Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
Xanavision
Where was the store located?
Victoria, British Columbia (Canada)
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 shoved into the corner of this little shopping complex, between the electronic repair shop and the computer store. It was smallish, had a lot of racks that were constantly changing orientation, trying to squeeze every last bit of room out of the store.
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 Manager became a very good friend of mine and we often collaborated on outside film projects. He started a widescreen section in the store, the only one in the city. I remember very distinctly the day he found out I had the box set for Starblazers: The comet empire, and made me an offer to purchase it for the store.
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
The store was strictly video rental.
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
In the beginning they offered VHS and Beta, but by '88 they were strictly VHS only. They never carried 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?
There was an adult section that I never got around to venturing in to. We also had a Canadian films section, and near the end we had a "Local" section with some locally made indie films. These were generally free rentals and were in the store at the request of those who had made them. Several of the movies I had been involved in made it into this section.
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
I rented, VHS was just too expensive at the time, Laserdisc more so, and I just didn't like buying movies that weren't in their original aspect ratio.
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
The Store expanded a bit when the electronic repair shop went under. New faces came and went, with my friend Dan being thhe only constant. The "Deal" came in, 5 regular releases for 5 days for 5 dollars. New racks with more capacity were brought in.
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
No. The store closed sometime within the past year. I only found out when I came back home for christmas to discover the store was gone.
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 JVC SVHS deck that I bought in the winter of 1998. I made the purchase because ofthe added quality of SVHS, the flying erase head to allow for seamless editing, and to help in the production of my animated demo reel.
Did you ever rent a VCR or other hardware (a camera, for instance)? If so,
how often and why?
No.