Bucks County's First Video Rental Store Is Going Out Of Business
LEVITTOWN, Pa. (CBS) - It's the end of an era. Bucks County's first video rental store is going out of business. But the store's closing isn't for a lack of customers.
After nearly four decades, owners John and Alice Tardino say the time is right.
With a no-frills storefront, visitors could blow right past it on New Falls Road in Levittown. But for locals, The Video Store is an institution.
"We were the original video store in the county," Alice recalls.
"There were no Blockbusters around, none of the other franchises or chains were around at the time," John says.
That was in 1981.
Fast forward 38 years and The Video Store is now one of the last video rental businesses in the entire Philadelphia region.
"And we've come out on the other end with our heads held high," Alice says.
But on Sept. 30, the Tardinos will press stop for the final time. They admit it's a bittersweet moment in their story, but a journey worth remembering.
"We were young," Alice remembers. "And getting into a new business was scary."
John had a background in electronics and understood the new technology needed to play movies at home.
"Trying to teach people how to work with their TVs," he says. "That's how we started, and it just took off from there."
In the 90s, the business boomed.
"There would be a line, four or five people in line at each teller booth on a Friday and Saturday night," Alice says.
And even with the rise and fall of the video rental industry as a whole, The Video Store has always remained a vibrant business, even today.
"Blockbuster was across the street from us, Hollywood was around the corner, West Coast Video was just up the street," Alice says. "We've had competition, it's just that we've outlasted the competition."
"We kept adapting as things went on," John says.
Not only in video, but the store also now offers video transfers, lottery tickets, fingerprinting, an on-site notary public, and the store is still known for carrying titles not even found at Red Box or on streaming services.
Some of their customers have been visiting for 30 years.
"Now we're renting to their kids, and then they bring their kids in," John says laughing.
After seven days a week, 11 hours a day, the couple says it's time to relax.
They're not looking at this as an end but as the beginning of retirement.
"I will miss the people, the interaction," Alice admits.
"Just thanks for the support, and I'm going to miss you," John says to his customers.
