Right on the border between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire sits the 80s Video Shop – a one-way ticket to the age of neon, fuelled by original Big Box Rental VHS Tapes. Owners Chris Annable and Rob Lane talk to us about the story behind this tucked away portal to another time…
How would you describe the 80s Video Shop in three words?
Chris: Heaven on earth!
Rob: People have actually said that, so it’s not an exaggeration! I have places in my brain which feel warm and fuzzy, and I describe them as my ‘go to time’… and the Video Shop Era is one of them.
What inspired you to open the 80s Video Shop, and how did the idea first come about?
Chris: Heat stroke from queuing!
Rob: True Story. Chris and I have known each other since the late 90s, from playing in bands and becoming kids again when Star Wars came around once more during that time. He invited me on a holiday to Florida a few years ago, and whilst queuing for one of the park rides, we started spitballing ideas about opening our own video shop museum in… errr… Alfreton!
Can you describe the kind of 80s nostalgia you’re trying to tap into with the shop, and what you think is great about the video shop experience back then that you’re trying to recapture?
Chris: Everyone has memories of the video shop, and we’re trying to capture the very early days of what Americans call the ‘Mom & Pop Stores’. The ones that every village had before all the big corporate shops came along. It was always so exciting to go and see what’s new on the shelves.
We love that there is such a warm and positive feeling about that era, and it doesn’t seem to be going away
Rob: Everyone who comes into the shop has the same memories and stories about renting videos, but it never gets boring to hear, as they always speak with so much joy and enthusiasm. So that’s what we want to ignite in people when they walk through the door. They perhaps didn’t realise it before they came into the shop, but once they do, they realise that we all spent a lot of time in shops like this when growing up.
What do you think made local video shops such a memorable part of people’s lives in the 80s and 90s?
Chris: The new technology of being able to watch films over and over again at home, the sheer volume of choice and a brand new world to explore each week.
Rob: Agreed. It’s actually hard to explain the impact video shops had back then, since everything is so accessible these days. It really was a highlight of the week, and you never knew what you would walk out of the shop with. Especially if all the new releases were out on loan and you had to perhaps pick something you’d never heard of based on the cover art alone. You might just walk out with your new favourite film!
Your shop includes so many original VHS tapes, posters, and arcade machines. How do you choose what to include in the collection?
Chris: The ones that hold the best memories get preference, then it’s the cool cover art and who’s in it.
Rob: Initially, a lot of the tapes were from my own personal collection, but as the shop has grown, we’ve had some incredible donations for us to display. Thousands of tapes must have ended up in landfill, which is heartbreaking, but there are still some amazing films out there. Just when you think everything has gone, someone will give us a call to say they’ve found some tapes in the loft. We want to make the experience of coming into the shop as genuine as possible, and we don’t want to ‘gatekeep’ either; we display things we love regardless of whether they’re considered cool or not.
Has there been a particularly memorable reaction from a visitor, especially younger visitors who may never have experienced a video shop firsthand before?
Chris: We get great reactions and lots of young people who blow us away with their knowledge. Being described as “it’s my heaven” was a great response, and a few tears of joy.
Rob: Yeah, it’s pretty crazy the knowledge some youngsters have. Things that took us years to learn, they already know and have a love for the same films as the two of us. I love that. We even have a bunch of really young VHS collectors who prefer to have films on video rather than watch them on streaming.
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