Employee profile
What was the name of your video store?
The Video Studio
Where was the store located?
Covina, California (United States)
When did you start working at this store?
1990
In your own words, how did you get started working in video retail? What
led you to choose the video industry, and this store in particular?
My parents owned the store, I was a teenager.
Describe your store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
It was a small store in a shopping center.
What were your customers like? What particularly memorable customers or events do you remember?
Our customers were generally nice and enthusiastic. No particular memories come to mind.
What was your boss like? How did he or she divide the work in the store?
My boss was my mother. She was nice.
What video formats did your store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
VHS and Beta. I don't think we stocked Laserdisc. Beta had their own section.
In addition to mainstream Hollywood movies, what other kinds of videotapes
(children's videos or X-rated tapes, for example) did you rent/sell? Where were these
videos found in your store, and how important were they to the business?
We had adult tapes in a seperate walled-off section at the back of the store. We had an open children's section near the front of the store.
What other services/products did you offer besides the rental or sale of
programs? Did this change over time?
I self-published all-ages humor comic books and we sold them on the store counter. We also sold candy and things like that.
Did you ever rent VCRs or other hardware to your customers? If so,
how important were hardware rentals to the business?
Yes, but it wasn't important. It was a rare occurance.
During the period that you worked at the store, what changes did you see take place?
We moved to a new location on the other side of the shopping center, right beside the supermarket.
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
It closed in early 1992. A gigantic Blockbuster Video store opened right across the street (alongside a newly-built McDonald's location) and we went out of business shortly thereafter.