If you're reading this - and maybe you follow me online - there's a good chance you have fond memories of video stores from years past. What's been distilled into an app on your phone or TV was once a whole-ass store filled with boundless adventures and memorable nights spent with friends, family, or in glorious solitude.
I recently stumbled upon an image of one of my favourite video stores from my youth and I just really wanted to share. I give you... Cape Breton Family Video!
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| Photo by Raymond Doucette | Raytel Photography | Sydney, NS, Canada |
I tried desperately to find one of those fancy A.I. apps that clean up old photos, but all they managed was to make this image look like a Van Gogh... which in retrospect isn't all bad, because I can certainly see myself printing this picture off and hanging it in my living room.
There's so much to unpack here, but first let's talk about the store itself.
If you're from Sydney, Nova Scotia - where Cape Breton Family Video was located - you undoubtedly went here on a regular basis. And, if I were to ask you one single memory you had about the store I know precisely what your answer would be: the popcorn.
Located smack-dab in the middle of the store was a classic, red popcorn cart that was constantly churning out fresh, salty popcorn that you could purchase with your video rental. It was on-par with what you'd buy at a local theatre if not better.
To this day the smell of popcorn can simultaneously make me think of going to the movies and to Cape Breton Family Video, it's that ingrained in me.
You can't tell from this image, but the shop itself was massive. This front-on image doesn't give you any idea of how long the store was. It ran almost a full block. I can't find any hard evidence, but I believe it was at one point a furniture store and showroom, which explains the size of the building.
Here's what the location looks like today (I'm revealing this already, but of course, Cape Breton Family Video no longer exists). It's now an H&R Block, but also - because of the sheer size of the building - like five or six other businesses, as well.
As you can see, the store was massive in size. It didn't encompass the lower section, and was only the street-level portion, but it did indeed run all the way to the back of this building.
When you first walked into the store the counter was off to the right, which was a massive space, because of the sheer number of tapes they had to keep. It looked like library stacks, filled with numbered, plastic video cassette cases. There was also a huge box with a slot outside where you could return your rentals.
After you passed the rental counter you'd walk straight smack-dab into two things: a stairway that lead downstairs, almost like a cellar access to a basement, and the aforementioned popcorn cart. How I wish I had photos of the inside of the store to share with you, but without smell-o-vision it wouldn't impress upon you how amazing it was.
If you look really closely on the far-right of the photo, you can actually see the wheel of the popcorn cart. I have no idea why it was in the corner like that, because I always remember it in the centre of the store, but... there it is!
I don't want to belabour this much more, but the far-left wall was all New Releases, which by the time you got to the back of store, weren't so "new". In the middle were racks separated by genre for the older tapes. I can't recall most of them, but I can tell you that the horror and comedy sections were located further to the back-right. The far-right side of the store was partially walled off. The walls didn't reach the ceiling and were more like fences, with the occasional opening that was curtained off. You know what that section was!
In the far back of the store there was an opening that led into two rooms. These were basically the kids sections. The first space was where the video games were kept and then behind that the kids videos. I can't tell you how many times I rented Gumby from that space without being embarrassed.
If ever I find a photo of the inside of Cape Breton Family Video, you can rest assured I'll share it, but for now let's head back outside and check out that garishly painted entrance!
First off, let's take a moment to appreciate this wood-paneled Station Wagon. If you're born in the 70s or 80s, you've encountered one of these fine automobiles. My family had one that looked exactly like this. The backseat had seatbelts so kids could sit back there, which in retrospect is still wildly dangerous. I can remember my folks taking my sister and I to the drive-in theatre where we'd watch the first movie and then build make-shift beds in the back to go to sleep, while Mom and Dad watched the second movie. Ah, the memories.
Up next, let's have a look at this enormous window painting for 31-in-1 on the Nintendo Entertainment System!
I think the cultural impact of the Nintendo Entertainment System on our society goes without saying, but - much like the video industry - it often goes unsaid how important rental stores were to the success of the system.
Buying new NES carts wasn't something you did very often. We all complain about the price of video games today, but considering inflation, the cost of a new game back in the 90s was much more expensive than it is today. Taking inflation into account, if we take the average price of a new video game from 1990 - $49.99 USD - then you'd be looking at approximately $115 USD today.
But at the video store? You could rent an NES game for the weekend for a couple of bucks! And there was no cartridge more coveted than the infamous 31-in-1! These were bootleg cartridges made in China that included 31 classic NES games. They wouldn't include big games, like Zelda or Super Mario Bros., but more basic games, like the original "black box" titles released for the NES. Still, if you had the choice of renting one game or THIRTY ONE... you can see how big of a deal this was.
Next up is Humpty Dumpty Potato Chips!
Although they weren't as good as my beloved Hostess Potato Chips, Humpty Dumpty were a solid second choice and in the years following the Lay's takeover of Hostess in Canada, Humpty Dumpty BBQ Chips were my go-to snack of choice. They still exist today in some fashion! The brand was bought out by Old Dutch, based out of Montreal, but they still produce several Humpty Dumpty products in different markets across Canada and in New England.
The image you see above would've been based on the old Humpty Dumpty mascot/logo, like this one.
Of course, potato chips were big business everywhere, but the chip wars between Hostess and Humpty Dumpty in Nova Scotia were legendary and getting huge ad space on Cape Breton Family Video like this would've been a big win for Humpty Dumpty.
And how for the pièce de résistance, Video Kideo Land!
In my attempt to crop these photos and make them easier to see, I think I've lost a lot of the detail, so feel free to refer back to the original image!
Let's start with the obvious character on the far-right. It's pretty easy to make out He-Man holding his Power Sword! The only other character that I think is obvious here is Mighty Mouse on the far-left. Unfortunately after that, it gets kinda murky. I think we might be seeing the top of an Autobot next to He-Man and the character mostly dressed in red looks a lot like Bucky O'Hare to me, but I don't see his tell-tale green rabbit head at all. Also, Bucky O'Hare came out in 1991 and this image is tagged as 1990, so I think that rules him out.
Let me know what you can make out!
I mentioned it above, but the back section of the store was dedicated to kids. It had way more cartoon options than any other store. There is where I used to rent the original Spider-man cartoon from the 60s, and some of my favourite Japanese shows like Tekkaman and Ultraman! It was also my go-to spot to rent the live-action My Pet Monster movie, which alongside Gumby, was on a constant rotation.
And that's Cape Breton Family Video! I'm glad I stumbled upon this image on Facebook recently, so I could share it. We had a lot of great video stores in our town and, if I'm being honest, this wasn't actually my go-to haunt, but I frequented it many, many times (I was a serial renter, visiting multiple stores like every single weekend) and I miss it dearly.
Even though this wasn't exactly your local rental shop, I'm sure you have similar memories of your own. Please,