“Death to Streamers! Physical Media Forever!” reads the banner of a website for Night Owl Video, a new video store coming to Williamsburg in a few weeks that is very clearly ready to square up with the streaming giants for your eyes and dollars.
According to Gothamist, the shop is slated to open on April 11 at 288 Grand St. in the belly of Williamsburg, where it will no doubt feed countless local nostalgists. The store is owned and run by Jess Mills and Aaron Hamel, who met through a shared love of cinema and both worked in NYC’s once robust independent film industry.
Through tight curation, authoritative recommendation, and expansive selection, Mills and Hamel seem intent on stewarding for film the type of analog media renaissance music has experienced over the last 15 years with the revival of the vinyl market. “ We want it to be an experience to come into the store and browse the shelves like you did back in the day,” Mills told the publication. “The idea of being able to find something new purely on the cover art or because of a blurb is much more exciting than finding a listing on Amazon,” Mills added.
Night Owl Video will carry an extensive stock of VHS, DVD, and Blu-Ray releases for sale, but the owners hope to also introduce rentals in due time. They’ll also offer some memorabilia, like posters and tees, on opening day.
You can take a quick scan of the space below.
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