Do you ever miss those years — decades, really — we spent having a physical space to browse movies in?
For many North Shore locals, that space was Neutral Bay Blockbuster. The store, which closed in 2015, was once the highest-turnover Blockbuster in Australia, claims former owner Angela Constanti.
And as a film student moving into the area in 2013, the wide-ranging selection of world cinema in particular offered an extracurricular cultural education that left an indelible mark on my life and tastes.
Angela and her husband Con have been in the industry since November 1986, when their store was known as Sydney Video Centre and was primarily located on Young Street. They spoke to the Lorikeet about what went into the business, its impact on the community, and the final years of a cultural behemoth.
Specialist and independent: Sydney Video Centre, as the store was first known, was a “designer” store, Angela says. “But it wasn’t easy as an indie store.” In December 1999, the couple decided to usher in the new millennium as a Blockbuster franchise.
And in 2009, the couple moved from Young Street to Military Road, tripling their size.
Blockbuster had a corporate store in Cremorne but that proximity didn’t turn out to be a problem. For a time there was also a Video Ezy nearby and another independent video store on Spit Road.
The Constantis’ store amassed foreign films, classics, documentaries, shows from the BBC and ABC and more to cater to the sophisticated and wide-ranging tastes of locals. This edge, Angela believes, was why the Neutral Bay Blockbuster held out for longer than others.
Stores began closing in significant numbers in the late 2000s and early 2010s, but the Neutral Bay Blockbuster held out until 2015.
“We had the stock, we had the range, and that brought people back,” Angela said, adding she thought the staff were an asset, with their knowledge of the latest new releases and back catalogues relied upon by locals seeking recommendations. Most were university students who stayed on for years in different capacities, and the job retention was high.
“Customers would gravitate towards certain staff members depending on their taste”.
Angela credits the store’s longevity to her husband, Con, an “extremely clever man” in running the accounts.
As for Angela: “I’ve always been more of a systems-oriented person”.
Between the pair, Angela and Con worked six days a week while raising four children and making sure they got a good education. But she wouldn’t have had it any other way.
“I loved the buzz on Saturday nights,” she reminisces.
Despite the popularity and longevity of the Constanti’s Neutral Bay store, the video rental industry was in its sunset era.
“The writing was on the wall,” Angela said. “People started pivoting to streaming and film distributors didn’t do enough.”
In 2015, some representatives from Chemist Warehouse walked in and made the Constantis an offer.
“We had to take the emotion out of the decision. It’s a shame, but it was for the best,” Angela says.
The store officially closed down in March 2015.
Her customers were “mortified”, she said. People went “beserk” at the closing-down sale and much of their stock was snapped up.
What does the veteran video rental store owner think of the state of movie-watching now?
“Streaming is great, but it’s difficult trying to find what you want now. And I don’t know if there’s the quality of movies there used to be.”
“People used to love coming in, browsing, getting advice.”
But Angela remembers the downsides, too.
“They hated returning movies and copping the late fees,” she said. “We actually offered a drop-off and pick-up service for a while.”
Since selling the business, Angela and Con have semi-retired, travelled and renovated their home in Allambie Heights. They have both found themselves needed in administrative roles, Con with NSW Health and Angela with her daughter’s physiotherapy business.
Angela’s recommendations: The expertise lives on. Angela provided us a list of her top recommendations, reserved for indecisive customers. “I have very eclectic taste”, she prefaces:
LA Confidential
Fargo
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
The Truman Show
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Memento
All About Eve
12 Angry Men
Casablanca
Anything Alfred Hitchcock!
World cinema:
Cinema Paradiso
The Lives of Others
Parasite
Pan’s Labyrinth
City of God
Life is Beautiful
Babette’s Feast
Images supplied.