In an age when TVs feature baked-in access to video streaming and movie kiosks are mushroom-thick in shopping centers, a brick-and-mortar rental store with the lights still on might seem as out-of-time as Bill and Ted.
Chattanooga once was home to dozens of video rental outlets, but the only remaining traces of their passing are outdated Yellow Pages entries and Internet searches results. Of the 11 listings for local stores in the phone book and on the Web, nine have long-since been disconnected; the remaining two were for adult video stores.
Video renting might seem like a relic of a bygone era, but in smaller communities beyond the Scenic City bustle, there are a handful of mom-and-pop anachronisms still in operation with packed shelves and loyal customers.
“From what I’ve heard, everybody is tired of Redbox [kiosks],” says Chris Bodwell, the owner of Video Stop, a rental outlet in Dalton, Ga., with an inventory of about 3,000 titles. “I’ve talked to people who have driven to five or six Redboxes and not found what they want. You’ve got a better shot of finding something with me.
“And Netflix? Not everyone has high-speed internet. Not everyone even has Internet.”