A small, brightly colored corner tucked into the Magazine Street “artist curated department store,” Slow Down New Orleans may cause passers to do a double take. Shelves stocked with old school VHS tapes and DVDs ranging from beloved classic movies and instructional videos on wine or exercise are on display.
Have you stepped back in time? Is this the reincarnation of the once-ubiquitous video rental store? The answer is no…and yes!
Future Shock Video is the brainchild of owner Eden Chubb. Originally launched in a small space in Mid-City in spring of 2024, the company relocated to its current Magazine Street location this fall.
Chubb said the idea for the company was born out of what she said she noticed was a growing frustration with the state of entertainment.
“Every big company has started its own proprietary streaming service where it can decide which titles and which version of those titles it wants you to see and delete whatever it wants for whatever reason,” said Chubb. “The viewer has no control over any of it.”
An illustrator who runs her own company — Daring Hare LLC — Chubb helped her husband run a restaurant pop-up for a year but doesn’t have a background in retail or movies.
“I just really wanted to go to a video store, and this was the way to make that happen,” she said, explaining that she first started buying DVDs again just to access the original versions of certain TV shows, in cases where the only version on streaming was chopped up and altered.
“But the dam really burst when I noticed that if I wanted to watch a movie more often than not, I still had to rent it from Amazon for $4,” she explained. “After all that upheaval and all those monthly subscriptions, I was still renting movies, but in a way that was infinitely less fun. So, what, in the end, was the point of losing these communal spaces curated by real people who love movies?”
There are currently 587 video, DVD and video game rental stores in the U.S. (according to an Ibis World report from April 2024), making Future Shock Video a standout in the entertainment world.
“Luckily for humanity there are still some video rental stores in various cities around the country (including a couple that are newly opened), and I visited some when I was first planning Future Shock Video,” said Chubb. “The first time you walk into a video store after being away for decades you get such a lovely fluttering in your chest. It’s a feeling you can only get from that physical space.”
The membership model for Future Shock will be familiar to all who patronized rental shops and is an easy introduction to those new to the process. And for those who really want the full vintage experience, the shop even offers VCR rental and repair.
“Anyone who wants to rent movies must sign up for a free membership, and then it’s $3 per rental ($1 for kids’ movies). We also rent VCRs, DVD players and Blu-ray players for $7.”
“The rental period is a week for everything, and we have video return boxes at the Broad Theater in Mid-City, Hey!Cafe in Broadmoor, Slow Down (where we’re located), and at Sea Cave Arcade in the Bywater,” said Chubb. “Plus, you get a laminated membership card!”
While the ways in which consumers access home entertainment vary, the popularity of watching movies and other at-home entertainment options continues to grow. According to a 2023 Statista report, “since 2014, consumer spending on home entertainment in the U.S. has been on the rise, growing from under 18 billion U.S. dollars per year to over 36 billion U.S. dollars as of 2022.”
Chubb’s collection of materials grew quickly once the idea for Future Shock got off the ground, with the store adding new items all the time.
“Once word gets out that you’re opening a video store people start donating movies by the truckload (literally, we once filled the bed of a pickup truck with VHS tapes). We also check every thrift store, pawn shop or estate sale we happen upon. If I’m looking for something particular, I will source it from eBay or from a boutique Blu-ray label. I try to buy second-hand whenever possible. If you aren’t in too much of a rush you can amass a substantial collection on a pretty tight budget. We couldn’t have done this without the generosity of fellow physical media collectors. I even get emails from people in other states wanting to mail me boxes of tapes. It’s incredible,” she said.
In addition to movie and video rentals, Future Shock hosts several special events per month, plus screenings for private parties and plans, hopefully, for a larger space and much more.
“We got our start doing themed movie screenings at local spots like Hey!Cafe and Sea Cave Arcade and Okay Bar. We love themed events. If we ever have a big enough space, I would love to host parties and let people do their own private screenings in the actual store. I would also love to establish a regular weekly movie and have people do guest programming for it, as I have a lot of friends who know a lot more about movies than I do.”
As far as customer reaction, responses have varied from cheers to curiosity, and a growing number of loyal return renters, according to Chubb.
“The customers are great. I love when people become regulars, and I get to know their taste in movies and what recommendations they’ll appreciate. It sometimes helps me decide whether to stock a movie if I know a particular customer will want to see it! The customers also give great movie recommendations themselves, either to me or to other customers. It’s a wonderful way to learn about movies. I’m sure some people wander in purely for nostalgia, but that’s not why our regulars come here. I hope people will not see us as some kind of living history exhibit or a shrine — we’re a living, breathing video store where people who love movies can talk about movies and rent movies and, most importantly, watch movies. Physical media has stuck around and is even having a resurgence not because it’s nostalgic but because it offers something that you can never get from streaming: It puts control back into the hands of the consumer, and it changes their relationship to the art,” she said. “Physical media is not a regression — it’s a rebellion.”
Future Shock Video
2855 Magazine St.
Inside Slow Down New Orleans // 504-892-4766
Futureshockvideo.biz // @futureshockvideo
