The Lost Civic Life of Movie Rental Stores

Joshua M. Greenberg, author of "From Betamax to Blockbuster," reflects on the social and civic role of early video rental stores, arguing that they were more than transactional spaces. Drawing on sociologist Ray Oldenburg's concept of "third places," Greenberg contends that video stores, like English pubs or American taverns, fostered community through conversation and shared expertise. He traces the historical evolution of such spaces, from theaters and nickelodeons to drive-ins, noting how moviegoing shifted from a communal to an individual activity by the 1970s. The early video store, however, became a new third place where clerks and customers engaged in lively film talk, recommendations, and even inside jokes. Greenberg illustrates this with anecdotes: Gary Ratto's store in Merced, California, where he knew everyone by name; clerks at Movies Unlimited in Philadelphia, where strangers conversed about films; and the playful power dynamics between staff and patrons, including contests to rent the worst movies. He also notes the role of video stores in community life, such as sponsoring Little League teams and voter registration drives. The article is adapted from Greenberg's book and published by The MIT Press Reader.