EAGLE ROCK, Calif. — Walking into the Vidiots store feels like entering the sweetest part of 2003. 

It may be the colorful 90s-style sign or the familiar white wire shelves hosting slim disc cases. It may be the warm welcome you get walking in, or the stack of DVD and VHS players that remind you of when you watched "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" with your girlfriends or got your kid the "Finding Nemo" DVD for Christmas. Whatever it is, it's a feeling many go for. 

What You Need To Know

  • The original Vidiots video store opened in 1985 and stood in Santa Monica until 2017

  • Vidiots reopened on June 1 in Eagle Rock with the addition of a 271-seat movie theater

  • The new building ran as an independent theater and a church before getting a facelift as the new home of Vidiots

  • Vidiots' full schedule of films can be found at vidiotsfoundation.org, and movies can be rented at $2 for members and $3 for non-members. 

“I have very fond memories of going to Blockbuster and Family Video as a kid, and when I heard that Vidiots was opening up, I was incredibly happy,” said customer Sam Boatright.

Vidiots, a nonprofit film organization, was initially opened in 1985 and stood in Santa Monica for more than 30 years before closing in 2017. 

But it reopened in Eagle Rock this June, thanks mainly to donor funding. 

And for Boatright, this place is special. 

“There’s something very lovely and essential about going to a store, being intentional, and picking a movie out that way,” Boatright said.

With 60,000 titles to touch, the new space includes a 271-seat movie theater, a microcinema, and, of course, your expected movie snacks — popcorn, nachos, hotdogs — the works. 

But there’s a rich history behind the new building and the mission.

“This building ran from 1929 until the year 2000 as an independent movie theater. But by the time we got it, the projectors had been off for 20 years, and the building really needed a lot of love,” said Magie Mackay, Vidiots’ executive director. “It’s very expensive to show movies if you can believe it. Our mission is to keep this experience affordable and equitable.”

Movies shown range from niche to novel. Classics like “Clue” and beloved films like “The Land Before Time.” 

And as the saying goes, if you build it, they will come. 

“Revenue streams are doing well because people are definitely coming, which was a great sign for us,” Mackay said. 

After opening June 1, Mackay said they rent about 1,300 movies a week and see sold-out shows. Vidiots is enjoying success. But Mackay admits there’s still a formidable battle ahead. 

“It’s still a very challenging business model,” she said. 

Over in the video store, each section is carefully curated and there’s a dedicated staff, including a team of volunteers. 

“As we grow, we will start to launch all our initiatives, like our education programs and our preservation initiatives on our VHS,” Mackay said. “The whole point of this is for the community and to support filmmakers and audiences and to get them back in rooms together talking to each other.”

In a time when Hollywood is at a standstill, the film community is still important.

“That energy that you get when you watch movies with people who also like it is irreplaceable,” Boatright said while picking out a movie to rent. 

Vidiots’ full schedule of films can be found at vidiotsfoundation.org, and movies can be rented at $2 for members and $3 for non-members.