New England Video Closes Its Doors

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Created on Wednesday, 03 April 2013 14:08

Written by Julianne Walshaw

LYNDONVILLE - We've seen it before, advances in technology pushing their way to the top, leaving older forms of physical media dead in its tracks.

Now, after 21 years of business, Lyndonville's New England Video has fallen to the same fate.

The video rental store had its final day of business this past Saturday, but store owner, Pamela Tanych, invites customers to come in and purchase their favorites before the close-out. "Selling it all... $20.00 for new releases, because I'm still paying for those, and $12.00 for everything else," Tanych said.

But why the close out? Tanych dosent blame the misfortune entirely on technological advances like self-service kiosks like Redbox or online video streaming such as Netflix, but she says they certainly weren't helpful.

"The last few years or so there's so much more out there, and it's the younger generation that's into that... and with the economy the way it is I can understand people wanting to save money doing that," Tanych said, "but unfortunately with my store closing there are four young kids, school kids, out of jobs." Tanych believes that's something to think about when compairing rental rates.

Yes, her rates were considerably higher, with new releases costing $3.75 compared to Redbox's $1.20, but Tanych said she had to raise her rates three times recently to compensate for the rise in minumum wage. The hike in price may have driven away customers who would settle for a smaller movie selection at the Redbox kiosk down the street for the cheaper price.

Amy Hamel, a Lyndonville resident and Redbox customer, agreed that options at the kiosk are limited but pointed out its perks, saying, "the selection isnt great... but it's convenient to be able to return your movie at any Redbox, no problem."

Only time will tell if these new technologies will eventually take over the video rental industry the same way iPods and digital downloads took over record stores. As for Tanych and her future, even she is unsure.