Kenny Sharpe's In: Did the internet help kill this St. John's video store?
Kenny Sharpe has one last look before 900 VHS and DVDs get scrapped
Kenny Sharpe came across the Capitol Video Inc. renovations earlier this summer.
In the middle of one the busiest and most confusing intersections in St. John's, the remnants of one of Newfoundland and Labrador's last movie rental stores are being carted off to the dump.
Capitol Video Inc., on Military Road in the middle of an intersection known as Rawlins Cross, hasn't been open for business in years.
And renovations are underway to turn the space and its neighbouring building into a more attractive 'For Sale' property that will ultimately be sold to a future owner.
In order for that to happen, the 800 or 900 old VHS and DVDs that were once for rent from this location are being "checked out" one last time. They're being thrown into a dumpster at the back of the shop, the last real play any of these movies will get before being carted to the dump.
Titles like Proof with Gwyneth Paltrow and Jake Gyllenhaal, Lizzie McGuire starring Hillary Duff, and Monster's Ball featuring Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton, all damp and mouldy from sitting on the shelves, unrented for far too long and now on their way to Robin Hood Bay.
In 1978 the Buggles wrote the famous lyrics, 'and now we meet in an abandoned studio … we can't rewind we've gone too far … put down the blame on the VCR … video killed the radio star.'
If they could be rewritten in 2015 maybe they would reference how the internet helped to kill this St. John's video store.
Kenny Sharpe's In: A new series
This has been the fourth instalment of In, a series that aims to take you inside places we don't often see. If you have a place, event or topic that you think Kenny Sharpe should explore, send him an email or follow him on Twitter.
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