25 Photos That Prove the Video Store Was the Greatest Place on Earth

Out of all the things we left behind in the early 2000s - dial-up internet, frosted tips, CD towers - the one I miss the most is the video store. It started small, with those cozy Mom-and-Pop shops that had three copies of Beetlejuice and a mysterious "Adults Only" curtain in the back. Then came the big chains, like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video, and suddenly there were aisles upon aisles of choices. Walking into a video store on a Friday night was an event. You'd wander the shelves, scanning those oversized VHS boxes, flipping them over to read dramatic synopses and squint at blurry screenshots that told you absolutely nothing.

It was a place to argue about what to rent, to run into your high school crush by the horror section, to beg your parents for just one more game. The video store wasn't just where you got movies - it was where you discovered them, talked about them, judged them by their cover art, and maybe even rewound them (if you were decent). Streaming might be convenient, but it doesn't come with a plastic clamshell case and a late fee. These 25 nostalgic photos are a love letter to the greatest place we lost.

Author image for John Summers John Summers
Advertisement

Tags

1990s 90s memes retro nostalgia 80s music Nostalgia Overload 80s 90s kids 90s memory lane nostalgia memes millennial-nostalgia 1980s
Scroll Down For The Next Article

Also From Geek Universe

Can I Interest You in Some Mesmerizing GIFs in These Trying Times?

Can I Interest You in Some Mesmerizing GIFs in These Trying Times?

Trending Now

Out of Context Textbook Diagrams Might Be My New Favorite Thing

Out of Context Textbook Diagrams Might Be My New Favorite Thing

01
23 Harry Potter Memes to Scroll Through as You Celebrate Harry’s Birthday

23 Harry Potter Memes to Scroll Through as You Celebrate Harry’s Birthday

02
20 Vintage Prom Photos From Back in the Day

20 Vintage Prom Photos From Back in the Day

03
31 Lord of the Rings Memes for OG Fans Who Were There 3000 Years Ago (July 31, 2025)

31 Lord of the Rings Memes for OG Fans Who Were There 3000 Years Ago (July 31, 2025)

04
Whimsical Illustrations of Middle-Earth by Moomin Creator, Tov Jansson, for the Swedish and Finnish Editions of The Hobbit

Whimsical Illustrations of Middle-Earth by Moomin Creator, Tov Jansson, for the Swedish and Finnish Editions of The Hobbit

05
Boromir Would Have Brought Us Even More Lord of the Rings Memes

Boromir Would Have Brought Us Even More Lord of the Rings Memes

06
Advertisement