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Comment by gexla | Hacker News Reader

It seems like there would be some sort of hipster twist you could add to a video store to keep it going. Maybe the video store component becomes sort of a background prop, but it would be something that few other places could duplicate.

My most memorable moment in a video store was walking half through the swinging doors of a section which immediately electrified the senses of a 11 year old boy. Video boxes floor to ceiling covering 4 walls showing mostly naked people. I got a split second view before I got a tug on my collar followed by a reverse warp out of this fascinating world.

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My town has two successful DVD rental places. Their "hipster twist" is basically: quality movies, and an owner that can find something for you. They aim at students and established inteligentia. At its core, the service they provide is discovery.

(the town also has a surprisingly thriving arthouse cinema scene, so it's certainly a welcoming environment.)

As for the wall of nekkid: "Confessions of a porn store clerk" (http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Of-Porn-Store-Clerk-ebook/...) is a fabulous read. It's available for free, too, but I found it worth the dime.

What might do this would be some sort of microtheatre: just as people go to the "third place" of coffee shops rather than entertain at home, start a social trend for collectively viewing films in the equivalent of someone else's very well-appointed lounge. Not necessarily on a fixed schedule either, but adhoc choice by those present.

Unfortunately the licensing fees required for this would be prohibitive. It's expensive enough having Sky Sports in a pub.

Maybe you could come in, show them your Netflix subscription and you'll get the movie you want on an USB flash drive you have to return. You can then repurpose all the display cases with, as you noted, interactive movie exhibits and information kiosks, etc. The reason to visit the video store, rather than just click on Netflix would be

1. It's a fun movie exhibit.

2. This movie doesn't count towards your data cap.

This exists in my neighborhood (Mission SF). Faye's Video & Espresso Bar... http://www.yelp.com/biz/fayes-video-and-espresso-bar-san-fra...

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