CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio – Whether it was a reward for a good report or part of a family’s daily routine, physical movie rental companies like Family Video are anchored in American culture. In a few weeks, almost all of them will be gone. This week, Family Video parent company announced it would roll over credits to the remaining 250 stores. For the remaining employees, the ongoing liquidation sales are the last act of commitment.
Family Video parent company Highland Ventures Ltd. announced on Tuesday that the 42-year-old brand is nearing its end. What started out as a handful of small stores selling Betamax tires four decades ago had grown to 800 locations at its peak. The retail chain that pocketed the Midwest has successfully transitioned, taking over every major iteration of media from Betamax to VHS to DVD and later Blu-ray. Once streaming began to gain popularity, Family Video adjusted its business model to focus on smaller Midwestern communities, using a sister company, Marco’s Pizza, as a lure to get more people in.
News 5
Family Video has outlived the ‘Big 3’ for ten years: Blockbuster, Movie Gallery and Hollywood Video. Keith Hoogland, CEO of Highland Ventures, said in a press release that it was the pandemic that ultimately hit the company.
“I have to make the difficult announcement that we are closing all Family Video locations. The impact of COVID-19, not only on foot traffic but also the lack of movie releases, pushed us to the end of an era,” Hoogland said in the release . “I am extremely grateful to our employees and customers who have been instrumental in the success of Family Video. Without you, we wouldn’t have been the last man in our industry.”
If the crew at the Cuyahoga Falls location is any indication, Highland is right.
***
All but three places in the parking lot are empty. The lights are dim and the door is locked. Perfectly parallel lines of rectangular boxes wrap the shop front like a belt. From the latest blockbuster to a decades-old classic, each of the hundreds of movies on Family Video shelves has a sticker.
You can take one home with you, but you cannot return it. The days of renting are over.
“Family Video has been able to last about 10 years longer than the other video stores,” said manager Annette Haynes. “I think that says something about the company. We did our best to stay.”
News 5
They tried their best to stay and now they are doing their best to say goodbye.
Haynes and two other employees, Gillian Adams and Rachel Sommer, are working to prepare the store for the hustle and bustle of those looking for deeply discounted movies, games, and trinkets. The first day of ‘everything has to go’ is always non-stop.
“We were here on Wednesday from open to closing and we weren’t even open,” said Sommer. “We did it to get ready for today.”
The three women can speak from experience. Sommer and Adams’ previous store was liquidated at the end of last year. This is Haynes’s third liquidation.
“Especially after the memories I’ve made here, both working and not working, I don’t know what else I can do to fill that void,” Adams said.
News 5
For Adams, closing the store in Cuyahoga Falls is particularly difficult because it was the store she and her family frequented. That deep connection to the venue and its loyal customers is why she wants to steer it right, she said.
“I literally wouldn’t want to do anything else right now,” Adams said. “I enjoyed it every day.”
Around noon the doors are unlocked and the line of people gathered outside begins to pour in. Deal hunters choose the movies and games for sale and build towers that are 10, 15, 20 movies high. One of the customers thinks out loud: “It’s a shame it took until the store closed to get so many cars in the parking lot.”
News 5
For people of a certain age, places like Family Video hold the keys that unlock memories once forgotten. Bringing the family together to rent a movie was ingrained in everyday American life. Family members had to compromise and settle for just a few titles. If the movie was already checked out, you had to be patient and wait your turn. The practice that now sounds archaic was actually quite harmonious back then.
“This is where you come, where everyone would come. You went out to dinner and you were going to get a movie. You were going to go home and watch it together as a family. “Friday night and Saturday night we had four people working. We were just so busy.”
Movies, however, were only the icebreaker. In many small towns, the Family Video store would be the de facto hangout in the area. There was always a chance to see your neighbor, your friend or your teacher there (for better or worse). When Haynes turns off the lights and locks the door one more time, those deep-seated contacts with her customers will be the most noticeable.
News 5
“I would get to know the families and their children. I watched mothers get pregnant and have their babies,” said Haynes. ‘Their children would grow up in my shop. Now once [store] is gone, I have nowhere to go. No other job is coming. “
Haynes said her job at Family Video – her “fun job” as she calls it – will end in a few weeks. It’s a daunting proposition, of course, but Haynes certainly doesn’t think about it. Plus, she has some friends to say goodbye to.
“We have become friends with many of our customers. It is important to say goodbye to all of our customers to make sure they know we will miss them,” said Haynes.
You cannot speed up time and you certainly cannot slow it down. All you can do is hit play and be friendly when you rewind.