind of place,'' McCormick told the Gazette. "We're there 'cause we love movies. If you walk down our new release wall, it's not three shelving units of one title. It's a very full new release wall with singles of all kinds of things you may have never heard of. I'll take a chance on all kinds of things, and we're happy to tell you whether to waste your time on it or not.''
But I've got say that I understand why they went down. I mean, I hate that old routine about 'bringing the movies back to the store. How many times in my life have I paid some late fee for a silly video that my kids never watched, or that ended up beneath the couch cushions!
I sit here with one Netflix and one Blockbuster by mail DVD. Sorry Kitze, I just didn't wanna have to remember to return them the next day, but you did a great job and your customers will miss you.
Labels: kitze mccormick, video to go
posted by Max Hartshorne at 6:39 AM
1 Comments:
#1, it was a Recorder story, reprinted in the Gazette. Richie Davis wrote it.
#2, there's still hope.
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