Dee Sias has been told for years the chains would put her out of business. There was Blockbuster, West Coast Video and Hollywood Video all within a mile of her Heads Together video rental store in Squirrel Hill.
Now, only Hollywood remains. West Coast Video closed its Pittsburgh locations months ago, and the Blockbuster franchise on Forbes -- along with eight others -- closed July 13.
"We're still here," Sias said. "We're doing great. Of course, now we're doing better."
The two-employee operation always has had a loyal customer base and lately there has been a wave of new members applying, she said.
The nine Blockbusters closed without warning mid-July after the franchisee, Video Rental of Eastern Pennsylvania, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The Squirrel Hill location still displays an orange sign saying the store is closed for "inventory." The stores are not expected to re-open under a new franchisee, said Blockbuster spokesman Randy Hargrove.
People who rented from those franchises now have to go to a nearby store or, as so many others have already done, start subscribing to an Internet rental business, like Netflix or Blockbuster Online.
Blockbuster mailed out offers to the franchisee's members, offering a one-month trial membership to their online service and $1.99 rentals at any of their corporate stores still in the area.
"From our standpoint, whether they're renting online or from a store, as long as they're renting from Blockbuster, it's a good thing," Hargrove said.
But while home video sales have more than doubled between 1999 and 2005 to $16.05 billion, rentals have dipped slightly from $8.07 billion to about $8 billion, said Sean Bersell, spokesman for the Entertainment Merchants Association.
"The online services have certainly been taking a piece of the market," he said, but the bigger culprit might be lower DVD prices.
"A big source of competition in recent years has been the ability to purchase DVDs at a reasonable price," Bersell said. People can buy used DVDs at The Exchange for as low as $5 or new ones for about $10 at Best Buy.
Rather than letting that trend eat into business, Doug Moritz and Milton Barr have taken advantage of it. Their MIB Ninja Entertainment store on the South Side charges $5 for older movies and $7 for new releases. If customers return the DVDs within four days, they get $4 or $6 back, respectively.
"The rental business I think is dying," Moritz said, adding that only about 30 percent of his customers choose to "rent" the DVD by returning it for cash back. "Personally, I can't tell you the last time I've been to a Blockbuster," he said.
The industry still has a place for good business people who are innovative, Bersell said. The mid- to late-'90s saw many independents close because of competition from chains and the pressure to convert to DVDs.
"The ones that are still around are around because they're good business people. They know their market, and they're filling a need," Bersell said. "There's always going to be a place for independent retailers."
Sias said Heads Together has something the chains and online services don't: personal attention.
"It's not just someone in a blue shirt who may or may not give a crap," she said.
The store, which offers hard-to-find foreign, cult or GLBT movies, has been in business for 20 years.
"I plan to be here for the next 20," Sias said.
Closed Blockbusters
Oakland @ 3804 Forbes Ave.
Where Else To Go:
Classic Video & DVD, 735 Copeland St., Shadyside, 412-621-3232 Blockbuster, 5438 Baum Boulevard, Bloomfield, 412-621-7888Dreaming Ant, 4525 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield, 412-683-7326
South Side @ 2010 Wharton St.
Where Else To go:
MIB Ninja Entertainment, 1020 E. Carson St., South Side, 412-327-7778
McKeesport @ 2001 Lincoln Way
Where Else To Go:
Hollywood Video, 111 Walmart Dr., North Versailles, 412-823-2710Hollywood Video, 12120 E. Lincoln Highway, North Huntingdon, 724-864-9112
Edgewood @ 1789 S. Braddock Ave.
Where Else To Go:
Video Warehouse, 601 William Marks Way, Homestead, 412-461-1090Giant Eagle Iggle Video, 420 E. Waterfront Drive, Waterfront Shopping Center, 412-464-6600
Scott @ 1984 Greentree Road
Where Else To Go:
Family Video, 1160 Washington Ave., Carnegie, 412-279-4408Entertainment Tonight, 1691 McFarland Road, Dormont, 412-561-3090
Penn Hills @ 202 Rodi Road
Where Else To Go:
Penn Hills Video, 13037 Frankstown Road, Verona, 412-795-8440P A Video, 2790 Robinson Boulevard, Penn Hills, 412-241-6776
Wexford @ 10668 Perry Highway
Where Else To Go:
Giant Eagle Iggle Video, 9805 McKnight Road, Wexford, 412-366-6828Giant Eagle Iggle Video, McIntyre Square, West Mifflin, 412-366-6534
Squirrel Hill @ 6300 Forbes Ave.
Where Else to Go:
Heads Together Video & DVD, 2127 Murray Ave., Squirrel Hill, 412-521-3700Hollywood Video, 828 Hazelwood Ave., Greenfield, 412-421-5485
Bellevue @ 600 Lincoln Ave.
Where Else to Go:
Broadway Video, 409 Lincoln Ave., Bellevue, 412-761-9342Giant Eagle Iggle Video, 1029 West View Park Drive, West View, 412-931-0148
Open Blockbusters
Crafton
1358 Poplar St., 412-928-0744
Bloomfield
5438 Baum Boulevard, 412-621-7888
Brookline
700 Brookline Boulevard, 412-531-0300
Ross
4700 McKnight Road, 412-366-3922
Upper St. Clair
1720 Washington Road, 412-854-0424
Fox Chapel
977 Freeport Road, 412-781-6500
Allison Park
4706 Route 8, 412-492-7940
Monroeville
2644 Mosside Boulevard, 412-856-4300
