Movie night used to require a trip to a store like Blockbuster. Now, Canadians can watch any movie or TV show with the click of a button.
But a video rental store west of Edmonton is still managing to keep business going in today’s digital world.
Shawn Davis -- owner of Movie World in Stony Plain, Alta. -- believes he has the last “full service” video rental store in the region.
Despite popular streaming services and on-demand networks that allow movie-lovers to download a film from the comfort of their own home, Movie World still has customers.
Its shelves are full of DVDs and even some VHS tapes that can make for a nostalgic browsing experience.
"It’s still a good business," Davis said in an interview with CTV Edmonton. "All the time there’s people walking in and it’s like, 'Ah, I haven’t been in a video store in forever.'"
Movie World outlasted big chain rental companies such as Blockbuster, Rogers Video and Movie Studio, which all closed in the Alta. region between 2011 and 2015.
Stony Plain resident Ray Gaultier says he prefers to watch movies the "old school way," regularly stopping at Movie World.
"Going online is nice, but we haven’t grasped that technology yet," said Gaultier.
Others in the area still have to watch DVDs because th Wi-Fi is not as strong for those living outside of town for internet downloads.
"You’re sitting at 6, 7 p.m. and you don’t want to see buffering going on your TV while you’re waiting for your movie," said Davis.
Davis says his video rental store still has customers because he offers something his clientele can’t get anywhere else: the types of movies that are not available on streaming apps.
"[There is] better variety," Movie World customer Maysen Lubbers said. "The people are great… It’s a small town thing."
With files from CTV Edmonton
