'Dark days indeed': Vancouver video rental store closing after 26 years of business

Black Dog Video on Commercial Drive in Vancouver is seen in this undated image from Google Maps.

One of Vancouver's last remaining video rental stores is closing for good after more than two decades of business.

Black Dog Video, which has been on Commercial Drive for 26 years, announced Thursday it's closing later this year "with the heaviest of hearts and the saddest of sads."

A statement from the store's owner said business has been declining but costs have steadily gone up.

"We just can’t feasibly stay open any longer. We lost the war to what I call the 'convenience of mediocrity' that is streaming et. al.," the statement posted online said.

The store will close at the end of June "unless some kind of miracle comes along," the statement said. However, that date is tentative as the store's lease doesn't end until February.

Before closing, staff are pricing stock for sale next month.

"It breaks my (and the staff’s) hearts to have to do this as I’ve loved this job and feel damn lucky and privileged to have been able to bring the world of cinema to Vancouver for so long. It’s going to be a difficult next few months," the statement said.

"I want to thank all of you who came through our doors over the years and especially the ones who stuck with us till the end – a proper eulogy is still to come. Dark days indeed."