Lexington’s last video store to close in November

Premiere Home Video in Hartland, thought to be Lexington’s last video store, will close in November, according to a Facebook post from the store. The store will stop accepting memberships immediately and will begin liquidating inventory Oct. 3.

“It is with a heavy heart that we must announce Premiere Home Video will be closing its doors forever this November,” the Facebook post said. “The video business has changed over the last several years, and the cost of doing business in the Hartland Shopping Center has increased dramatically. Due to the high cost of rent and maintenance, which continues to increase every year, we have decided to not renew our lease at the end of November.”

The store has been in Hartland for 13 years and manager Jennifer Robbins has worked there the whole time.

“It’s the end of an era for Lexington,” she said Thursday. “We’re a family-owned business; my parents own this store and my mom worked at the Euclid store for 20 years. We were sad when that one closed, too.”

Premiere’s Euclid and Woodland store closed two years ago, when Kroger revamped its Euclid Avenue store.

Robbins said there are still video stores out there, in other cities, but the business has dropped off in recent years.

“The video business has changed over the years,” Robbins said. “It’s gone down. There are a lot of factors: Netflix, Redbox, online streaming.”

Blockbuster, once the industry giant with 9,000 stores, filed for bankruptcy in 2010.

In Lexington, the only other brick-and-mortar video options appear to be the Lexington Public Library, Redbox or stores that specialize in adult entertainment.

“Words will never express the gratitude we have for all of our wonderful customers who have supported us throughout our 13 years in the Hartland Shopping Center,” the store said on Facebook.

“We have shared a lot of laughs, personal stories and a few tears now and then, not to mention thousands of discussions about movies. It was our passion for movies that brought us together in the first place. We will miss the personal aspect of the video store most of all, seeing our friends and enjoying your company. Thank you so much for 13 wonderful years!”

The business is encouraging customers to rent movies through September then stock up for home libraries in October.

This story was originally published September 1, 2016 at 10:33 AM with the headline "Lexington’s last video store to close in November."