Video rental shops survive digital age: 300 still trading in Spain
Tuesday, August 20, 2019 @ 3:43 PM
AROUND 300 video rental shops continue to trade in Spain, even now in the era of HBO and Netflix – although the owners of many of them say they do not make a living from them.
As recently as 2005, Spain had 7,000 of what it calls 'vídeoclubs' still open, but digital platforms have killed off over 95% of them.
This said, the oldest one in the country – based in Barcelona – continues in business, along with nearly 300 others.
Vídeo Instan opened in the Eixample district of Spain's second-largest city in 1979, but has had to diversify in order to stay open.
Owner Aurora Depares (pictured here in her shop) had to crowdfund a new premises last year after the rent on the building of what is now called the Vídeo Instan Café Cinema went up from €3,000 to €10,000 a month.
Major film personalities in Spain contributed to this piece of their cultural history, and the business moved to the C/ Viladomat.
Although it still rents films – on DVD rather than video – the shop set up a café and a cinema with seating for 32 spectators, and holds its own film festivals and presentations.
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