Montrose area residents may have noticed a new independent business next to the post office on
With last year’s March 31st closing of Cactus Music and Video, the independent DVD rental market was left with a void that could only be filled by Netflix. Cactus offered its customers a wide selection of obscure and discontinued titles that couldn’t be found in the local Blockbuster or Hollywood Video. The store’s closing upset many Houstonians, and left most without a place to find the low-budget cult classics Cactus was infamous for.
Arcos hopes to fill that void and offer Inner-loop patrons a convenient location and interesting selection. He doesn’t expect to compete with the rental giants and Netflix, but he hopes to develop a status in the community as a go-to guy for rental recommendations, and welcomes feedback and discussion from his customers. In an interview with Montrose Monitor, a podcast and website by John Buffington, Arcos tells Buffington that he appreciates customers spending 10 to 20 minutes discussing their rental choice and what they thought about it.
Although MOViES can’t guarantee and stock 40 copies of a new release, the store does offer other promotions and discounts. For example, Arcos recognizes the addictive nature of television series box-sets, and gives a discount and extended rental period when customers rent two or more discs at once.
“I know that people aren’t going to be driving out here from Katy to visit the store, “ Arcos said, “but judging by how many people live in the area- in a mile radius there’re 14,000 addresses, and 6,000 people go up and down Richmond a day. From the almost 300 memberships I have, most are people that just drive by the store.”
But how is a small, one store rental company supposed to survive in the wake of downloads and Netflix putting movies in mailboxes? Arcos plans to make MOViES another stop in the eclectic down-town community with screenings on the store’s back patio, trivia and game nights, and even local director spotlights and festivals.
The actual retail space MOViES is in used to be a fitness center, which explains the floor to ceiling mirrors on the west wall. The building has a brown interior with concrete floors, and a TV on the counter- Arcos, always a movie lover, has something playing at all times. The new releases are on a lit shelf to the left, with the rest of the store’s selection on hand-made shelves to the right. The far corner has boxes of free movie posters, and the former-gym’s fitting rooms still occupy the left part of the back wall.
Arcos plans to take the fitting rooms out to free up more room for future ideas; oscar parties, small theater productions, and annual film events. MOViES seems to put more focus on community than making sure people take home DVDs, but Arcos stresses his ideology that pleasing his customers and building relationships with them is what’s most important. “I want to remind people why it’s fun to watch movies,” Arcos said, “not just for the simple sake of a distraction, but for the love of it.”
Contact information: http://www.moviesthestore.com/
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