Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
Broadway Video
Where was the store located?
Murfreesboro, Tennessee (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?
The store now houses a "ghetto-wear" shop, and for years before that was a flower store. It is tiny. Really tiny. Possibly the size of a trailer (which wouldn't be unbelievable in Tennessee, you know). The walls were lined with those dingy plastic racks, and videos that already looked discolored by the sun, even in the 80's. The carpet was gross. Everything was gross. It couldn't have been a very lucrative business. Our town is small- didn't even have a theater at the time; and there would have been very few people even interested in renting movies. We went because it was near our shack-y little house. And, I figure, my parents probably thought videos were a good Friday night activity. (My dad has since stopped watching movies entirely, but at the time, he was quite enthusiastic about them-- showing me old horror films and comic book flicks like Conan the Barbarian)
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?
Well, honestly, I was a child. Very young. And everything I took in about Broadway Video, I took in from 3-4 feet. But it is one of the places of my childhood. Our frequent visits certainly introduced me to a life of movie obsession. But my father has stories about the wierdo owner. He was there all the time. Must not have had anything else to do. He didn't have any other employees. He wasn't married. He'd always be so excited to have customers, he'd talk my dad up for ages. I don't remember ever seeing anyone else in there, in all the years we went.
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
I'm sure we rented our VCRs there, because for ages we didn't have one. But, other than that, I'm sure he didn't offer anything else.
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
All video all the time. This is tiny town Tennessee we're talking about. No one had ever heard of Beta or 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, obviously, the "black curtain" section that hid the XXX movies, but, being six, and always with my parents, I'm sure I never went back there. As for selection, I can't honestly say. My parents were always strict about what I could see. (With rare exceptions, I was never allowed to see PG13 or R until I could legally get myself into them) Though my parents dispute this, I insist we rented JAWS movies for me every week (horror-type movies were an exception to the viewing rule) or, if not JAWS, this little girly movie Susanna Smiles. Probably they rented others, but doubtless I was put to bed before they came on.
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
Rent. Rent. Rent. My dad says almost no movie is worth watching more than once. (My purchasing craze began much later)
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
Never any. By the time the Blockbuster and the Movie Gallery and the Mega Video opened, Broadway Video had closed. I think it's reign as our video store was probably pretty short, but it came at such a time in my life that it made a huge impression.
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
No. See above.
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?
For years, we rented them from Broadway or from the local Kroger's (a grocery store, which pretty early on got a video store of it's own). I suppose we actually got one when I was in third or fourth grade. But it could have been even later, because I have all sorts of things I used to tape on TV, and none of those came on till at least fifth grade (1991). My dad bought the VCR- probably pretty cheap- at the local Rose's (a very tacky WalMart knock-off).
Did you ever rent a VCR or other hardware (a camera, for instance)? If so,
how often and why?
As I've been saying, any time we wanted to see a movie we rented a VCR, so I'd say we rented a VCR practically every weekend from 1986 to 1991.