Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
Cheri's Video
Where was the store located?
Titusville, Pennsylvania (United States)
When did you start shopping at this store?
1988
Describe your video store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
Candy was a a very distinguishing feature. Cheri used to sell home made candy and the accessories that went into making candy. When she invested into video the store slowly changed shape from chocolates to videos. It never lost its appeal mainly because of the interaction of its clerks...always telling you what you should or shouldn't watch. It was also an after school hangout for a few Nintendo, horror film freaks(like me). It was a main piece to our little town's puzzle.
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?
Tina was by far the employee you spoke to when you had movie related questions. Her humor and sensitive nature were what attracted the customers. Being a small town there were many memorable moments that were shared throughout the community. One event for me was the first video I rented there, on my own. I rented "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and she looked down into my chubby face and said I think this is going to be the start of a wonderful journey. It was, I'm still mad about movies.
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
Begining with chocolates and moving into video and then sharing space with Little Ceasars and Taco Bell has changed the place alot. It has detered customers from coming in for videos, they have now relocated to other stores for their video pleasures. Big business impregnated our little store with its greed.
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
Mostly VHS present, a few Beta tapes early on. I believe they had the largest laserdisc collection in the county.
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?
Never x-rated. Exercise had taken the country by storm with Peter Fonda's sister, so Cheri had purchased a number of exercise videos for rent. For sale, mostly childrens or new releases after they had passed their prime.
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
I rented simply because I didn't have the money to purchase movies. I've since then changed and tend to purchase more now due to the availabilty with DVD.
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
Transitional changes began with Cheri phasing out her candy supplies and investing more heavily into videos. Once she had the market on videos in the area she focused her attention on the store itself. She remolded the outside and inside to be more entertainment friendly...ie..bright neon lights outside with neon forming borders for upcoming releases. Velvet ropes in the checkout line for that theatre feel.
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
Last time I heard it was open, but not a good video store. Cheri had partnered with Taco Bell and also with Little Ceasars...the store had been surpassed by four other stores in the area. Once she broke the mold with her store others followed suit.
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 mother purchased the machine from Fisher's Big Wheel our local department store. It was Dec. of 87 as a christmas present to me. I had bugged the hell out of her to get one, I was the only kid in school who didn't have one wink wink wink.
Did you ever rent a VCR or other hardware (a camera, for instance)? If so,
how often and why?
Prior to the purchase of our first my mother had rented a VCR to "see how the damned thing worked". It was just that once and I believe it was also for a party I had at my house.