Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
Kingston Video
Where was the store located?
Kingston, New Jersey (United States)
When did you start shopping at this store?
1984
Describe your video store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
It was in a strip mall--very Jersey. A fairly complex maze of very tall white wooden shelves in a narrow space with films organized by genre. New releases were on the shelves that made up the center aisle. The adult section, which I never went into, was behind a beaded curtain in the back, next to the counter. The other genres were in their own areas, sectioned off by the walls of shelves. The store's most distinguishing feature--and something I miss in these days of Blockbuster--was the range of movies available. Everything from European art cinema to "Lunch Wagon" to "Brother from Another Planet" to "Casablanca" to "Plan 9 from Outer Space" was on the shelves and easy to find. Unlike Blockbuster, which rarely stocks art/non-Sundance independent films or many classic films, or a place like Video American, which doesn't really stock major Hollywood films (I could go into my rant about the fact that I couldn't rent "Gone with the Wind" in Baltimore in 1996, but now is not the time), Kingston Video had an incredible range of films available.
What were the employees and/or owners like, and what kinds of interactions
did you have with them? What particularly memorable exchanges or events
do you remember?
The only employee I remember the one old guy who owned the store. Perhaps he was the only employee. He was really nice and always credited stuff I rented to my parents' account--and sometimes he'd forget, so free movies!
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
I know they rented VCRs for a while in the early 80s, before we got our own. I have no idea if they continued to do so.
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
I only remember VHS. That does not mean that they never had Beta. I don't think they offered Laserdisc.
In addition to mainstream Hollywood movies, what other kinds of videotapes
(for example children's, exercise, or X-rated) did the store rent/sell? Where were these
videos found in the store, and how often did you rent or purchase them?
I remember them having adult films, children's, foreign, independent, campy bad stuff, and some exercise videos. The adult films had their own room in back. The children's were in their own section by the front door. Foreign and independent were usually filed under "drama," although I think later they may have had their own section by the register. The campy stuff usually was in "horror" or "comedy," and the exercise videos took up a few rows on one of the center shelves. Except for adult films (since, you know, I was very young) and excercise videos, I rented the other types of films almost, if not as often as mainstream Hollywood films.
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
Rent. My parents paid for it.
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
Very few. The shelves got more and more full over time, occasionally the genres would be moved, occasionally films that weren't being rented would be sold, but the store didn't change a whole lot from the mid-80s until the last time I was there in the mid-90s.
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
The store closed around 1994 or 1995, shortly after I'd left town. The local Blockbuster, incidentally, opened around 1993.
In your own words, tell the story of your first VCR/video player. Where
and when did you buy it, and why did you decide to make the purchase?
I don't remember, honestly. I remember not having one, but getting one was not a huge deal in my house. Of course, I was also 8. Thing is, my parents were still using that VCR up until 1999.
Did you ever rent a VCR or other hardware (a camera, for instance)? If so,
how often and why?
We rented a VCR once so I could show movies at my 8th birthday party (1984). We had our own by my 9th birthday.