Bring Back Movie Rental Stores! No, Seriously.

I remember the last time that I walked in a video store. It was a Family Video in Waxahachie in 2019. At that time, I had no idea that that would be the last time that I would set foot in a store like that. But it was.

Now, looking back on it, I think about how I'd like to see movie stores make a comeback. No sarcasm or satire here, I'd really support seeing a movie store - no name brand in particular - make its way back into Deep East Texas.

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Maybe It's Nostalgia...

I suppose that it could be nostalgia that makes me consider bringing back those stores. I mean, I can remember being a kid and going to Blockbuster location on North Street in Nacogdoches and picking out movies to take home. At that time, streaming wasn't a thing, and I get that. But there was just something different about going in person to the store, walking through the shelves of thousands of movies to pick out the right one...or maybe two...

Plus, if Blockbuster didn't have it, maybe Hastings had it in their rental section. That's right, we had options then, too!

READ MORE: Will Nacogdoches Ever Give Up on H-E-B?

Maybe It's Not...

But maybe it's not just nostalgia. Go with me on this one: If you go to the store, literally GO, you have to get up and move. You're not just tied to your couch clicking through eight different streaming services. It literally forces you to get up and go somewhere.

Also, your ability to watch a movie wasn't dependent on your internet connection. It didn't matter if there was a city-wide outage, or if your internet was lagging. That DVD speed was the same the whole time.

Oh Well...

At the end of the day, I know that movie stores aren't making a comeback. I'm not naive enough to think they would. But I can still ponder on the "what-ifs", right?