Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 11, 1991 TAG: 9104120494
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: N-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: WENDI GIBSON/ STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DALEVILLE LENGTH: Medium
There is "some strange stuff out there on our shelves," says co-owner Ron Foster. "But it reflects the tastes of America."
Video Vision, Botetourt's oldest video store, and now a video cassette recorder repair service as well, is seeing success, but only by doing things day by day - the same things that have worked before, says Foster.
"This has been our tightest year in seven years due to the economy and cable television," he says.
His biggest competition, cable television, does keep some former cassette renters propped before their television screens, video cassette recorders set to record instead of play.
About 20 percent of the store's income is from seven convenience stores' video-renting profits. These stores, in Covington, Bath County and West Virginia, carry hundreds of Video Vision's titles that rotate monthly.
Foster has seen some of these convenience stores close and has consequently lost some business. "Mom-and-pop operations were the best to deal with but we've seen most of those close. They're feeling hard times as much as we are," he says.
If cable TV and closing convenience stores aren't enough to deal with, Foster must now contend with the summer weather.
Foster says long, bright sunny days keep the kids outside and the parents mowing the grass. Ironically, it's the rainy, sleety weather that encourages folks to rent movies. "We're seasonal," Foster admits.
But Video Vision isn't suffering that much. The 4 1/2-month-old VCR repair service is inside the store. Foster speaks confidently of Brian Powers, the VCR cleaner and repairman, saying that people are amazed at the prices.
You can have your VCR cleaned for $24.95 - "that's not just putting in a head cleaner; that's taking it apart and cleaning everything," says store employee Tony Weinbender.
Nintendo games also are available to rent.
If the store doesn't have a video, it will try to get it.
Foster says that's what Video Vision is all about anyway, pleasing the people.
There are just a couple of rules: rewind the tape and turn it in the next day. Aside from that, renting is easy and cheaper than cable.
Foster even says the bartering system works for him. For a mop or an oil change, he might let you borrow a movie or two.
by CNB