Atascadero movie rental store on the verge of closing after 30 years could get a lifeline
Read our update to this story »» Atascadero video store was about to close. Then another business found it a new home
A beloved Atascadero video store was on the verge of closing after three decades renting movies — but it may remain open, after all.
John’s Video Palace — located near the Smart & Final Extra! on El Camino Real — was close to renting its last movie on June 19, said John Taft, the store’s owner.
But after fans of the store saw the news on Facebook, Taft got word of another space that may allow him to relocate and keep his store open. He’s finalizing the arrangements this week.
“This is the last of the family-fun stores,” he said. “There’s nothing left of its kind.”
Taft has been paying high rent on his space for years — he spends $4,700 per month now — and hasn’t raised prices on his movie rentals for 15 years, he said.
The store’s Paso Robles location on Niblick Road will remain open for at least another year, Taft said. The landlord has given him a break on rent, and that space is smaller and cheaper to operate, he said.
John’s Video Palace has been a North County institution for almost 31 years. Taft opened the Atascadero store in July 1988, when there were 10 video rental stores in the city.
For years, Taft’s quality customer service and his store’s quirky touches — for example, he likes to Photoshop his own face onto famous DVD covers — have kept customers coming back.
But Netflix and other online streaming services have driven movie rental stores almost to extinction. Blockbuster, once one of the biggest video and DVD rental chains in the world, now has just one remaining store in Bend, Oregon.
Since The Tribune profiled Taft and his store in July, his shops became the last movie rental businesses in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.
Crossroads Video in San Luis Obispo closed in October, and Evergreen Video in Orcutt shut its doors in December.
This story was originally published May 28, 2019 at 2:28 PM with the headline "Atascadero movie rental store on the verge of closing after 30 years could get a lifeline."
