One of the last movie rental stores in Chicago thrives in streaming era
They called Joe Trutin crazy.
Back in 1995, the then-21-year-old planned to open a small video rental store not far off the Stevenson Expressway in McKinley Park on the Near Southwest Side. Trutin said that back then, there were four other rental stores within two blocks of his store, including a Blockbuster, which at the time was thriving.
He opened the Video Strip that year at 3307 S. Archer Ave., applying the lessons he learned during stints at several rental stores in his teens. Trutin's shop is still running — with shelves, floors and crates filled with the latest releases and hard-to-find titles. The four other stores have shuttered, and there are no more giants.
Netflix mailed its final DVD last year, and this year, Redbox declared bankruptcy, removing 24,000 rental kiosks.
"Everybody thought I was suicidal to pick to be right in the middle of all four of those stores," Trutin, 50, told the Sun-Times. "They were all like institutions around here. I'm the only one who can still stand."
The Video Strip is now one of the last brick-and-mortar rental stores in the city. It's one of the last vestiges of the pre-streaming age, when finding something to watch required more effort than scrolling through online queues. It required a little human interaction.
Trutin credits the store's longevity to that personal touch. Customers come in with vague ideas of what they want to watch and leave with a Trutin recommendation. When they come back, they ask him to suggest another.
"People just like having a little human touch," he said. "People tell me what they like, and I find that thing that nobody's ever heard of."
The other factor is the size of his catalog, Trutin said. He has amassed more than 25,000 Blu-ray, DVD and video game titles. That range covers genres like anime,Westerns, obscure TV series and wrestling specials. It also has an adult section tucked in the back.
The store isn't just known to locals. In 2015, the Video Strip was included in a list of 50 “cool” video stores still operating in the U.S.
At the Video Strip, plastic cases are shelved nearly floor to ceiling in the cramped space, a maze where cinephiles spend hours hunting. Milk crates overflow with videos. Old and new movie posters, some faded by time, adorn the windows.
Trutin said his collection is larger than the selections offered by many streamers. Netflix offers more than 8,000 titles in the U.S., behind Amazon Prime at 10,892 and Disney+ and Hulu's combined 9,000, according to a study released last year by Ampere Analytics, which studies media.
Trutin said his expansive inventory distinguishes Video Strip from the few remaining brick-and-mortar video stores, such as Odd Obsession in Logan Square, which specialize in cult movies or specific genres and charge a monthly membership fee to check out a movie.
"In some stores, you're going to have that specialty like all great martial arts movies or all great foreign movies," he said. "We have literally everything, just a touch of this, a touch of that."
He added that if his store doesn't have a specific title, customers can order it.
Many of Trutin's clients have been with him for years, but the Video Strip is still gaining new fans by word of mouth.
That's how Jocelyn Garcia, 25, learned about the store. Her friend, Mariah Martinez, 26, who picks out a movie or three to watch every other week, raved to her about the place. When Garcia walked in for the first time this month she said her first thought was, "Wow!"
"I saw all the movies here, and I was excited because they have movies that they don't have in theaters or that you have to rent or buy through streaming, which can be pricey," she said, adding she was also thrilled that video games were available for rent.
Garcia, who lives in McKinley Park, said she was so impressed by the store's collection that she mentioned it to her father, who years ago had been a customer.
"He was like, 'Oh my God! It's still open?" Garcia told the Sun-Times.
Martinez, who also lives in McKinley Park, has been a regular for four years. She said one of the reasons she keeps coming back is the deep collection of horror movies.
"This is like a candy store," she said. "I love horror movies and suspense, so any time I come in here I feel like I get everything that I want. I know everything is on streaming, but there's some movies that you can't get on stream."
Martinez says she believes the store has been able to survive thanks in part to the community Trutin fosters. She said he's very communicative about deals and new releases through social media. There's also a text club that customers can join for coupons and store-related news. Trutin is even known to bake treats for customers. Netflix doesn't bake.
"He makes it feel homey, connecting with community members, that's all-important," Martinez said. "If you have a great connection with everyone, they're going to come back."
Most of Trutin's customers live on the Southwest Side, but his diverse inventory attracts people from all over the city and as far as DuPage County, he said.
Business can be fickle, Trutin said. Peak times occur on bad weather days or extended holidays, and that's when the line for rentals can stretch out the door. But there are slow days. That unpredictability means Trutin keeps his store open nearly every day of the year.
Trutin prefers hard copies to streaming. That's partly because online catalogs can vary wildly and change unexpectedly, he said.
A movie or series that viewers want to enjoy on one platform may be removed without notice. A few years ago, HBO Max pulled some popular titles with little notice following the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc., a move that was seen as a cost-cutting measure.
But Trutin says the most important difference between streaming and physical copies is authenticity. Streaming platforms have edited versions of some movies and shows, meaning physical copies are sometimes the only option to consume content the way creators intended.
"What this whole streaming thing is basically doing is giving you something that's close enough," Trutin said of the picture quality. "But it's not close enough, you're getting screwed, and you're getting a cheap version of it."
He says people are increasingly looking for hard copies. Trutin believes DVDs are poised for a renaissance much the way vinyl records have found new fans in the last decade.
The Video Strip's rental process has remained pretty much the same since the '90s. To open an account, customers provide identification and leave a credit card on file to protect against theft. For $3.99, registered customers can rent new releases for two days and older titles for a week. Video games are $1.99 for one day.
Trutin sells kettle corn and other specialty popcorn with flavors like hot Carolina Reaper chili. He also fixes scratched DVDs and sells collectibles.
The shop also frequently has specials. Last Halloween, Trutin offered three horror movie rentals for $6.66.
Trutin, who grew up in the McKinley Park area, says his love for movies stems from watching double features with his family at Bridgeport's Ramova Theatre. He was part of the recent effort to reopen the venue.
As much as he loves movies, he loves the people in his community more, he said, and that's what keeps him and his store going.
"Sure, one day I'd love to retire, but you know if I retired I'd probably be bored out of my mind," he said. "I love movies, but on top of that is the customers. I love dealing with them."