Spark

Has convenience killed the video store?

Netflix and kill.
Bay Street Video in Toronto is still bustling with business, but it's an anomaly in a Netflix world. (baystreetvideo.com)

You won't find the first Star Wars on Netflix, but you may find it in your local video store -- that is if you can find one. Dwayne Aylward is the Assistant Manager of Bay Street Video in Toronto. Dennis Perkins is a writer and former employee of the now out of business Videoport in Portland, Maine. They discuss why the cultural curation offered by a video store is still more worthwhile to film buffs than online convenience even if that convenience has wiped out most video stores save for a few.


Have a listen to this related Spark story from 2012. Denis Grignon takes a look at the neighbourhood video store as a community and the implications of taking that community online.