Hoping to survive
Owner of Wolfville’s Cinematopia worried about the future of rentals
Megan Haliburton loves video stores. She’s slightly biased, as she owns Wolfville’s video store, Cinematopia.
“A sweet little collection of the best films from everywhere in any era; but truly, I have always loved them. There is a magic here for the movie-lover,” she says.
With Halifax video store, Video Difference, about to shut down after 34 years, Haliburton worries about the future, although she’s pleased to know that Dalhousie University and the Halifax Public Library are buying that collection.
Haliburton, who worked at Wolfville’s earlier video incarnation, Light and Shadow, believes “having so many fantastic films in one spot is intoxicating.”
She also notes that the people who frequent an independent shop like Cinematopia create a “unique atmosphere, which is generated from encounters with fellow cinephiles sharing discoveries and opinions.”
Browsing through actual shelves, she says, “you may hit upon a movie you’ve never heard of, but through a recommendation, or just because of an intriguing cover, you discover your new favourite film.”
There’s also the possibility, Haliburton adds, of stumbling across that “legendary rarity you always wanted to see but could never find. These are some of the intangible elements that make the video shop experience so special.”
Haliburton worries though, knowing her little Main Street shop is one of the very few dedicated movie rental stores still standing in Nova Scotia.
“A lot of people think that you can’t swim against the tide of change, but I truly believe that a jewel of a shop like this should be able to weather changes in our culture, that true film buffs will always value a place that treasures and curates a collection like this.”
She says people often tell her they just couldn’t find what they were looking for and ended up having to settle.
“Those dissatisfied with Netflix are grateful that a place like Cinematopia still exists,” she says.
“The big players seem to offer plenty of choice and the convenience of letting the entertainment kind of happen. But the choice is deceptive, because they just don’t have the variety of titles we offer, and once all of we little guys are driven out of business, they will be the only option.”
Haliburton admits it’s getting harder to fight the good fight.
“I have cut my expenses to the bone, yet money is still exceedingly tight. I can see that soon I may have to admit defeat.”
Before she does, though, she has a goal: “I just want to be sure that everyone is aware that there is a choice to be made here. If people today really do value con- venience over quality, low-cost over community, I will accept that. But I need to say this: our choice now may limit choice in the future. It’s really about options.”
Haliburton sees Cinematopia as a community resource providing shared knowledge, a variety of quality films, classic and rare, foreign and independent.
Needing support for her passion, Haliburton has started fundraising page.
“I want to keep up the fight, but I need to know that people want this. Now is a crucial moment, for our town and for society in general. Once places like this are gone, they are gone for good.
Haliburton launched Cinematopia in 2009 after Light and Shadow closed its doors. It had been in existence for two decades.