No one can deny the evolution of technology. From touch screen tablets to talking fridges, there seems to be no limits to the progression of electronics. The world is now a very digital place, and movie rental stores are no exception to this trend.

Stores such as Movie Gallery and Blockbuster used to be the place to rent movies, but with the creations of Redbox and Netflix, the number of physical stores are dwindling. In Columbia, there is now only one Blockbuster on Clark Lane, and 9th Street Video, which is located downtown on Hitt Street and is attached to Ragtag Cinema.

While the latest advancements in technology have negatively impacted other companies, 9th Street Video hasn’t lost business. Janet Marsh, who has worked at 9th Street Video for almost 20 years, said their business has never been like the conventional movie rental store, so Redbox and similar companies aren’t threats.

“We’ve had a lot of things that aren’t available,” at other stores, Marsh said. Other rental stores “used to get a bunch of copies of the same movie, and then they’d sell them all off. So after they were sold off you couldn’t get them there anymore, and we never get rid of all copies of any movie unless it’s damaged or something. We have 9,500 some odd movies, so we offer more than your standard video store does.”

While 9th Street Video’s customers still have a store to browse in, people who counted on Blockbuster and Movie Gallery for movies find the lack of physical stores frustrating. Junior Madeline Simon said a Blockbuster used to be very close to her house, and once it closed, she had to make the inconvenient drive across town or go to Redbox to rent a movie.

“I liked it better when there was a movie store because it was a lot bigger selection and it was a lot easier to get movies there than it is to find them at Redbox,” Simon said. “Usually Redbox doesn’t have the movie you want.”

Marsh said 9th Street tries to keep a variety of films and TV shows, even if they don’t have 20 copies of new releases. They keep a section of films that appeared at the True/False Film Festival held every spring, as well as films that play at Ragtag.

The staff is also knowledgeable about movies, said Marsh, so instead of recommending the latest release, they’ll figure out what the customer likes and try to find them a movie from there.

While other rental places must alter their business, because of their loyal customer base, 9th Street Video hasn’t changed much. For students looking for a movie rentawl experience in a physical store, 9th Street Video may be the place to go.

“What we did [when we opened] worked, so we didn’t wanna try to fix things and then figure out that that wasn’t right,” Marsh said, “so we’re just going along as we always did.”
 By Maddie Magruder