|
Volume CXXXII, Number 1 |
 |
DVD killed the video store
MONICA GUZMAN
ORIENT STAFF
Bart D'Alauro and Greg Morris are looking to transform
the way Brunswick rents movies. Their new DVD rental store, Bart and Greg's
DVD Explosion, is the newest addition to the Tontine Mall on Maine Street.
Vintage movie posters of cinema classics line the walls. A few thick collector's
film books lie on a coffee table that sits conveniently between a big
comfy sofa and a 52 inch TV. Some brilliant yet publicly overlooked films
shine proudly from the shelves. It's a nostalgic film wonderland.
Did I mention that it's all DVDs?
Neither Bart nor Greg have ever heard of an all DVD rental store, but they're confident that the DVD technology is now widespread enough to work. "It's becoming quite a fad," said Greg, "even little old ladies have DVD players now."
The two owners have been friends for over ten years; before Bart graduated from Bowdoin in 1995. They have always had an avid interest in film; both worked at Matt and Dave's Video Store on Maine Street before it was purchased in 1999 by Video Galaxy, a commercial company that went bankrupt less than two years later. Matt then tried to buy his store back, but lost the bid to Movie Gallery, the current rental king. Now the two ex-employees are back to reclaim what Matt and Dave's once had, and maybe even shake the foundations of the Movie Gallery monopoly.
"I don't want to sound arrogant, but asking us if we're worried about Movie Gallery's competition is like asking Wolfgang Puck if he's worried about the McDonalds next to his restaurant." said Greg. A bold statement, but he stands behind it.
"We have a higher level of service and more choices….I can't imagine anyone giving us up and going back to Movie Gallery after renting here. Many [chain stores] don't care about their customers, and they don't care about movies….But we're doing this because it's what we enjoy. As long as we stay open, we're happy."
Bart and Greg see their store as enough of an alternative to the norm to attract its own customer base and thrive off of that.
"We just think Brunswick's a cool enough town that they deserve a choice," said Bart, a huge fan of French filmmaker Eric Rohmer.
The guys certainly value their specialty collection of indie and foreign films, but they also carry a large selection of more mainstream films. "We don't want to be known as film snobs, but we also don't want to have to carry ten copies of Blade II," said Greg, who names Wim Wender's Paris, Texas as his favorite film.
As for Bowdoin, Bart and Greg's DVD Extravaganza is offering every Bowdoin student one free DVD rental with a Bowdoin ID.
"We want to break that Bowdoin Bubble," said Bart, "and make [the students] feel like they're really a part of the community."