Fremont’s Video Isle closes after 33 years

Meghan Walker Ballard

One of the last video stores in Seattle will soon close its doors.

Craig Wilson opened Video Isle (4459 Fremont Ave N) in the late 80s, and owned it up until 2014, when Tonya Perfect took over. Business had being slowing over the past year, but she wanted to stick it out as long as possible. The big drop in customers came when the neighboring marijuana shop, Pot Stop, closed at the end of last summer.

The Pot Stop was an anchor for them, Perfect said. “Business dropped dramatically when they closed.” That, coupled with the high costs of running a small business in Seattle meant they couldn’t keep it up.

Perfect will be starting a massive liquidation sale tomorrow, which will run through their last day, January 13. After they close, she’ll keep the inventory that’s left over.

“I’m going to catalog the the remaining inventory in hopes of having a movie library base,” she said, adding that she’ll keep up her partnerships with the various drop-off locations (including Ballard’s Green Market). Perfect envisions a system where customers can reserve movies online, and pick them up at the current drop-off locations.

“If we could have gotten ten more people in a day, it would have made the difference to keep us open.”

With Video Isle closing, the last two video stores in Seattle are Scarecrow Video in the University District and Reckless Video in Maple Leaf.

13 thoughts to “Fremont’s Video Isle closes after 33 years”

  1. Never fun to see a small business go under, but in 2019 a store renting physical media probably doesn’t have a very good chance of staying open.

    2. Well, you do have a bit of a point. The social justice warriors have determined that all movies prior to 2015 are racist, sexist, homophobic etc so it was all “problematic” anyway, amirite?

        1. Coming from you that is high praise. Much obliged.
          Thanks for all the great things you and your kind have done for small business, public safety, and the quality of life here in Seattle.

          1. And thank you for all that your internet trolling has done for small business, public safety, and the quality of life here in Seattle.

          2. fortunately there aren’t any more of “your kind”…truly original you are little bucky

  3. Ah good, another longtime local business closing under the OBSCENELY HIGH TAXES AND ANTI BUSINESS CONDITIONS in Seattle. We call this a “success story” here in Opposite Land.

    “Things change. Get over it” etc

    1. We are multiple steps in technology away from video rentals but you whine about change. Jobs in horse drawn carriage are way down! MAGA!!!!!

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