Farewell, Family Video…

Family video calls it quits

Well, can’t say I’m surprised, but I am still a little sad.

Got an e-mail from the president of Family Video some time ago announcing that they were shutting their doors. Very gracious, thankful, forthright e-mail letting us customers know how much we were appreciated and that Family Video was to be no more.

Next time I drove by, I stopped to grab the pic to your left. Sorry for the poor quality of the picture. One of the door signs reads, “No more rentals, all sales final.”

Pretty much says it all, I reckon.

End of an era.

We’ll get to the business lessons from this later on, but for now I just wanted to reflect on what a great experience Family Video was to my family all these years.  Granted, we’ve been streamers for several years now, and that value is superior in so many ways, but my son fondly remembers the role Family Video once played in our lives. I’ve gotta wonder if he will tell his grandchildren about how when he was a boy and the family wanted to view a movie, we’d take a ceremonious trip down the road to a place called Family Video.

I feel like I’m saying goodbye to an old friend.

I guess that’s the kind of attachment a good brand should have. 

Family Video, thank you for the memories.

“Just because the relationship ended doesn’t mean the feelings did.” – Unknown