I Luv Video Closing

World's largest video rental store shuts up shop after 36 years

Photo by Richard Whittaker

Another Austin institution bites the dust. Last night, the owners of I Luv Video – the self-described biggest and oldest video store in the world – announced they are shutting up shop, and are looking for a buyer for their unique archive.

In a Facebook post, co-founder and co-owner Conrad Bejarano thanked the staff and customers who have followed the store across multiple locations around Austin, including its current and final site on Airport. However, he said that he hoped that some benefactor may step in and keep the collection together. He wrote, "My only stipulation is that whomever does so gives the community access to our vast video library." Interested parties are invited to contact him at 737/990-9562.

The announcement means the closure of Austin's second legacy video store this year. Back in April, Vulcan Video closed its doors permanently.

Bejarano gave no exact reason for the closure, but these are tough times for video stores in major cities, even film-friendly ones like Austin. I Luv Video became the world's biggest store (a title that has seen a friendly rivalry with Seattle's Scarecrow Video) in 2015, when the store was forced to close its old location on Guadalupe due to spiraling property costs, and move its collection into the Airport site, boosting the combined archive to around 130,000 DVDs, Blu-rays, and VHS tapes. The question will now be how much of a role the coronavirus-created economic situation played, as that was the final straw for Vulcan.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

Support the Chronicle  

READ MORE
More by Richard Whittaker
Texas One Step Closer to Film and TV Incentive Increase
Texas One Step Closer to Film and TV Incentive Increase
House approves fund, but questions remain on billion-dollar boost

May 28, 2025

Slime and Screams: Producer Matt Manjourides on the New <i>Street Trash</i>
Slime and Screams: Producer Matt Manjourides on the New Street Trash
The splatter punk sequel gets its Austin premiere

May 23, 2025

KEYWORDS FOR THIS POST

I Luv Video, Vulcan Video, Scarecrow Video

MORE IN THE ARCHIVES
One click gets you all the newsletters listed below

Breaking news, arts coverage, and daily events

Keep up with happenings around town

Kevin Curtin's bimonthly cannabis musings

Austin's queerest news and events

Eric Goodman's Austin FC column, other soccer news

Information is power. Support the free press, so we can support Austin.   Support the Chronicle