Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
Chris's Video
Where was the store located?
Homestead, Florida (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?
Chris's Video was just a storefront in Homestead Florida. The floor was hard gravel floor, painted black. There were three rows of videos, and of course, the prerequisite back room with the adult videos.
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?
It was the first video store I remember going to in South Florida. Chris was the older brother of a school buddy of mine. Chris was a nice enough guy. He was Catholic and he came to our parish church. My mom felt he was a hypocrite, because he claimed to follow the faith, yet he still had the porn section in his store. My dad tried to convince her that it was just business, but she never really forgave Chris. My mom, always a very religious woman, lent Chris a copy of "The Song of Bernadette". I suppose she hoped the story of one of Catholicism's greatest saints would convince him to get rid of the adult section. It didn't.
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
The store got an old fashioned popcorn machine, around 1988, when Blockbuster opened up down the street. But free popcorn didn't convince people to trade in Blockbuster's better selection, for Chris's hole in the wall. Chris never bothered to reopen his store, after Hurricane Andrew blew Homestead away.
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
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?
Kid's movies were located right at the entrance, on the left side. X-rated were in the back, behind swinging saloon doors. I was just a kid, so my parent's were constantly renting from the Disney section. (I didn't grow curious about what was behind those doors until 1989 or so.)
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
We rented. My dad never saw the point in buying what you could run down to Chris's and rent, anytime you wanted it.
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
Gone, but not forgotten.
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?
Did you ever rent a VCR or other hardware (a camera, for instance)? If so,
how often and why?