AUSTIN, Texas — A shuttered Austin movie rental store is getting a reboot with a new business model.
In September 2020, I Luv Video announced on its Facebook page that it would be permanently closing after nearly 40 years of business as an Austin video store.
In the post, owner Conrad Bejarano said it would bring him "utmost joy to pass the torch" to anyone who had the financial stability to preserve the store's catalog of films, so long as they gave the public access to those films.
Fast-forward to October 2022, when I Luv Video – under the name We Luv Video – launched a Kickstarter campaign to try to bring the collection back. The campaign raised $11,000 in its first day, in part thanks to a telethon at the Fallout Theater.
Movie merch shop Super Yaki, formerly based in Houston, would also join the cause, selling a special design to raise donations.
On Nov. 29, the Kickstarter campaign reached its goal, with 828 backers pledging $112,494.
Now, the beloved store is planning its second act as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and "volunteer-run community library and film lover screening space," according to the Kickstarter.
Austin Monthly reports that Bejarano opened I Luv Video in 1983, growing the local chain to five stores by the late '80s and collecting around 130,000 VHS cassettes and DVDs. Since I Luv Video's final store, located on Airport Boulevard, closed in 2020, that collection has been housed in a climate-controlled, insulated store area.
Until now.
The publication reports that We Luv Video's nonprofit status will enable it to apply for grants and facilitate fundraising. Macy Cotton and Ryan Teel, who spearheaded the Kickstarter, hope their endeavor will operate as something of a community service.
"Exactly how libraries function for the good of the public, that’s what we want to do," Cotton told Austin Monthly.
Cotton and Teel intend to use the Kickstarter funds primarily to address securing a physical location, Austin Monthly reports. They're hoping to find a centrally-located space, possibly near I Luv Video's former Airport Boulevard store, which is now home to a Lazarus Brewing Co. location.
Austin Monthly reports that the film archive's "volunteer co-op" model will allow volunteers to have membership fees waived and to have access to the whole collection. A range of membership tiers will also be available to the public, including a base level that allows for one rental at a time and costs $10 per month.
While reviving I Luv Video as We Luv Video will be a huge endeavor, Cotton told Austin Monthly that plans are already in motion. She said she and Teel have received more than 150 messages from people offering to volunteer, "from clerks to experts in physical media preservation."
To learn more, read Austin Monthly's full report.