A local video store is not only still in business, but is actually creating new accounts for customers every day.

In a world of Netflix and online downloading, one might think that is not possible for video store in 2016 to survive, let alone, thrive.

But that is exactly what is occurring at the Kelowna independent video store, Leo’s Videos.  April will mark a 12 year anniversary for the store and despite the changing landscape of how people consume movies, store owner Leo Bartels said his store is still going strong.

Photo Credit: KelownaNow

When Bartels first came to Kelowna, there were 13 chain movie stores and one independent. He recalls the beginning being challenging. He lacked money for advertising, relying on large signs outside his Pandosy shop to draw people in.

With time, a loyal clientele was entering Leo’s Videos, located at 2680 Pandosy Street, regularly. The draw was diversity. Stocking shelves with titles that wouldn’t be found at the big chain stores is what Bartels said not only drew customers in, but kept them coming back.

But, of course, the big question is how can an independent video store can keep its doors open in this day and age? Bartels said one draw is the 21,000 movie titles, and nearly 28,000 discs the store carries.

Photo Credit: KelownaNow

“There’s nowhere else to get the selection of everything,” said Bartels.

“If downloading and Netflix is the way you get all your movies all the time, you are just funneled into knowing what they have, so that’s it, you don’t even know about the other titles, necessarily.”

Bartels said he often likes to point customers to one rack in his store, because just one rack has more movies than Netflix Canada has in its whole selection.

While many would think it would be a struggle to keep the store running, Leo’s Videos has actually seen an increase in business since 2012. In February of 2016, business was up 12 per cent from the year previous.

“Every time Netflix makes a change or an illegal site gets shuts down, we see a flood of customers.”

Photo Credit: KelownaNow

And it is those customers that keep Bartels and his dedicated staff happily coming to work every day. A love of movies falls into second place behind a love for the people who walk through the doors of his shop.

“Really for me, it’s the customer interaction. I like dealing with customers, I like lots of one on one. I like to have a customer base I get to know, people you know by name, people you have an ongoing conversation with as they come in over and over and over again. There are customers I literally see every single day for years on end. There are not many businesses where you have clientele that stays with you in the long term.”

When asks if he ever worries he will be forced out of business, Bartels said that is something that will be left up to the community and the customers. But for now, he isn’t worried.

“We still open a lot of new accounts every month. We have days where we will open up a dozen accounts.”

To the customers who have kept his store not just open, but thriving for the past 12 years, Bartels has only one thing to say.

“Thank you.”