For nostalgic movie lovers who remember traversing their local rental store every Friday night in search of a good weekend watch, Willow Video is still keeping that tradition alive.
The giants of the former home video landscape, Blockbuster and Movie Gallery, shut their doors at the start of the decade when on-demand services like Netflix changed the way people accessed their entertainment.
But this local chain survived the wave of closures, now claiming to be the only rental store of it鈥檚 kind on the east side of the Fraser River.
It all began with three entertainment-loving brothers, Glen, Steve, and Erik Vilio, who opened the first incarnation of the video store 27-years ago 鈥� a mini golf emporium.
鈥淭he video rentals were secondary,鈥� Erik Vilio remembered. 鈥淚t was a mixture of golf, videos, and games.鈥�
The first location opened it鈥檚 doors where the indoor children鈥檚 play center Go Bananas operates today 鈥� a business the brothers also own.
鈥淚t started as Willow Fun World, a name we chose because we were right next to the Willowbrook 6 movie theatre at the mall,鈥� Vilio added.
Willow Video later moved down the street to where the Japanese restaurant Sushi Mori is now, and finally to it鈥檚 current location where the business has stayed put for the past seven years.
Today, there are two branches a renter can still borrow from, 2603 West Railway Street in Abbotsford and 19609 Willowbrook Drive in 91原创.
Vilio said at the peak of their busiest time, the brother鈥檚 had eight locations across the Lower Mainland.
鈥淚t did hurt,鈥� Vilio said about the arrival of streaming services, but the first thing he said he would tell companies like Netflix if given the chance would be 鈥渢hank you.鈥�
鈥淭hey killed the other stories. Everyone else shut down and we got their customers,鈥� he explained.
For those who drive by and ponder just how long its been since they鈥檝e entered a video store 鈥� then wonder how it still manages to open it鈥檚 doors鈥� Vilio said the key has been variety.
鈥淢aybe 25 percent of our business is movies, which realistically was cut down by only 10 percent when streaming started.鈥�
The remainder of sales comes from video games, which Vilio said is an ever-increasing and growing part of their business.
鈥淭here is a big interest in retro video games, which is something we offered since day one. Super Nintendo is really popular. We do one week gaming rentals and something new were doing is music and vinyl sales. So that all picks up where the movie rentals dropped off,鈥� Vilio said.
The primary customer base found frequenting the store are families looking for films they can all sit down and watch together.
鈥淧eople who grew up coming in here and have been coming for 20-plus years are now bringing their families,鈥� Vilio added. 鈥淚t tends to be young families or customers over the age of 35.鈥�
The teenage and twenty-something crowd who used to drive these types of businesses decades ago are instead staying home for their entertainment.
But that comes as no surprise, as the secret to Willow Video鈥檚 longevity lies in the traditions of those who lived rental culture in it鈥檚 heyday.
Employee Braden Thurston said it was just one of those jobs he had always dream about.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a very nineties job,鈥� Thurston laughed. 鈥淚t鈥檚 unique and close to home, but very community oriented.鈥�
Though the landscape has changed both in and outside the business 鈥� hats, toys, and collectibles also take up a large portion of the shelving space 鈥� Vilio said their plan for the future is that, simply, they鈥檙e not going anywhere.
For more information on Willow Video and their selection, people can visit
Read more: It鈥檚 Christmas in July on many B.C. movie sets as Hallmark boosts production
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