I miss video stores, specifically the video stores from the 80’s to mid-90’s.

To be fair, I don’t think I’ve stepped inside an actual video store in over 5 years (do they still exist yet? Wait – just checked: yes, the one back in my old home town is still there).

It’s probably safe to say that they are quick on their way to a quiet extinction, making the way for a majority of online-fed entertainment. That makes me sad, though I realize change always comes with the passage of time. It’s ‘progress’, if you believe in all the marketing hype.

While the video rental stores of my youth were never very big places, I could still be mesmerized for a good half hour or more every weekend as I walked and browsed the aisles. Digital representation may offer more in the way of information (and viewer reviews) but I feel that there is something magical about those boxes resting on those cheap shelves, with their limited back-cover synopsis and lurid cover art.

I think this feeling is reflected in my love of libraries for much the same reason – they’re both archives and repositories of information and entertainment. It’s the potential that I feel, the gamble, the lottery. Back in those days (does that makes me sound old?) you became familiar with the names: names of specific producers, directors, film distribution companies, movie studios, etc. Of course, that didn’t always mean a guaranteed hit, but before studios became gobbled up by mega-corps the films were usually enjoyable on some level.

Those days are pretty much gone now. It’s easy to romanticize youth, reminisce about the good-ole-days, and drown in nostalgia, and it’s no lie to say I’ve been guilty of every one of those things at various points over the years. Yet why does it seem that the passage of time sucks the magic out of what was once everyday life?

Are things better now? You can watch a lot of entertainment now without ever leaving the comfort of your home, or even your couch or chair, if you choose. I like the availability of information and media that can be summed by my fingertips (or voice, if you choose to roll that way). But is that the trade-off for convenience and availability: having less magic, less surprise, less life?

Or is my opinion skewed? I wonder about that when it comes to memories. I mean, not all video stores were great, when examined comparatively. Some were small, with very little stock (but loads when it came to atmosphere and feel); other were large, but sterile. Perception seems to lie to us from across the gulf of time.

I still can’t escape from those memories, however much time changes things.

I still want those stores back.

I want those experiences back.

I want that magic back.