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SOMBA K'E/YELOWKNIFE
Video may have killed the radio store, but after this week, Videoland will be the only DVD-rental store left in Yellowknife.

These 31 DVD cases displayed on a lone rack were all that was left from Choice Video's 3,000 titles on the store's last day of operation. Iris Wagner shut down the store on Monday, following 22 years in business. - Daron Letts/NNSL photo

After 22 years in business, Iris Wagner closed the doors on her downtown DVD-rental store, Choice Video, on Monday. Wagner decided to close the store in May when landlord Northern Properties told her that the year-to-year lease on the 1,000-square-foot space on 48 Street would not be renewed.

"You put yourself in that position (of signing a year-to-year lease), it can happen. They're not obligated to renew. It can go both ways," Wagner said, adding she would have liked to continue the business for another year or two. "I think everything has to end some time and you have to move on."

Wagner moved the shop into the location five years ago when the Yellowknife Centre East mall next door prepared to convert it into a lab for the Yellowknife Primary Care Centre.

"I didn't want to (move) again," she said.

Choice Video, which offered approximately 3,000 movies – including plenty of contemporary foreign, classic, TV series, and children's titles – was well-known for its knowledgeable staff and diverse selection. The store employed three part-time and one full-time staff. Wagner's children, Derek, Courtney, Erin and Nicole, grew up working at the store before moving on and starting their own careers and families.

Wagner, who moved to Yellowknife in 1976, said she enjoyed the opportunity to interact with her community as a business owner, greeting a broad cross-section of people every day. She also enjoyed being her own boss, she said.

"But, of course, you have to blame yourself when you screw up, but you can pat yourself on the back when you do well," she added.

Staff patted Wagner on the back this month in the form of a two-metre-long banner signed by dozens of customers, who expressed gratitude and waxed nostalgic in anticipation of the closing of the business.

Although Wagner's decision to close was inspired by her landlord's decision not to renew her lease, she said business has been drifting slowly toward online and cable movie providers. It's a trend she anticipated even 22 years ago, before the popularity of the Internet.

"You could see that technology was moving in and encroaching," she said. "I thought, if I get 10 years out of this I'll be laughing," she said. "I got 22, so it was a good run."

Choice Video's departure leaves Videoland as the sole remaining DVD-rental business in town.

Owner Norman Tam said he also saw rentals wane in the past couple of years, but after the 25-year-old business adjusted its rental prices and policies in March, business has picked up.

"It works out as way cheaper than cable and satellite," he said, of the store's new pricing. "We have more selection than the cable. Ever since we changed in March, the consumers are way more happy and we can see the sales coming back."

Videoland employs three full-time and two part-time staff.

There are 3,000 independent DVD rental stores across Canada, according to Tam, and he expects his to remain among them for many years to come.

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