Okay, we should be recording now and, as I say, i'm just gonna try something let's see if I can do it no that's not how I do it.

All right, there we go there, we go I might fiddle with this every now and then i'm still getting used to doing this you're only my second.

interview here so okay so.

Since we are recording it is.

march 19 2021 and we are recording for the University of Idaho library oral History project concerning the video rental store in Moscow Idaho.

I think i'd said on the phone Andrea that this interview can last really as long or as short as we want it to.

We can go off the record anytime you want to, and we can do a follow up that would be great if you want to add anything if you want to change anything so so don't don't worry about it just just go ahead and talk.

Oh, and you can review this recording or the transcript if you want to and make corrections if that makes you feel better i'm only saying it to make you feel better right now, just so you don't worry.

Since we're on the recording I want to ask you if you've signed the waiver release.

Andrea Beckett: I did.

Monique Lillard: You did yesterday that's what I thought.

And would you state for the recording your name.

Andrea Beckett: Andrea Beckett.

Monique Lillard: Right exactly so, can you describe your relationship to the Howard Hughes video store and or the video cooperative.

Andrea Beckett: Yes.

Monique Lillard: Go ahead.

Andrea Beckett: yeah.

I remember when we were.

renting movies, and they were either eight track.

They were.

Even before the CDS came out, it was pretty infant style.

modes of recording but I was intrigued and always having been a movie goer I thought, now I can bring them into my home, so I would rent them.

From various businesses.

Probably in the 80s and 90s, just as a private person to record in my home as.

The world marched on the media check the medium changed from a track to smaller and smaller and smaller and, finally, here we are in 2021 and we're streaming.

A lot of people don't even know what that means, but it's been it's been a it's been interesting to watch that evolve as so many things have done in.

While our lifetimes really.

So I was just a private consumer renting them from safeways there was a there is a big rental store out of the East side market place for a while blockbusters or something and gradually the eight tracks and the next one in line.

lost traction with a lot of.

purchasers and so the source of these moving videos that the sources were shrinking and at some point in probably the.

2007 is when the.

mainstream video store.

started and so there's lots of history, between the 1980s and lots of changes, but really we're concentrating on the video co op so i'm new.

Howard Hughes video co op started on Washington street.

Washington and forth, I think, and.

They were there for several years and at one they kept getting smaller their places kept getting smaller.

But also don frye will tell you they actually really started in where logo school is now, there was a building at that corner, that was a roller skating rink.

And that really pushed my memory button backwards, because I remember being in there when it was a skating rink and then they moved from there to the police empire mall and then ended up back down kind of across from the food co op that's fourth.

Fifth.

Monique Lillard: Fifth.

Andrea Beckett: street fifth street in Washington and then actually honest history because they finally ended up in a pretty small space.

And they Howard Hughes people are getting pretty tired of this and the movie videos were going out of style as TV and the Internet brought in all sorts of different temptations for the market so eventually two or three of my really good friends in Moscow, who had been business owners.

And and worked with.

Different bit different stores in Moscow, but Gary meyers was one of the original buyers in 2007 and Kelly more was a friend of gary's and he joined in and then pat angle and Neill Franklin.

Join Gary because they all own some property on Main Street Gary on the Royal motor in.

didn't own the land, but he owned the building and so those six friends kelling was.

His wife is deb Rentals and so she started participating so as those six people just really good friends business owners Moscow Main Street and decided that the main street video store needed to be.

Money couldn't depend on you, even though things were changing so.

I.

I think.

I think pat angle and.

and Neil own the building that it used to be palest printing way back when.

And so.

It was no III think monique What path.

Monique Lillard: Unless yeah I do think, so I you know I yeah there were lots of different businesses in that building.

When I talked to pat i'm going to ask her I just was making a note i'm going to ask.

Because that's a good question.

Andrea Beckett: In my memory is telling me that they moved into the building near the corner of sixth and main and then a.

Large building that was owned by one of the partners, I think.

and

So it was fun to have well being a Moscow native and I had a business here in town for 30 years, and since I was an accountant.

I did the books for lots and lots of people that had stores on Main Street, and I was very proud that.

Main Street in Moscow in the last 50 years hasn't had a lot of vacancies we've always had a pretty good core of businesses along third street Main Street and it's been a real vital town that people want to come to.

A lot of people and Coleman want to move over here because we have a robot robust business community.

So just knowing that the that the video co op ED got into what was an empty building for a while it just felt good and then I started going down and renting movies from them and then knowing so many people in town somehow or another, I kind of got invited.

or for something to join a nonprofit organization.

Main Street, I think I think it was Main Street video co op I think there were some changes in there, but anyway, and so there were some.

Young people in town that just wanted to keep it going and knew they really needed some business people in there, and so I ended up joining the board, and it was a nonprofit.

corporation and got it all incorporated with the state of Idaho and and did a lot of that book for to get things started, and then I don't know how many years I was on the board, but it was a real dedicated group we had.

Still Kelly more in depth Rentals were part of it.

I think about the time that I joined the board my friend Gary myers who would have been the first one, that said we're gonna buy that store.

got married what traveling quite a bit and ended up passing away from cancer, so that the partners and the owner ships have changed a little bit.

Throughout the years just because life keeps happening, and whether we want it to or not so.

I probably joined about the time that Gary passed away because I felt it was a really dear friend and I felt really bad about it and I thought well this was his.

This was his thing and to honor him and when they asked me, I said yes i'll join and help you out so probably for five years.

of being on the board, we had.

Will a real diverse group in the in our in our corporation, so we had Melinda and and you'll go into this, the different people but pretty much business people, plus university faculty.

And we decided that we needed to let the public know that we were open for business and we were a nonprofit and the fact that there were, maybe even more than 30,000 movies, in that one.

One story built area that they rented it was just like too good you just can't miss that opportunity so, unfortunately.

We we grabbed that opportunity and we kept it going for quite a while, but.

Life is kind of.

A lot faster now and things were back when eight track movies were being sold and watched so with the advent of the Internet and all the different areas of communications that have improved throughout the years.

We knew that we needed to get a good.

amount of people to join the board and help support us because the four or five board members couldn't do it all.

So can we stop here for a minute.

Monique Lillard: yeah absolutely it's a wealth of information you've just given us yeah.

Let me follow up with a question.

Were you the official accountant at any point when it was Howard Hughes video when it was Main Street video co op where you the official account.

Andrea Beckett: I think I was I don't.

yeah because Gary was a client of mine for years and pat Neil work clients of mine and I knew debbie Reynolds for years because she was a bookkeeper so i'm thinking that probably yes, and maybe once.

I just gonna say I think so.

Monique Lillard: that's fine that's fine it's not a deposition.

You know it's just your recollection.

I.

Were you the treasurer was what do you remember your official title it's on the cooperative board.

Andrea Beckett: could have vanished frazier I mean it wouldn't be anything else.

Monique Lillard: Because, as you were talking, I was, I was remembering and I guess for people watching this video I should say, I myself was a member of that board.

you're right, you were in charge of getting those papers filed with the Idaho Secretary of State, and I was just.

And i'll look through my own records, I might or might not have kept copies of all that.

But I remember you're signing them and I just think you were the person who was in charge, and I don't know if it's just because you're an accountant by training, and so we thought you'd be detail oriented enough to get it done.

Or if there was something official but just thought you might remember.

Andrea Beckett: All the paperwork that I had, which was several boxes, because you have to keep that stuff for seven years, so Lauretta thankfully was still trying hard to save the store and she graciously took all of my paperwork.

Monique Lillard: Okay.

Andrea Beckett: Well, if that that's where that information is.

Monique Lillard: All right, I will write that down to it, i'm going to talk to Lauretta Campbell that is and.

I hope she saved, it will find out, I remembered something else didn't you keep a book that was kind of like a scrapbook you were keeping all the articles in the paper, and do you still have that or did you give that to Lauretta.

Andrea Beckett: Lauretta should have that.

Monique Lillard: letter should have all right i'm going to get in touch with her fast, and again I hope she's still got it so we'll see without it's kind of interesting to be.

documenting history.

You know what I mean it's fascinating to me.

yeah exactly yes, yes.

Let me ask you, let me just sort of backup and ask a different type of question here in terms of.

Just describing the experience of going into the store as a customer.

How often did you visit it and what do you remember about it.

And, and again there's several locations that you've mentioned, and any location is relevant it's all it's all interesting so.

Andrea Beckett: Hopefully, I would have to just start with the with the main street video, I mean the others were kind of sporadic.

just being a mom and an accountant and and different times of the year, I would watch a movie and other times I would not so that's kind of sketchy but entering the the.

Video store on main on Main Street.

I was a little bit critical.

Monique Lillard: How so i'll go ahead, this is your chance to tell us yeah.

Andrea Beckett: It was a big it was a big old building and it needed a lot of.

tender loving care that none of us could provide and it was a small group and.

Not a very wealthy group at that, and so there were a lot of things like the entrance with the glass.

window, as you would walk in through that front door was always a mess.

Because the guys that were running it love them dearly, but they were more into knowing what each movie was all about, then the aesthetics, of a big old building that we're trying to.

rip videos from so it wasn't elegant but it it people walked in they were comfortable the movies were right there they were well labeled the kids knew before they could look for their movies and and the building served us well, even though it wasn't.

yeah a palace.

Yes.

Monique Lillard: Yes.

Do you remember the green paint inside.

Andrea Beckett: that's right.

Being the accountants I more remember remember that back office in the back, with no windows and just kind of a hole in the wall and that's where our operations as the accountants and the in the bookkeepers.

that's where we spend our time.

And so, especially toward the end my mean there's so many other things that people can watch these days.

And with our kin where the theater putting on really choice movies, my movie viewing kind of decline, but my bookkeeping definitely took took its place, so I sat back there in the dark, like a mole a lot but tried to keep us out of jail and.

comfortable, it was a comfortable space.

Monique Lillard: that's good that's good Lee or as a kid and.

Andrea Beckett: and be able to.

wrap what they wanted to yeah.

Monique Lillard: Do you do you think.

Andrea Beckett: That back and forth the cash register was and where the people that were working for us did most of their work was there at the cash register or they'd be walking around helping people find different kinds of movies, but they had all sorts of.

movie posters so back back in there toward the back for people would check out at the cash register that they had a couple chalkboards that said here's our new movies, of the week, and what to what.

Their best choices are and, and so it was it was a real congenial place and the people that work for us, usually young men.

knew more about movies and and history of Ben Carson Castle priests came after I think Ben.

And Bo might have worked together and then Bo backed out or left and then Ben was the major.

cashier for us and then eventually.

Connor.

But then.

Is a genius and his knowledge of movies, and especially of Russian history i'd asked him a question about a movie and 40 minutes later.

Good, how do you know all that.

So it was a it was a congenial place and everybody was comfortable and.

They did a good job I just think that tech modern technology.

I think probably was an enemy in the long run.

Monique Lillard: Well, my next question was going to be, how do you think that the video store was important to Moscow in a way you sort of started to answer that but i'll go ahead and say you know, do you think the video store was important to Moscow and and how so.

Andrea Beckett: Yes, and no because i'm.

compared to when.

Howard Hughes owned the video store.

The.

prices were it was getting kind of spending for an average family with children to go into like a Howard Hughes and pay full price for movies, once the the movie co op opened.

Our prices were.

Probably low, but it made it easier for young families, especially and college kids were a huge college town area to be able to afford two or three movies, for a weekend, so I think it was valuable for some Members of our Community others.

They had a really good friend and and she knew I was spending a lot of time there and I said why don't you stop on the way home she says no, I always go to red box and I said.

She wash your mouth out, you know I said well what I just stuck there they're half price, I mean go right on in.

She says i'm a busy mom I work hard, all day long, I have two children and a husband, I live out and Viola.

And if I want to get some movies, when I get off work I can't find a parking place, I want to go past walgreens grab a movie at a red box and i'm home, so there were you know, not everybody shopped at the movie co op.

Just.

treat his Main Street, and we talked about this a lot, as we were kind of winding down, can we find another place.

It would be expensive, but we could increase our viewership if they had something like we'd never have a drive through but like for the old market time building was.

Just west of the high school and there they could you know, a parking lot but on Main Street right there, there were 446 places.

So that that slowed your traffic down to think.

Monique Lillard: that's it yeah.

Just this discussion brings a whole lot of things back to me, so I remember all that, yes, yes.

Who do you think was the most important person at the store and it doesn't have to be a human name, it could be a job position what what was what was the key to the whole place, who was the key to the whole place.

Andrea Beckett: I don't think there was just one.

Because I was kind of a late comer to the board, and I remember having to be persuaded.

So Melinda Melinda schaaf.

Monique Lillard: job, I think.

Andrea Beckett: yeah she was instrumental in and making us a nonprofit co op that was huge I wouldn't have known what to even.

Have a clue on how to do that and so she was very instrumental.

I remember kind of.

Not being able to really be the.

nosy accountant that I was with my clients, because I have to know this and I have to know at.

Know once I got there and I had enough knowledge as far as accounting practices go.

I got that put in place, but I still think Melinda and and you monique and.

Who else was on the board.

we've got Kristen at would.

Eventually.

Lauretta.

Had a couple men from wsu I don't I don't remember who those were.

On and I don't know.

Who did the initial let's do this, I mean I joined it because Gary passed away, but I didn't do it like Melinda would have you know be another business on Main Street.

Monique Lillard: So there was some initial meetings at my house back when it was still privately owned by Pat and other people.

But I don't think you came to those meetings, did you.

Know okay I didn't think so, what the one of the men from Washington State, I am going to interview.

Robert and I don't want to mangle his last name it was Italian it begins with an m it's something like matt suozzi or something like that so apologies to if you ever listened to this up, but i'll get it right before I interview him so okay yeah.

So let's see here.

Now, talking about being on the board and running things.

i'm interested in the biggest challenges early on in your time on the board and then what were the biggest challenges toward the end.

Andrea Beckett: might have to save that answer for maybe a follow up because.

I don't remember thinking or using the word challenge.

was just part of being a board member so.

I think probably the major challenge was.

Not all the board members.

thought that accounting was so integral to a going concern I picked I picked up on that, because a lot of people all would just hire a bookkeeper I mean but not when you're doing a nonprofit co op type thing it requires more business structure and discipline and.

and

Crossing your t's and dotting your i's then people that are not in the business world, they would just say oh just do it, and so that was a challenge for me, but it's only because i'm an accountant.

Monique Lillard: that's interesting.

And I.

Do you remember any of the financial information, you know and what were the.

i'll make this question up what were the gross receipts.

When we started the.

Co operative board and what were the gross receipts at the end.

For example, what were the biggest costs Do you remember any of that or.

Andrea Beckett: Well, the biggest cost.

The two things one thing we had to pay rent on that big space that we were renting that was $2,000 a month.

and

Also, the cost of buying those videos or tapes or CDs, or whatever.

They were was high I mean because we were going to either turn around and resell them for a good profit or or try to run them out for $5 but there was a big outlay, as far as buying the actual movies, and then the rent on top is pretty much what drug us down.

Monique Lillard: How about Labor costs.

Andrea Beckett: Well, they were the kind of a necessity, because none of the board members are going to be down there vm clerks so actually I think they were pretty poorly paid.

In reality.

So I would put Labor as number three far as that goes.

Monique Lillard: yeah yeah I remember talking about.

What hours, the store should be open and sort of thinking with the more hours we're open the more movies, will grant but also the more Labor costs will have to pay.

Andrea Beckett: You know yeah.

Monique Lillard: yeah.

let's see Do you remember much about the process of making it a cooperative.

But I think I don't know if you were involved, there was a lot of discussion about well, maybe it should be privately owned maybe it should be a cooperative maybe it should be a for profit nonprofit there were all these different thoughts.

Andrea Beckett: Do you remember anything about that for me.

Monique Lillard: Okay alrighty.

Andrea Beckett: I mean, I know how hard billet Melinda work to get us to be a.

bona fide co op but I don't think I was there in the initial like when they were meeting at your House.

Monique Lillard: Okay okay yeah yeah let's see.

Were you on the board when the business decided to close, I think that would have been probably early March of 2020 will you still on the board and were you part of that decision.

Andrea Beckett: No, I I think I left the board at some point during.

Because.

I owned my home on the West side of town and that I built in 1990 and I had retired from my accounting practice and.

So i'd lived there 20 years by the time we hit the 2000s and.

forever so in 2019 I thought I have to say I had two acres and three stories, it was a very large home, which was awesome and bright for storage of tax documents.

In the basement, but it was way too much my daughter had already graduated from college and it was like.

And that, besides that I have so much arthritis everything hurts, and it I just couldn't do three stories anymore, so I was in the process of getting my house ready for sale and for finding another place, and I really was trying and I kept going to put the portland area and.

all the way down to.

corvallis and.

All over my daughter lives in portland and I wanted to be closer to her, because only have one daughter, and one grand dog, so it was important.

But I never could find any place that I didn't want to move within with her, I just wanted to be in the area, but.

And then eventually my daughter sat me down and said mom I know you're trying to live over here but think about it, you were born and raised in Moscow.

Every you know, everybody in town You ran a business there for 30 years all your classmates the all your friends are there, why would you ever move over to some studio apartment and portland and leave all that behind.

So that's when I decided I better find a place in the Moscow area if i'm going to be staying here so that's where all of my energies were going in 2019 and even in 2018 really have to you know, put it in place so that's when I said I can't do all of this and and left the board.

Monique Lillard: Okay Okay, and so I want to do a little parentheses because you've mentioned something twice, and so this is a slightly off topic, but you mentioned, you were born here in Moscow literally at Griffin or not.

Andrea Beckett: Literally written.

Monique Lillard: And you went to where'd you go to high school.

Andrea Beckett: No all here.

Monique Lillard: All here and university.

Andrea Beckett: yep Well, no, I went to you have it for two years and then I transferred the University of Washington Washington is.

Monique Lillard: haha okay vandal husky.

And my.

Andrea Beckett: My first major was in French and Spanish and linguistics.

didn't pay the bills very well.

So the I came back up to Moscow i'd lived in.

Oregon.

Northern California came back up and went back to school and got my accounting degree.

So yeah I and i'll tell you when I graduated from Moscow high school in 1965 I was out of here I mean you know every high school kid in America they graduate high school they're gone.

So I it took me a while once I moved back here to finally decide that yeah it was okay to be back here sort of.

Monique Lillard: yeah.

And so the business that you ran in Moscow, was what exactly.

Andrea Beckett: you're looking for.

Monique Lillard: you're an accounting firm that's what I thought that's what I thought okay okay so again, that was sort of a parentheses, but I think it's interesting to sort of establish who you are so it's interesting.

let's see So then, since you weren't on the board, how did you learn that the video store was closed closing and where were you when you heard how did you feel when you heard.

Andrea Beckett: Well, I had kind of arranged for the final two bookkeepers because it needs it needed people that knew what they were doing with the finances it some people want to blow it off, but.

You don't want to tangle with the irs you don't want to tangle with the state of Idaho payroll is so critical, it has to be done right.

And I insisted at all of our board meetings, we have to have an accountant I don't doesn't have to be a CPA it can be a bookkeeper but they have to know what they're doing so I was still connected to the movie co op all the way through until Connor told me.

we're closing because I I would go back in and make sure, at least quarterly, if not more often, maybe, when I was going into random movie and I wouldn't get out there for an hour just.

It was.

Just really important to keep our books clean, so I knew all the way through.

yeah was working with ban hard Castle and Connor and.

Monique Lillard: So it was probably Connor who told you then.

It just Orly you were standing there yeah.

yeah Do you remember how you felt.

Andrea Beckett: Just deflated it's like a bloom like really.

we've been putting this together for this long and.

Really really feel.

Monique Lillard: yeah yeah.

Andrea Beckett: Yes, another empty space on Main Street.

started against my religion.

Monique Lillard: And, did you follow.

Well, they they I guess gave my gosh just asked me to know how the movies went from the Co operative to the kenworthy what was that business transaction exactly.

Andrea Beckett: Very shabby.

Monique Lillard: How so.

Andrea Beckett: Because I didn't have anything to do with it.

No i'm kidding.

I don't think that kenworthy did anything, then accept them and I don't even know if they said, thank you, but they never said how much can we pay you.

and see to me, being an accountant is going to come back to the basics of fair fair trade fair exchange and you don't get something for nothing.

Sorry, is born That way, you know but it's all about so Lauretta is going to be a treasure of this, I mean she she ended up with all of it money on her shoulders.

yeah.

I don't think that kenworthy paid us a dime.

Okay, find out from you that they're selling them to the University of Idaho well that one didn't sit bro with me.

yeah but better the you have I then in a.

You know theater that's not showing them.

Monique Lillard: Right keep talking, if you want, or else I can well let's just let's just pause somebody is at my door.

Oh, I need to.

Andrea Beckett: yeah cause.

Monique Lillard: Alright i'm sorry to have that happen somebody very generously is giving a present to my husband, so I had to go and grab it I didn't realize it was going to come.

During this.

Well, but.

What I mean, and we were right in a very important moment, actually, you were saying that you've felt some frustration, because as far as you know, the kenworthy gave no money to the Co op but apparently received some money.

The University of Idaho clearly bought some of the videos some of them were so privately, did you follow that process okay.

You didn't buy any.

Andrea Beckett: Connor might be able to help as Connor or again Lauretta.

Monique Lillard: yeah Oh, and I think you were also just saying, as I walked away that Lauretta carried that whole process on her shoulders.

As your recollection yeah yeah.

In some ways you've answered this, but let me ask it one more time, what do you think ultimately ended the stores existence.

Andrea Beckett: Colvin.

Fewer and fewer people were coming in the door pay $2,000 in rent every month in rent movies.

yeah.

Monique Lillard: Did you learn anything from the time in your life when you were involved with this video store in any of its incarnations.

Andrea Beckett: Oh, did I learn anything.

probably did.

Net new people made new friends.

Watch more movies.

yeah.

Monique Lillard: What was your favorite section of the store.

Andrea Beckett: Probably.

Just the either drama if I see myself going in the front door and.

That whole Rack, as you walk in toward the back of the store that I don't remember what they what the terminology was but just regular movies, like we'd go see it again, or they.

You know i'm not a westerner I just can't do horror films I don't do dark who are very easily just just entertain me tell me a love story you.

know.

Monique Lillard: that's great.

Any memorable stories funny things sad things horrible things.

weird things.

Andrea Beckett: Not off the top.

I do value.

Always value new friends like you and Lauretta and Melinda but getting to know I knew both his mom is one of my best friends.

So, but getting to know Ben better his mom and I are really good friends and he and my daughter Heidi were in the same high school class so but I never knew that Ben was a Russian scholar I means.

And Connor to a such a gentle they were just really good i'm gonna monitor column kids but they would hate that so young man.

Monique Lillard: Yet.

Andrea Beckett: That really believed that really they could be paid $7 and 25 cents an hour and still like what they were doing.

yeah.

yeah that's unique you know.

Monique Lillard: Absolutely absolutely no and this conversation and other conversation i've had really brings it back you know I can just close my eyes and see the store and see.

ya bullet see that upper room at the Co op the food co op where we would meet all the time.

yeah yeah she would try to come up those.

stairs.

Monique Lillard: yeah.

We finally moved, I think, to the store just so you could get up and down.

Better that was that was a good idea, yes.

Yes, yeah yeah.

Any question I didn't ask anything that this has brought up for you, that you'd like to say.

well.

Andrea Beckett: I think I would like to say, let me cut you Tate on it, and probably i'll come up with some zingers or some really questions, but now right this minute.

Monique Lillard: That works that works.

You know what i'll do is i'll stop recording and then maybe we can talk about your schedule and and I want to make sure i've got.

A list of people who you think we should talk to, so I think we're pretty much on the same page, but we might as well just do that off the recording so for now i'll say for now i'll close off the recording and then the zoom will continue okay.

Andrea Beckett: Okay yeah.

Monique Lillard: All right, anything else, unless before I do that or okay all right now, how do I do it see here.

There we go.