The last remaining brick and mortar video store on the Sunshine Coast will close next month.
After nine years in Wilson Creek, Syd Valentine has made the difficult decision to close her store, Sid’s Vids, because she needs to focus on her health.
She was diagnosed with cancer about six months ago and her condition is untreatable with traditional protocols like chemotherapy, due to other pre-existing medical conditions.
While she loves her video store and being there every day, she’s becoming physically unable to do the work and she can’t afford to hire other people to keep the store running smoothly in her absence.
“I would hang on to the bitter end, but tight margins are too hard to make work,” she said this week. “All of a sudden I need to close a going concern.”
She realizes it’s the end of an era on the Coast, but she’s a staunch believer that the video store market in Canada is still viable and an option the public appreciates.
“I’m the last video store on the Coast but not in the world. There are still about 1,100 stores across Canada,” she said.
“The mythology is that we’re doomed, but they’ve been saying that for 30 years… It seems to be making a comeback, like vinyl.”
She said one of the reasons customers have been drawn to her store is to access the plethora of videos she has on hand, more than can be found on Netflix, On Demand and online.
Since Valentine took over the video store in Wilson Creek she’s increased the number of titles from around 6,900 to nearly 30,000. That’s one of the largest collection of videos in all of North America, she said.
Customers have also been drawn to Sid’s Vids to socialize. Valentine loves talking to people, hearing about their lives and sharing stories.
“It’s kind of like a community hub here,” she said.
Valentine especially appreciates the chance to talk about movies with customers because that’s why she got into the business, “for the love of movies.”
“I’ve always loved movies. Even watching the old ones with my mom from the ’30s and ’40s. Movies are just magical,” she said.
“I think sometimes you just luck into things. I originally took this job for ‘no more than two days a week,’ I said, then they said, ‘why don’t you buy it?’ Everyone thought I was crazy but I did it, and it has been wonderful.”
Over the years Valentine has rented “too many videos to count” and the top two types of rentals Coasters have flocked to time and again were Game of Thrones and Barbie movies.
“Those are the bread and butter of the store,” Valentine said.
“They’re the two most insane renters and people get crazy looks if they can’t get them.”
Business has slowed a bit over the years, but Valentine said she’s had a loyal customer base that has kept her afloat and there have been new customers showing up lately looking for a rental option that’s not being tracked by anyone online.
“They don’t want to be monitored for corporate gain,” Valentine said.
She thinks those new customers could create a movement that reinvigorates the video store market and hopes that some day in the future she’ll be able to reopen a video store to serve them, and others who see the value in video rental.
“Who knows what the future may bring? If it’s possible to do it again someday, I’d love to,” Valentine said.
For now, Valentine has to liquidate her gigantic stock of movies and clear out her storefront, so she invites the public to come to her store at the Wilson Creek Plaza starting Saturday, Aug. 5 at 10:30 a.m. to buy previously viewed copies of their favourite movies for around $16 each.
Every week the price will go down, but so will the stock.
“For selection, get here early. And for deals, we’ll see you at the end of August,” Valentine said.
Everything has to be gone by Aug. 31, when Sid’s Vids will officially close its doors for good.
Friends of Valentine have started a GoFundMe page to raise money for her to live on during the coming months while she explores alternative forms of cancer treatment.
There will also be a donation box set up at the store.
