One thing we don’t think about, while watching the various format wars take place before our very eyes, is what happened to the brick and mortar video store. Considering that now, the chains are pretty much down to Blockbuster and deep dark-horse Family Video, it’s the mom and pop stores that are having the tough times. But some of them are making some really interesting moves, and so, today we take a look at how the video store’s getting by.

For instance, at the Videoland in Rapid City, South Dakota, they’re going retro, offering up a huge supply of movies on VHS cassette.  Sounds unlikely, I know, but the word is they’re going over well.

Party Central in Aberdeen, South Dakota, meanwhile, started offering party supplies as well as movies.  The switch is so pronounced some are surprised to discover video rentals are still available.

While the video store business is more difficult than ever, it’s clear that they’ll do everything they can to survive. And some of them have more creative strategies than others.
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