Bidding Adieu to Video Forum

After 15 years in business, today one of Park Slope’s last standing independent video stores will close its doors for good.

The venerable Video Forum, on Seventh Avenue between Garfield and Carroll streets, is only the recent in a long string of recently shuttered stores on Seventh Avenue. Business had been down for months, and despite a new deal on the store’s lease, a couple weeks ago the owner’s finally decided to pull the plug. 

The Video Forum first opened its doors in the halcyon days of 1996, when mega-chains like Blockbuster were booming but there was still plenty of room in the market for local independent video stores. The owner, Jay, also owned the long-shuttered Video Edge on Flatbush Avenue, as well as Park Heights Stationers next door.

The Video Forum was perhaps best known for its loyal, knowledgeable employees. I spoke with Sean O’Brien, a long time employee. He lamented the loss of the community interaction that brick-and-mortar video stores provide.

"There's a real benefit to being able to walk into a video store and speak to someone who can guide you to films that you might not have heard of or come across otherwise," he said. "Netflix offers suggestions, but it's not personal."

He is also sad to be saying goodbye to his loyal customers – many of them have frequented the store since it first opened.

"We had a real community of regulars here; it was a place for movie lovers in the neighborhood to gather," said O’Brien. "It's the end of an era."

O’Brien said that the store first knew it was headed for trouble when business was slow over this year’s terrible winter. Typically, bad weather means bad business, but in the rental business, sales actually pick up over colder months.

"Winter is the time when people like to stay at home and watch a movie, and it was traditionally when we'd have the most business. But if you don't have to leave your house to watch a movie, you're not going to."

The store has sold off as much of the merchandise as possible since announcing their closure, with both tapes and DVDs going for $5 each. The last shipment of DVDs came in at the beginning of March. O’Brien chuckled at mention of the last DVD the shop added to its inventory: “Jackass 3.” 

According to O’Brien, Jay has decided to leave the rental business for good. He will instead focus on managing real estate that he owns in the neighborhood.

As for O’Brien, he's left with no choice but to give in to the new industry leader.

"I hadn't signed up for Netflix because all the movies I wanted to watch were right here," said O'Brien. "I guess I'll have to subscribe now."