I have such fond memories of walking around the video store when that was a thing we all still did. My family often ran right to the new releases we’d been waiting for months to see, but there were days we weren’t sure what we wanted and just browsed, finding older or lesser-known titles we never would have discovered otherwise. There are so many movies I never ended up watching but feel like just from looking at the cover art so many times over the years. ( comes first to mind.) I spent college in a pop culture black hole in terms of access to good brick-and-mortar stores, so it came as a huge relief when I moved close to Amoeba Music in Hollywood. Although its name highlights its vast music library, the massive store housed everything from rare posters and books to the latest 4k Blu-rays—and because it had a trade-in/sale option, there were always fantastic rare finds hidden around the store, little treasures accidentally shelved among the Funko pops or vintage lunch boxes. I’d always leave after an hour or two with a handful of gifts for family and friends, and a few for myself. It was sad to see the location here in Los Angeles and the two in the Bay Area close at the start of the pandemic, but the San Francisco location has reopened and the Hollywood store, after relocating up the street from its massive Sunset and Highland storefront, is scheduled to open soon. Until then, I’ll have to keep perusing while sitting near my bookshelves just to get some of the sense memory. [Patrick Gomez]
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Sigh, Amoeba Berkeley was my go-to stress relief place when I lived out there – they had a section for PAL-region DVDs that frequently contained movies that were out of print in the US. There’s a place in Pittsburgh called White Whale books that had the nicest selection of children’s books (my son was a year old when we lived there) – the owner really liked children’s books, and she tried to stock newer books that were particularly artful. In Durham there’s Carolina Soul Records, which is way too cool for me but always has a great selection of basic-dude records so I don’t feel bad about myself. My local record store is also limping along. But if distance and Covid were no objects, I’d be at The Exchange later today. It’s a regional chain of used-media stores in the Midwest (there’s one in Chicago, and there were three in Pittsburgh). They sell movies and music, but they also specialize in old video games. There was nothing quite like downloading a PS2 emulator and then popping to the store to get a physical copy of Resident Evil Code Veronica – in 2017.
My favorite retailers are the ones that don’t use slideshows to drive ad revenue.
My favorite readers are the ones that just narrow the browser window and read it as a scrolling feature if they don’t like slideshow format.
Narrow browser never ever dislpays the first slide, is there a secret?
have you tried refreshing the page?Oh wait, just thought of this…Have you tried restarting your computer? 😉
Use Chrome, minimize so the first page is still “full size”, and then refresh. This trick has been circulating here since the slide show format became regular. I don’t like it but it works.
*Let’s celebrate independent stores!!* (nevermind the affiliate links everywhere and slides shows to drive page views/rpm) face palm
I Luv Video was the king of the indie video stores. Especially for the comments.
a) THANK YOU for posting this and b) HOLY CRAP JENI’S ICE CREAM. I’m in MA, and one of our fancy grocery stores here has it, and it is the best ice cream I’ve ever had. Someday I’m gonna make a pilgrimage to Ohio to track down a scoop shop so I can try everything.
“Start slideshow”.Well, guess none of these companies are getting my money.
Or you could just narrow your browser window and turn it into a scrolling feature.
I’m not fixing an issue that G/O can by not giving us shitty slideshows.
Hey it’s not these stores’ fault that Giz posted this as a slide show.I am not going to spend money at them because they are nowhere near where I live.
Nice to see the Sem Co-Op shoutout. I generally prefer used bookstores to new (so Powell’s was my go-to in Hyde Park, and Unnameable in Brooklyn is maybe my all-time fave), but that was as good a new bookstore as you could get.
Cool list! It’s unfortunate that it really doesn’t offset your complicity in Amazon’s model. Hope you enjoy your independent stores, your Inventory & Amazon’s sure to make that enjoyment finite.Also, as others have said- slideshow format is garbage. GARBAGE I TELL YOU.
It’s unfortunate that it really doesn’t offset your complicity in Amazon’s model.
Shoutout to Words bookstore in Maplewood, NJ. I have to pay a bit more for books but the owners are legit good people. They set up a vocational program to train autistic teens and have employed 100s of them. They also organize lots of nice events at their store for the town. http://www.wordsbookstore.com/
I’d like to nominate my drug dealer.
He’d like to remain anonymous, ya know, for personal reasons.
Shoutout to my boys at Rattleback! They’ve always done right by me, and even managed to get a pressing of Carpenter Brut’s Leather Teeth for me. They’re also expanding, soon, and they strictly enforce Covid saftey measures, so if you’re in Andersonville in Chicago, check them out.PS. Also on the same street, within easy walking distance of Rattleback is Alley Cat Comics. Absolutely worth it to check out their fine collection and chat up those excellent people.
Powell’s Books got an honorable mention here, but…Powell’s. Also in Portland, the independent non-profit movie theater/community center the Hollywood Theater has some streaming stuff going on. In Seattle, Scarecrow Video is a non-profit film archive and local treasure. Also y’all, this stuff’s really important, stop whining about the slideshow format.
The Ripped Bodice doesn’t just sell romance. I ordered two non-romantic books through their site just to support them and, when I went to pick up (hadn’t been inside the store in quite a while, obviously), I noticed they had a robust fantasy section.Maybe other genres, as well, but I didn’t stick around to peruse.
My favorite “independent” retailer is G/O Media’s “The Inventory.” Which is “independent” of the editorial department just because they say so. Pay no attention to the proximity of editorial and advertising content that sit side by side on the same page. It’s easy to tell them apart.
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