Take a look into the time warp of the 1990s, where a plucky Australian video store struggles to rent DVDs to customers 39 years after opening: “This is priceless.”
- Video store survives almost 40 years
- The owners said they don’t know how long it will last.
A retro video store on the North Shore of New South Wales is still in business after almost 40 years despite the growing popularity of streaming services.
Wingham Movieland, near Taree, was opened in 1984 by Doug, the father of owner John McKay, and still rents out DVDs and Blu-rays.
The vintage-looking store is still going strong in 2023 thanks to dedicated locals and tourists, and despite most others of its kind being forced to close due to the dominance of on-demand and streaming services.
“Customers from out of town are probably the reason we’re still open,” said co-owner Mandy McKay. yahoo news.
Wingham Movieland, near Taree, has been in operation since 1984
The store has survived nearly 40 years despite the popularity of streaming services like Netflix and Stan.
‘We also have very loyal customers who keep us going. And the kids love the popsicles and the drinks.
Ms McKay hopes to keep her shop open, but admitted that she and her husband were taking things “month to month”.
We are afloat. We experienced a huge drop in COVID. The biggest hurdle is getting content and new releases. We can only hold out for so long,” he said.
Ms McKay said she would be saddened if the store was forced to close its doors.
It’s almost priceless. It looks like it should be kept as a museum,” he said.
Ms. McKay said the quaint store gets a fair amount of visitors from out of town.
“A lot of people come in for a sticky spike and are in awe,” he said.
‘It’s a bit like a time warp. They’ll say my kids haven’t even seen one.
Ms McKay said she and her husband lived “old school” for most of their lives.
“We don’t even know how to get to tech land,” he said.
Owner Mandy McKay (second from left) said she and her husband could only keep the business “so long.”
Ms McKay said she would be saddened if the store was forced to close its doors.
People have taken to social media to praise the popular store and share their nostalgia for the video stores of their childhood.
‘God, I miss video stores. I used to go twice a week. I would love to experience it again,” commented a Reddit user.
Another commented that visiting the store was ‘a joy to go movie shopping, like I used to do when I was younger. The owners are very nice people.
“I’ve been going to this movie store for as long as I can remember,” one online review read.
‘Mandy and John are such lovely people.’
Ms. McKay said she enjoyed the once thriving community attached to the store.
‘What I miss the most is the talk. I used to watch kids progress, watch them grow,” she said.
