Victoria video store closing after 40 years
One of the last remaining video rental stores on Vancouver Island is closing its doors after 40 years in business.
Pic-a-Flic Video near the border of Victoria and Oak Bay will close its doors at the end of September, after first opening in 1983.
"I wanted to make it to 40 years," said owner Kent Bendall on Tuesday.
"It wasn't me who opened it, but I've been working in the store for 22 years, bought it seven years ago," he said.
Bendall says the ubiquity of streaming services, the pandemic, and various other factors are the reason why he won't renew the store's lease when it ends in September.
"Ever since Netflix came along and then streaming things, it's been an uphill battle," he said.
Bendall says he only shared the news of the store's upcoming closure this week, and that it came as a sad development for him and many community members.
"People are shocked – shocked and saddened," he said.
'A LOT OF STORIES'
He says the community's response to the news has been overwhelming, and that the closure of the store marks the end of an era.
"I think I'm going to be getting a lot of testimonials over the next little while," he said.
"People have a lot of stories about Pic-a-Flic and video stores in general. 'Going to the store and that's where me and your mum went on our first date,' and that sort of thing," said Bendall.
Pic-a-Flic Video first opened in Victoria in 1983. May 23, 2023 (CTV News)He hopes some sort of arrangement can be made to keep the store's vast collection together. If not, sales could be coming this summer.
"Who knows, some cinephile out there might want to come along and make this a legacy collection," he said.
"You could put your name on it, the 'Whatever Whatever Memorial Video Collection,'" he said. "It's an amazing repository of film and cinema here and it would be a shame to break it up and let it scatter."
Ultimately, Bendall says he's grateful for the support of the community as the video store prepares to close down.
"Just thank you to everyone in Victoria who has come into Pic-a-Flic Video over the past 40 years, anyone who's supported any sort of small town video store," he said.
Pic-a-Flic owner Kent Bendall is shown. (CTV News)"It's important that we keep things going, I think, because not everything out there is in streaming land, and there's something to be said about going into a store and talking to somebody."
For now, it will be business as usual at Pic-a-Flic, located at 1519 Pandora Ave.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.