I’m kicking around a business idea and would love feedback from people who know retail, theaters, physical media, or have seen something like this work.
I want to open a physical media shop and rental store that’s actually curated for film nerds: good-condition DVDs/Blu-rays/4Ks, boutique labels, used finds, and a rental/membership setup so people can try stuff without spending a fortune.
Attached to it would be a small screening room (30–50 seats) that runs weekly programmed screenings (indie, foreign, classics, repertory series, themed nights), plus private rentals/events (birthdays, film clubs, date nights, small corporate stuff, etc.). So it’s kind of two businesses in one: a single-screen microcinema + a physical media hub.
The vibe I’m aiming for is “local film community clubhouse”. The kind of place you go to browse for an hour, discover something weird or interesting, and then come back for a screening on the weekend. I’m very inspired by places like Frida Cinema in LA and Row House Cinema in Pittsburgh.
I also really loved Family Video and Blockbuster growing up, and I was still frequenting my local Family Video until it closed 5 years ago. I feel like physical media has been on the rise again recently, and obviously people still love going to record stores that play into that same niche of wanting older, physical media. But there’s not a whole lot of places that do this specifically for movies, besides like Vintage Stock.
Maybe I’m strange, but I still long for the movie rental places and I want to bring that sort of third place to my community.
Questions I’d love input on: * If you’ve seen a model like this succeed/fail, what were the key reasons? * What would you want included (memberships, concessions, trade-ins, pricing, programming)? * What are the biggest risks or hidden costs I’m probably underestimating?
Be brutally honest. I’d rather get reality-checked now while I’m just daydreaming about this lol
submitted by /u/DuckDGoose
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