When Queen Video announced it was closing down a couple weeks ago, I have to admit that I wasn’t that upset. For those of you who aren’t aware, the store called its Queen West location home for 35 years. With online streaming on the rise, this wasn’t a big shocker. It was just a regular news story in a list of many that I read that day.
It wasn’t until I talked to a friend of mine that I really started to think about what the store closing meant. My friend was devastated. Queen Video was his go to spot for movies and he wasn’t happy with having to find another spot or to resort to Netflix. I’m a big Netflix fan. I’m currently binge watching three shows and I’m “still watching” for most of my free time on weekends. I made this point to my friend. Why was he so upset? Movie surfing on the couch seems like nothing to complain about.
He brought up some great points about the loss of the overall experience Queen Video provided to its customers. It was more than just picking out a movie. It was a physical adventure through films – one that was quite entertaining alone and with company. He was totally right. Every time I went to Queen Video it was way more exciting then mindlessly scanning through my Netflix library. I always managed to find myself in these in-depth conversations about films and genres with the people I was with, the store staff, even strangers. Getting someone else’s opinion on a movie face-to-face is much more stimulating than reading through a Rotten Tomato review (does anyone even read more than the percentage?).
I guess my point here is that films inspire so many emotions and opinions and can lead to some great debates. I also can’t fail to mention that the selection of films at Queen Video was incredible! That played a huge part in the experience that many of us are really going to miss. With video stores like this one closing down, we’re losing a space that holds a great collection of movies and a space to connect with other people. It’s a terrible double whammy if you ask me.
-Michelle I
It wasn’t until I talked to a friend of mine that I really started to think about what the store closing meant. My friend was devastated. Queen Video was his go to spot for movies and he wasn’t happy with having to find another spot or to resort to Netflix. I’m a big Netflix fan. I’m currently binge watching three shows and I’m “still watching” for most of my free time on weekends. I made this point to my friend. Why was he so upset? Movie surfing on the couch seems like nothing to complain about.
He brought up some great points about the loss of the overall experience Queen Video provided to its customers. It was more than just picking out a movie. It was a physical adventure through films – one that was quite entertaining alone and with company. He was totally right. Every time I went to Queen Video it was way more exciting then mindlessly scanning through my Netflix library. I always managed to find myself in these in-depth conversations about films and genres with the people I was with, the store staff, even strangers. Getting someone else’s opinion on a movie face-to-face is much more stimulating than reading through a Rotten Tomato review (does anyone even read more than the percentage?).
I guess my point here is that films inspire so many emotions and opinions and can lead to some great debates. I also can’t fail to mention that the selection of films at Queen Video was incredible! That played a huge part in the experience that many of us are really going to miss. With video stores like this one closing down, we’re losing a space that holds a great collection of movies and a space to connect with other people. It’s a terrible double whammy if you ask me.
-Michelle I
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