Video rental business, here and gone
Versatile Video in Dunwoody was one of the stores my family visited for movies and video games during their heyday. We also went to nearby Blockbuster Video Stores, but there was always a friendly vibe at the independent Versatile Video store.
This Versatile Video Dunwoody photograph is from the archives of the Dunwoody Crier newspaper.
Whatever community you lived in, there was a Blockbuster, Hollywood Video or perhaps a smaller chain or independent video rental store. Other competitors in the Atlanta area included All Star Video, The Movie Store, National Video, and West Coast Videos. Record stores also entered the video rental business. Turtles’s and Coconuts rented videos and Turtle’s opened its first video rental focused store in 1989.
Versatile Video opened in 1981. Owner Chuck Tintle said the idea of opening a video store came to him in 1980 when a friend bought a VCR for $1,000. Tintle wondered where his friend was going to get videos to play on the new gadget saying, “Back then getting a video wasn’t the easiest thing in the world, so I decided I’d go into the rental business.”
Tintle started out with 270 videos but decided to add VCRs and televisions from General Electric. He then added video games to his inventory. Eventually the movie and game videos filled up the space and the electronics were out.
A second Versatile Video store was located on Alpharetta Highway in Roswell.
The May 10, 1986 Atlanta Constitution advertised “Back to the Future” now available on videocassette from MCA at several video store locations around Atlanta and the suburbs. The list includes the two Versatile Video locations, Club Video on Covington Highway in Decatur, Hollywood Shows to Go on Scenic Highway in Snellville and on Buford Highway in Duluth, and My Rental Company on Main Street in Lithonia.
Advertisement for the release of Back to the Future on videocassette
Blockbuster Video opened in 1985 in Dallas, Texas. According to a June 11, 1988 article in the Atlanta Constitution, a Blockbuster franchisee opened it’s ninth store in the Atlanta area that year with plans for 15 more. We know many more opened after 1988, but I don’t have an exact number for Atlanta and the surrounding communities.
Many independent video stores closed in the early 2000s, unable to compete with the Blockbusters of the business. However, Versatile video was unique. Shoppers enjoyed chatting with Chuck and his wife Mary, who also worked in the store. Customers asked Chuck for his advice about whether they would enjoy a movie and he was happy to give his thoughts.
Versatile Video finally closed in 2008. According to Tintle, it was not because of the Blockbuster around the corner, but the result of changing technologies. The couple closed the store and retired. (Atlanta Constitution, Dec. 27, 2008, “Technology advances hasten end of Dunwoody video store.”)
Former video rental stores are now the location of various types of businesses. Versatile Video in Dunwoody is now a State Farm Insurance office. Other stores have been taken over by banks, restaurants, urgent care facilities, and more.