Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
Magic Video
Where was the store located?
Whitestone (Queens, NYC), New York (United States)
When did you start shopping at this store?
1986
Describe your video store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
Small mom n' pop venue (It's a fish store now). Tidy enough, but cramped. There were a couple of posters, and that's about it. Certainly none of the crapulent pop culture propaganda you get blown in your ears at oplaces like Blockbuster
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?
Nondescript. Interaction was limited to over the counter transactions, and none were particularly memorable
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
None that I can remember.
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
VHS was thye main format in the mid 80's. Beta was pretty much dead by then
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?
At the time, animation/cartoon compilations were what I was looking for. Usually, these were found in the kid's section. The "hard to find" compilations are what I usually rented. This particular store did not carry porn, but those that did tended to have it in another room.
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
I'd rent them and copy them. "Piratevision", if you will! Most of the movies I rented (animation) were used as reference thereafterFew of the videos I wanted were for sale anyway, and many were limited release/out of print. I never sold copied videos, however...
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
Initially, there was a monthly membership fee. This obviously didn't last as competition became fiercer and more such venues opened. The price of "for sale" videos plummented from $80+ (the temerity!) to under $30. Otherwise, no visible changes occurred between 1986 and 1991
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
No. The store was gone by the mid 1990's
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?
My first VCR was a Curtis Mathes model 1985. Purchased while I was on active duty in the Navy, in Corpus Christi, Texas (1985). Curtis Mathes was, at the time, considered one of the best brands. It lasted a full decade before it gave up the ghost (and was woefully obsolete by then)...
Did you ever rent a VCR or other hardware (a camera, for instance)? If so,
how often and why?
No