Elgin Street Video Station employees Di Goldberg and Tim McEown, stand outside the video store during its temporary shutdown. The popular film shop recently re-opened.
Elgin Street Video Station’s former manager, Ben Varty, re-opened the popular independent film outlet Nov. 2 after purchasing the store following the former owner’s death in early September.
Former owner Ben Kinsman’s obituary was taped to the store’s boarded-up front door and notices for his funeral are plastered to the windows, with personal messages handwritten on the posters’ white borders by passers-by.
For close to two months the store was closed but its contents and window dressings remained intact.
Former employees of the store said they were bombarded with inquiries into what would happen to Elgin Street Video.
Di Goldberg, an Elgin Street Video employee, said she was anxious to tell people what was going on while the store was closed.
“The store will be re-opened. It’s just a question of in what form and when,” she said before the store re-opened.
Tim McEown, one of Goldberg’s friends and co-workers, said that although the store’s closing didn’t affect every part of people’s lives as it did his, the local film buff community was still suffering.
“What people have said to me, more than anything else, is that there’s a star-shaped hole in their life,” he said last week.
He said almost all of the store’s former customers that approached him said that the closure is important enough that they feel the difference in their lives.
“They get a feel of what you like, based on what you rent,” said Geoff McIver, one of the store’s regular customers, who said he felt the difference when the store closed. “[The store] gives you options that don’t exist in other stores.”
McIver said there was a personal level and trust with Elgin Street Video staff.
He said they used to refer him to independent movies that he wouldn’t ordinarily choose.
“Indy films are kinda hit-and-miss at Blockbuster because there’s no one to ask,” he said.
Neighbouring businesses missed Elgin Street Video too.
“An empty store-front never looks great,” said Pat Caven, manager of Perfect Books, the store next door.
Before Elgin Street Video re-opened she said that she thought it would really affect sales if the store front remained black for a really long time.
“If that’s an empty store front it’s not good for business for anybody along here,” she said.
“We’re a good combination with the video store, a lot of our customers overlap,” said Caven.
She said when the store was closed it was hard because everyone was gone at five and it had been nice to have the video store open until 11 p.m.
“You don’t realize what a centerpiece on Elgin it was and how it brought everybody there. We’ve had all walks of life there,” said Goldberg.
She said the store serves as a community staple and has something different to offer. That uniqueness has kept it alive for the past few years despite new competitors like Direct TV, satellite, the Internet and franchise video stores.
While McEown and Goldberg conceded that Kinsman’s collection of memorabilia, which spans as far back as 25 years, brings some people into the store, McEown said it is not what keeps people coming back.
“There was an interaction on a level that was more than just ‘hi how are you?’” McEown said. “There was a lot of intersection between our lives and the people that came into the store."