$1 Dollar Video - My Neighborhood Video Rental Store

I'm quite sure that nobody reading this has ever heard of One Dollar Video from my little hometown in New York.  But if you've been reading my nostalgic memories here at YesterYear Retro for a while, you've certainly seen me mention "Dollar Video" from time to time.

  

To be honest, until I spent some time on the Google machine for this article, I had forgotten that it was technically called "One Dollar Video" (or, more accurately, $1 Video), so named for the rate they originally charged for a one-night VHS rental.  Despite the fact that we all just called it "Dollar Video" anyway, when inevitably prices went up, the "One" remained.

As a youngster, I got more video games than anything from there until I was a few years older and enjoyed the film selection process.  As I mentioned in Race For Your Life, Charlie Brown, up to a certain point, we got most of our movies for free from the library.  

I have some very specific and wonderful memories of the place.  Like the time I was home sick from school and Mom took me to get the NES game based on the 1989 Batman movie.  After, she took me over to the town bakery (which is now a print shop) to get a GIANT black and white cookie before returning home to play my rented game.  That one was hard, man, especially for a sick 5 or 6-year-old.  

The small, family-run business set up shop in a small strip mall less than half a mile from my childhood home.  When I was older, I walked there with the kids in the neighborhood, but mostly, I remember Mom stopping in on our way to or from errands on a Saturday morning.  That way, when we got home, my brother and I would happily occupy the remainder of our day with a movie or video game.  For a dollar or three, it was a cheap way to keep us satisfied and entertained.

Dollar Video had a little bit of everything, from VHS tapes (eventually DVDs) to video games, trading cards, novelty toys, and plenty of candy.

After doing some research, it looks like One Dollar Video opened on March 9, 1990, or at least that's when they filed with the State of New York to incorporate the business.  It seems a little late to catch the start of the video rental craze of the mid-to-late 80s, but they were certainly the first dedicated rental store in our town.  

The owners were wonderful people, too.  Or, at the very least, they were friendly when you'd come in compared to the disgusted looks of disinterested teenagers working at the Blockbuster Video that would eventually open nearby.  

Despite being old, the woman who was always there had her finger on the pulse of movies from all genres, old or new.  Whatever was the hottest film at the time was her expertise, and she would happily supply her opinion and suggestions in sync with our interests.  She was probably only in her late 40s or early 50s, but everyone looks really old when you're that young.  

I'm not sure if we knew her name back then, even though she knew ours.  Most of the time, when we came in, she acted like she knew us, could remember what we had rented last time, and wouldn't even need to ask for our phone number when checking us in or out of their computer system.

According to state financial records, though, her name was July.  She was an older Asian woman, and I can remember being impressed, even as a child, with her knowledge of movies and what was suitable for children and what wasn't.  

One particular weekend, I wanted to rent Hot Shots: Part Deux and my Mom asked July for her opinion.  Clear as day, I can remember July saying it was a very funny movie, but to fast-forward through some parts at X and Y minutes into the movie because certain scenes weren't good for kids to watch.  I honestly don't remember the times or even really what the scenes in the movie were, so you'll have to watch and let me know.  

I can also remember, clear as day, that by the time we got home and I got around to putting the tape in the VCR, my Mom had forgotten the instructions, and I got an eye full!  :)

It wasn't only Hot Shots where she knew the specific times in the movie to skip over; she could do that for nearly anything.  That lady knew her business. 

Man, I can still smell that store.  It's hard to describe, but it's heavy on 'plastic' thanks to the countless clear clamshell cases in which she'd keep the tapes.  It's like plastic mixed with freshly cleaned carpet and apple-flavored Push Pop lollipops.  That's the best I can describe what I smell inside my head, but I'd know it if I smelled it instantly.  

This is also apparently the only photo of the store on the Internet.  I've spent over four hours Google-ing, using Street View, and several other means, but this is the only one I can find.  Maybe there are some on someone's personal Facebook page or something, but I'm glad I at least found this one.

Dollar Video was also the only store in town where you could rent video games until Blockbuster came along toward the end of the 90s.  Dollar Video's selection was pretty impressive, but when Sega or Playstation became all the rage, I felt like a traitor for using Blockbuster.  I begged Mom to sign us up at Blockbuster so we could rent the console system, and we'd go to Dollar Video for the game (it was cheaper) and head right over to Blockbuster and rent the console for the weekend.  Those were the weekends you couldn't pry me away from the television.

I remember once, even July asked if I realized the game I had chosen was a Sega since I always rented Nintendo.  I don't know my answer, but I hope I didn't tell her we were giving business to the mega-corporation down the block about to put her out of business.

Those weekends were likely the same weekends my Dad and Brother went on fishing trips together.  They'd do that occasionally, leaving Mom and me alone for a night or two.  Mom would take me down to Dollar Video, and I'd load up on movies to watch while they were away.  That's how I first saw three of my most often-watched rentals: Angus, Remote, and Camp Nowhere.

As I got older, I attended the store less frequently due to television, hockey, or other social interests away from videos.  I was always pleasantly surprised when they rearranged the store. It would always take me a few seconds to get my bearings on the new layout.  

The store generally always looked the same, though, with the candy and check-out counter up front, white wire racks holding up the tapes or games, the beaded curtain in the back "hiding" the adult section, and a few tiny square box televisions up at ceiling level playing the latest movies.  

I can never forget the time when I was 15 or 16; I went to rent a movie with some friends after not having been inside the store for almost a year.  After giving July's son our phone number for the computer, he refused to rent the video to me.   

Embarrassed as my friends cackled, I asked why.  He said it was due to several outstanding videos on my account and that I owed a ton of money.  I told him I hadn't been there in almost a year, and he started typing on the computer before eying me up and down.  

He shrugged and dryly said, "Then tell your brother to bring back our movies," before checking my video out for the night. 

I honestly think that was one of my last memorable experiences in the store, save for my first winter break home from college.  I finally had a TV and VHS/DVD player in my room (and a Playstation that I played Vice City on for 24 straight hours once during the same break), so I planned to use my month off around the holidays to see a litany of films I always wanted to see.  They were big movies I felt everyone should see once and perhaps would make me seem more knowledgeable in adult conversations.  

So, I rented a TON of classic movies that I had always wanted to see, like The Godfather One and Two, the entire Rocky series, Citizen Kane, and Gone with the Wind.  I understand that some of these titles are not like the others, but I must have rented and watched about 20 or 30 movies that first winter break.

I'm not exactly sure when One Dollar Video closed, but I'd already stopped going there by the time it did.  That same strip mall housed several doctor's offices, and one day, when I was taking Gramps to his podiatrist, I noticed it was gone.  I didn't miss it in that moment, but I do now.  Oh, how I'd love to take my daughter there and show her how good life used to be.

They did have a second location on the other side of the county, and they likely closed our store and consolidated it into one.  According to the State of New York, the company officially dissolved on July 10, 2015.  I can't imagine they stayed open that long, but you never know.  

There are probably a million similar family-run stores (and stories about them) that barely scraped by once DVDs became more affordable.  In fact, the guys at The Retro Network, namely Adam and our dear, late friend Jason, ran several seasons of a podcast called Rental Returns dedicated to people's nostalgia for and memories of their times working or shopping in video rental stores.  

While it's sad that these stores are gone now, we can all be happy that they still live on in our memories.