In a landscape crowded with easily accessible movies via the Internet, cable and satellite television, independent video rental stores aren't nearly as prevalent as they once were.
But Mumford Video owner Judy Gavin is bucking the trend. Since taking over the business in 2007, she has changed not only the look of the store, but its offerings as well. In addition to bringing in hundreds of movies and creating everything from documentary to foreign language sections and the American Film Institute's top 100, Gavin wanted her store to have a warm look and feel.
"It's a beautiful store. I brought in pine shelves stained a dark colour, have track lighting and have framed black and white photos of past stars like Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich and Humphrey Bogart on the walls," she said. "As soon as I took over I said I have to be different, I don't want to be your typical video store. People walk in and are stunned, and that in itself has really boosted the business."
A self-described movie buff, Gavin can barely keep the excitement from her voice as she describes her offerings. She doesn't just sell movies, she lives them.
Gavin believes one of the reasons her independent store is thriving is because her customers enjoy the social aspect of visiting a video store. She said they enjoy chatting with other people about their movie selections instead of picking them out alone via their computer or television screens.
"A lot of people don't want the video store to die. It's something they've always done, the whole experience of going to the store to go through the videos," Gavin said. "They don't want that to end, even though they can go online or get their movies through their TV or On Demand."
Human customers aren't the only ones who enjoy visiting Mumford Video . Dog owners will be pleased to know their canine friends are not only welcome in this store, but they'll also get treats.
"I have dog customers, and many dogs that come to my store pull their owners they're so excited to get in here," Gavin said. "Heather (a customer) and Henry the dog just came in recently for a dog treat and to say hello..There can be two dogs in the store at once and you have to dogs greeting each other and the families chatting. It's great."
The store is also accessible, and bikes and scooters are welcome as Gavin doesn't want customers to worry about their property disappearing while they're inside her store.
A detailed store website is expected to go online in the coming weeks at www.mumfordvideo.com. It will feature all the store's offerings, with each movie linked to the Internet Movie Data Base (IMDB) so customers can learn more about the movies they're considering.
"I'm very passionate about this business, about talking to people, and building up a really good rapport with my customers," she said. "Last week alone I had 10 new customers and am shockingly surprised because of the big stores. I'm very pleased."
ydentremont@hfxnews.ca
