Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
After 30 Years, Beloved Video Store Vidiots Is Saying Goodbye
People wait in line outside of Vidiots for an event.
(
Courtesy Vidiots via Facebook
)
After almost thirty years of operation and weathering the many challenges that video stores face in the Netflix age, Vidiots in Santa Monica announced that they would closing their doors this spring."It is with profound regret and sorrow that after 30 years in business, Vidiots will be forced to close on April 15, 2015," wrote co-founders Cathy Tauber and Patty Polinger in an email sent out Monday morning. Vidiots opened on November 15, 1985, founded by childhood friends who shared a passion for movies and wanted to shared the movies they both loved. Through the decades, the store grew from an inaugural 800 videos to the 50,000 titles they have today—many rare, out of print, and otherwise unavailable.
()
Cathy Tauber and Patty Polinger, co-founders of Vidiots (Vidiots)
Started on a modest budget, the name Vidiots partly came about because it was small enough to fit on a sign Tauber and Polinger could afford. Despite being the home of the movie industry, there were no video stores in Los Angeles in the mid-80s that catered to arthouse-inclined cinephiles and they quickly filled that niche. "We wanted to differentiate ourselves from the beginning," Polinger told LAist. Polinger recalled once renting a beat-up, damaged tape of the 1979 Carlos Diegues film Bye Bye Brazil, only to go back a few weeks later and find her only option to watch the movie was the same tape. "I had just gotten a VCR and was frustrated there wasn't more choice out there."Their deep and eclectic collection help them survive the 90s wave of video rental chains, such as Blockbuster and Hollywood Video. Mom and pop video rental stores closed in droves, but as Cathy Tauber says in the video Rewind: The Story of Vidiots, "We ended up getting this big jump in business," simply because they provided what Blockbuster could not. Because of their enormous selection, they amassed a clientele that ranged from casual movie fans to Hollywood filmmakers.
Support for LAist comes from
Sadly, the turn of the 21st century marked the beginning of the end for Vidiots. "We feel like this has been looming since 2010," said Polinger. In 2012, with the help of film director David O. Russell, Vidiots became a 501(c) non-profit and was rechristened The Vidiots Foundation. Prior to the reorganization, the store was already hosting many events for the community, including free screenings, conversations with filmmakers, and video production classes so the transition felt appropriate. Their free lending library of books on film is named after Russell. Despite this the store continued to run a deficit as the media landscape continued to evolve, with a 24% drop in rental income in the last 5 months according to the email sent this morning. "Crisis mode came in the last six months."
Polinger doesn't feel that there's a single thing that can be pointed at to explain the demise of Vidiots, but the world of technology is at the heart of it. "I think it was just a confluence of different things. Ease of streaming, the advent of good TV, the DVR, all of it. Movie studios are facing similar issues as well, and trying to get people to the theater."
Moving forward, one hopes that Vidiots' massive collection will remain intact and Polinger hopes it doesn't go the way of the hallowed collection of New York store Mondo Kim's, which is now collecting dust somewhere in Italy. "We will be contacting people and just hope that we can keep the collection together," said Polinger. "My hope is that we can keep it in the community."
Although the era of the video store had long passed well before this news, it still always brings sadness to the hearts of people when the last remaining vestiges of the past finally depart. "I do feel that there will be a void in the community. I feel a sadness not just for myself, but a sadness for the small mom and pop community based business that is no more," said Polinger.
Although Polinger's voice has a natural ring of optimism to it, she's not holding out hope. "It would only take one person who had the means... but I'm not sitting here waiting for that phone call."
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons Thursday after suddenly shutting down six months ago. -
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
Best of LAist