By Corinne LestchThe Daily Northwestern
About three blocks north of a Blockbuster Video store, a red neon sign hangs in the window of a small storefront advertising videos.
Inside the small independent store Davis Video, 1005 Davis St., customers find an alternative to Blockbuster and other rental stores with money-saving promotions, a community atmosphere and a wide variety of movies – including new releases, classics and adult films.
Although owner Gary Segal said competition has gotten tougher with the advent of Web delivery services such as Netflix, he said the store, which opened 20 years ago, continues to draw a diverse group of Evanston residents and Northwestern students.
Segal said he relies mainly on word-of-mouth and street traffic for business and hopes the new condominiums being built downtown will bring new potential customers to Evanston.
“Our main customers are made up mostly of regulars and people just walking by in the area,” Segal said.
Davis Video offers promotions such as 2-for-1 Tuesdays, when customers can get two rentals for the price of one.
One customer, Jack Heller, said Davis Video’s small, friendly feel is one reason why he keeps coming back.
“It’s a neighborhood place,” Heller said. “It’s the only place I go.”
Since discovering Davis Video, first-year graduate student Jose Perez no longer visits Norris University Center’s Cat’s Corner video store.
“(Davis Video) is much better than Cat’s Corner,” Perez said. “I found out about it by just walking through Evanston. It has a lot of international films as well as local films.”
Unlike Blockbuster, Davis Video also has a section of adult videos that draws a large part of the store’s profits.
Despite having a more diverse collection of rental offerings than many competitors, Segal said Davis Video generates just enough business to pay the rent.
“When I bought this business from the previous owner, it was profitable,” Segal said. “(But) business has dropped, mainly because of Netflix and On Demand.”
Despite the challenges, Segal said he plans to stay in Evanston.
“I love Evanston,” Segal said. “It’s a nice community to do business in.”
Reach Corinne Lestch at [email protected].
