Ben Ramalingam, Ann-Marie Fulfer, and Sunil Ramalingam recount their memories of the video rental store. They talk about the feeling of visiting Howard Hughes Video Rental and the convenience of the store being downtown. Sunil talks briefly about the transition from VHS to DVDs. They talk about some shows they rented and watched. Sunil and Ann-Marie expressed their pleasure that the Main Street Video Co-op worked to continue the store. Ben talks about he would spend time when he was downtown in the store. He talks about using the video store during high school. Sunil and Ann-Marie talk about being members of the co-op. They also talk about renting through streaming platforms. Ben talks about his experience working at the Kenworthy to sort the DVDs after the video store closed.

Monique Lillard: takes a second.

Monique Lillard: Okay, now it says it's recording and that's that little thing up there, and so from time to time I get nervous, especially right after you say something great and i'll see still recording is it still recording.

Monique Lillard: you'll be free of that tension.

Monique Lillard: Okay i'm monique lillard and i'm an interviewer for the University of Idaho libraries oral History project concerning the video store in downtown Moscow Idaho.

Monique Lillard: Today is June 25 2021 and I am sitting here with three of the four members of the family, I think we're going to get the fourth Member into talk sometime very soon, we hope.

Monique Lillard: They are going to introduce themselves in just a moment.

Monique Lillard: In fact, you know what i'm going to have you do is i'm going to have you introduce yourselves and at the same time, maybe you could tell me that you have signed the waiver.

Monique Lillard: Okay, but that way you pronounce your own names i'm doing this with everybody, including people with names like john Smith, because Lo and behold whole bunch of people pronounce the names differently from the way I thought there pronounce the last 30 years.

Monique Lillard: All right.

Monique Lillard: You can adjust this get it where you want it, and then you can.

Monique Lillard: You can say who you are say that you've signed the.

Monique Lillard: The waiver and then, if you look, I think you were all your own mainly customers of the video store so good.

Monique Lillard: them I signed a waiver, and I was a customer at the store, as well as sorted through many of their DVDs of the Community.

Monique Lillard: And Annemarie full, for I was a customer at the store and I find my way for.

Monique Lillard: me around the link on the customer at the store and also sign the waiver very good alright sorry when angry and see.

Monique Lillard: How and when did you first find out about the video rental store in Moscow, and can you describe those early experiences and then, as they move on, through the years the free to stay with everybody.

Monique Lillard: I think we moved here when he moved here in 1994 and, at the time, everybody had a.

Monique Lillard: Visa is required, yes and and it was just natural you just assume that there was a video store in town and we've come from Davis, and we used to.

Monique Lillard: Like to go to a local store rather than one of the the chains, and so we we start out with whether there was a local business in town renting out movies yeah, I think, from our views as well as.

Monique Lillard: Those a store near jack in the box and those are the two places I went especially that first year right, and in that first year.

Monique Lillard: I wasn't living here yet so Neil was so when I came my just tended to go to the same place where I started, going so I don't I never really rented anywhere else.

Monique Lillard: Maybe went to blockbuster or whatever the other name of the video store in the safeway mall a couple of times, but they probably couldn't find what we wanted to tell us.

Monique Lillard: What was special about Howard Hughes when you remember the store you described it.

Monique Lillard: It was it was located at the time of the corner and Washington right and so what's the entire Howard Hughes.

Monique Lillard: empire yeah.

Monique Lillard: and

Monique Lillard: So you can go there and you could shop for.

Monique Lillard: A dishwasher or French movie.

Monique Lillard: But I.

Monique Lillard: I had to say this, it doesn't sound wrong, I mean it was always a clean store but it just had more of a homey feel, not a to.

Monique Lillard: Clinical feel like like many.

Monique Lillard: Trains do where they are everybody looks the same so.

Monique Lillard: I just thought, more focused on the convenience, because it was so cool, because just downtown and close to our place so you could.

Monique Lillard: walk home if you wanted, or is it very short drive drove there and they had most of the movies, I wanted to see, and so I know when we.

Monique Lillard: started watching the sopranos we were able to get episodes usually, when we wanted them not have to wait forever, and so I think it's really an HBO because that was right that was expensive, but we could we if we were willing to wait.

Monique Lillard: We could save a lot of money by renting.

Monique Lillard: The TV TV the vhs or the DVDs eventually.

: TV shows.

Monique Lillard: And I know thinking about the transition and I don't recall, they must have continued to carry vhs is for a while, after DVDs became popular because I was being on what I and didn't want to buy something new, when we had all these vhs tapes and and so.

Monique Lillard: We must, been able to.

Monique Lillard: Continue getting movies and series yeah I think part of the deal was that the appliance storage so DVD players and video players and DVD players and you remember all that other.

Monique Lillard: There were.

Monique Lillard: More BLU Ray came after DVDs but there were things that look like records.

Monique Lillard: was just so I don't think this is, of course, there was a while before there was vhs, and so I think that was the link between the appliance store and.

Monique Lillard: selling us the movies yeah so how often and and then eventually your beautiful family came in and how often would you go to the video store.

Monique Lillard: We went quite often.

Monique Lillard: right we we would we would buy some some vhs but some things I get Disney was still releasing movies, you know every seven years, so if you wanted your.

Monique Lillard: Child to see a classic rock I have a very distant memory of that like maybe once every couple weeks you'd let me and I read one thing each.

Monique Lillard: So that is regular right.

Monique Lillard: And, and that reminds me, we also would get videos from the library, because we wanted to encourage children going to the library and we we get books and.

Monique Lillard: Then we're building it.

Monique Lillard: Last time i'm interested to get a book about a library they wouldn't give her a library cards.

Monique Lillard: The public library yeah.

Monique Lillard: Did you know that many books on tape I have.

Monique Lillard: gotten a couple of books yeah on CD from the ui library i'm afraid many yeah I started getting movies from i've got a few movies from there, towards the end of the time, as I.

Monique Lillard: Remember, we remember we we get teletubbies for our all the time at the libraries I don't know, maybe Howard Hughes didn't have the teletubbies or maybe because if you're renting the teletubbies every week, you can run a.

Monique Lillard: library worked well, but.

Monique Lillard: When can we often would you often go in as a family of four of you, or just the grown ups or just one or one come farmers market day right we went.

Monique Lillard: When when I was a kid and we would go to mass, we would, as a family go get down that's translated into family we begin a farmers market and then go to Howard Hughes or.

Monique Lillard: Maybe pick up a movie.

Monique Lillard: What did you think of the collection, so you kind of talked about it, I liked it, it was pretty broad day.

Monique Lillard: It most often read about a movie I could find it there, so.

Monique Lillard: And I think Howard Hughes started.

Monique Lillard: doing the the employees PICs and I always enjoyed looking at those and see what they liked and maybe there was someone who's tastes intersected with mine, and I think there's um.

: yeah that's like.

Monique Lillard: Okay, so i'll ask each of you, and then move over what was your favorite section of the store, you might have different answers so.

Monique Lillard: I think drama and then copy that over and I liked the the war section of the lesson trial I love watching movies, like the battle of Britain or midway, and so they had a pretty good collection.

Monique Lillard: I would probably be filming or and then, as the kids are getting older, I transition to the TV section, because I mean that was that was the thing that was so great about Howard Hughes and and Main Street video was a collection of TV shows and.

Monique Lillard: Remembering that hungry when we started star trek the next generation seven six or seven yeah.

Monique Lillard: So yeah that was required viewing all.

Monique Lillard: star trek the next generation.

Monique Lillard: hello, no.

Monique Lillard: No it's just I slept so i'm gonna remind myself, not to do.

Monique Lillard: So then tell us your earliest memories now and resist the store on Chris and Washington, or the other store and my earliest memories was when it was.

Monique Lillard: crossing the Co op, but I can barely remember that, and I think at that time, you would have been giving me like animated Batman and Superman cartoons and that's the earliest I can I can actually specifically remember that So those are my group members of the store.

Monique Lillard: Okay, what do you remember from a child's perspective, how itself walking in.

Monique Lillard: i'm I mean i'm sure they were just like all right go rope.

Monique Lillard: Be walking and does, I think I was just thinking really to the kids corner and then I think, as I got older as exploring more to comedy TV sections.

Monique Lillard: store was organized I mean I feel like when you went in.

Monique Lillard: The extra section was to the right.

Monique Lillard: Behind the curtain behind the curtain.

Monique Lillard: But I am not i'm not for sure on that, but I remember, because this is a good sign.

Monique Lillard: kids hey you can roam wherever you want, but you're probably not interested in this area.

Monique Lillard: So transition to the location on Main Street good memories of the transition, well, I maintain that I moved at least one box, because I ran into real Franklin downtown and they were they were carrying boxes so i'll claim that I can move one box, but.

Monique Lillard: that's about it, I mean I liked the new location was a little farther away, but was I thought great that it was on Main Street and that's where the storefront was and.

Monique Lillard: I feel like it was bigger and maybe i'm wrong, but maybe that's just a recency bias, but I felt like it was a larger space and they can have been tori.

Monique Lillard: I feel like it was.

Monique Lillard: Better lead and I don't also don't know if that say that my boss may remember the old location, it seemed really small, but that is a big deal yeah.

Monique Lillard: yeah.

Monique Lillard: I think in terms of square feet, the old location and, and I mean the old location was first something small and then it expanded to really quite a big floor so it was a senior however they had more.

Monique Lillard: video cassettes what's the word when we call it just vhs tapes and those are bigger right and so that's that's an interesting that that's that those are your presence.

Monique Lillard: To talk about.

Monique Lillard: So that's interesting tell it felt better than it was did you have concerns about the parking and how to return the videos or i'm going to call videos and TV.

Monique Lillard: We were, I remember, and we have always been.

Monique Lillard: Good users of the co op parking lot and if we were running if we were shopping and returning a movie we would park in the parking lot and one of us would go in.

Monique Lillard: To the Co op and the other would run the movie So you can see, we didn't want to be seen as using the Co op parking, but it was a it was an issue if you were just running down in your car to return something.

Monique Lillard: You are always walking so yeah no oh yeah and we use children to.

Monique Lillard: decide when to walk this down.

Monique Lillard: All make sense.

Monique Lillard: see your reference Neill Franklin we had a long interview with Pat, and of course meals wife, of course, but since this is for this video, I just wanted to say so Neill Franklin was a professor at the law school where.

Monique Lillard: Now the honorable sending hill attendance and and reform for attended and currently works so.

Monique Lillard: When is your title assistant Dean for career development there we go, yes, yes, so that's the whole connection there just to make that clear all right so.

Monique Lillard: Oh, going to the new store, what are your memories of them after what we covered the main street store, I mean, I think the prime time that I was going there was like ages eight to 12.

Monique Lillard: Mainly summers I walked down with them a lot me your sister yes fourth number.

Monique Lillard: i'm out I blink a lot of that just too.

Monique Lillard: Late elementary school, like, I think that that aid my favorite category would have been going to like the comic book section something that's what I think about first what their age.

Monique Lillard: And then you continue to go there through, I think, even in the last few years we've been renting.

Monique Lillard: Right, they were thinking game of thrones continuing with the TV and not paying for HBO yes.

Monique Lillard: My virtual.

Monique Lillard: well.

Monique Lillard: At last.

Monique Lillard: Last oh man yeah next time there's winter and somebody's got a cold or something serious yes it's clearly the series to watch, yes, when we you you when you wanted to run game of thrones you were 16 yes, this would have been early junior year so yeah.

Monique Lillard: 20 2013 we reveal our scandalous parenting.

Monique Lillard: them on the watch game of thrones and.

Monique Lillard: So, like okay.

Monique Lillard: And he went down to Howard Hughes to rent it and then I got a phone call and they're like.

Monique Lillard: i've been detained.

Monique Lillard: You still have the.

Monique Lillard: Main Street and.

Monique Lillard: We you know, we have been here who says that he has permission to read game of thrones but he's not on your characters having permission to.

Monique Lillard: They have there was a rating system for some of the TV shows Do you remember that I had to get my permission, so that you could yeah right game of thrones I think i'm going to do that, like once.

Monique Lillard: You were on the.

Monique Lillard: nose.

Monique Lillard: is gone.

Monique Lillard: So.

Monique Lillard: Do you think the store was important to Moscow and so how so.

Monique Lillard: Well, first there was basic level, I think it was important that to me that we have video store because we hadn't started using streaming services, I I I like I like what I know and so.

Monique Lillard: Right and.

Monique Lillard: And so, just to have the store was important, and then I think it was really important that it was a Community store and we have.

Monique Lillard: You to think about others, but at the forest, I recall, making sure that it happened, and so I thought it was wonderful that the Community has rallied around and show me interesting and and keeping the store right yeah right we leave where.

Monique Lillard: You Member owners co op yeah and it was it was a place to run into.

Monique Lillard: Here round Robin to a friend that apart from saying hi they might give you a recommendation and.

: yeah.

Monique Lillard: And I remember, we used to.

Monique Lillard: Look, for movies, that we were interested in that we liked and wanted to own so when they were because to rent movies, they buy several copies, and then, as the hub of died down, they would sell off extra copies show reading by movies yeah every time I go there for that.

Monique Lillard: How about from your point of view, what What did the story into Moscow, I think, like a lot of summers am and I would just spend a day just walking downtown because I would have been.

Monique Lillard: Like nine and she would have been 12 or 13 so we just walk downtown and grab lunch and then go to the store and explore for a little while.

Monique Lillard: And then head back home, maybe watch thing, so they occupy their time I think on summers which it was always fun right that's right because you were free range children, yes, right now, it's called free range.

Monique Lillard: What how long in high school, so you graduated from high school in 20 2020 that's right, of course, he's a covert graduate college and graduate democrats, for the record store closed in February, March I think there's a lot of 2020 so.

Monique Lillard: It closed for good literally, the day before the governor shutdown started that started on Monday and closing on a Friday, so, but just going a little bit back from that so when you're in high school.

Monique Lillard: Video store play much into the entertainment of Moscow highly I can't speak for others, I know I had a friend who work there, at least.

Monique Lillard: But I often watch freaks and geeks at the beginning of the school year and that's been taken off the netflix I was like well, I guess, I know where to go so even that I was still using it so for me how.

Monique Lillard: You can use netflix a nice cool yes something like yeah yeah but you did we had netflix yes by this but eventually we had netflix but.

Monique Lillard: that's still would have helped us with our soprano problem came up with a lot of things right um, what do you think was the most important person at the store and not necessarily a name but just what position, who.

Monique Lillard: I guess whoever was find the more.

Monique Lillard: esoteric films and and and it really had to find collection and I I won't pretend, I spent most of my time there, but if there was something that I wanted to find.

Monique Lillard: You can find that so someone who's doing a good job, getting those titles, it was very rare that that there was a movie that we read about and it wasn't there and and sometimes you could ask, and they would look into it in and get a movie you know it seemed.

Monique Lillard: Right well, not for us to buy but also affect have to read and maybe there'd be just one copy of it, but if it seemed like something that other people might read so yeah I would say the purchaser.

Monique Lillard: All right, and you were aware of the process of going cooperative and you were Members.

Monique Lillard: Any thoughts about the pluses and minuses of shifting from a private ownership, which was a group of people, including me a Franklin and happening and some others.

Monique Lillard: To this cooperative ownership again pluses and minuses or well for me, the first plus was that good men to storm continue to exist.

Monique Lillard: And I had the hope that if it were, because it was going to be uncooperative that it might survive streaming and if there were enough people involved that that it will hang on so.

Monique Lillard: Anyway, it was definitely.

Monique Lillard: type of business that.

Monique Lillard: People weren't starting a new and, as I hoped that it would be able to make the leap to.

Monique Lillard: A niche classic type of business and and stay open so.

Monique Lillard: The cooperative nature of enter your consciousness, no I wasn't I was not aware.

Monique Lillard: That co op could have done better and I asked that question without meaningless lane people that just sort of with an eye to something else going cooperatives, but.

Monique Lillard: I don't think so I liked it very much the way it was I mean event all of mine, so I there wasn't anything I wanted.

Monique Lillard: To do differently right and I really didn't know anything that was behind the scenes right and what's great, what do you think the store.

Monique Lillard: It could stream trees yeah.

Monique Lillard: So expand well if you, you know if it's.

Monique Lillard: you've been out gardening in your yard all day and you go in for a glass of wine or a glass of iced tea and you think I want to watch.

Monique Lillard: Trying to think of some of the dark victory.

Monique Lillard: victory.

Monique Lillard: Betty Davis classic but.

Monique Lillard: He you know if you search for it on streaming or decide to rent it via Amazon and you're sitting there with your beverage and your side.

Monique Lillard: You don't have to get up and go downtown.

Monique Lillard: So I wouldn't say the audit on that I think when i'm out, and I would go there, we didn't like renting a movie at home, I think we just have more fun walking downtown and actually going through all the stuff.

Monique Lillard: Good stuff well, I think, as we got older I would check out a terrific anywhere at Main Street.

Monique Lillard: I can understand why.

Monique Lillard: This is the.

Monique Lillard: spoiler alert.

Monique Lillard: i'm not gonna watch it.

Monique Lillard: was so close to where would you.

Monique Lillard: How would you find and would you find it.

Monique Lillard: me personally, I have we have roku so there's a search feature on roku and you can type in the name of a movie and it comes up and then it tells you.

Monique Lillard: Who all is streaming it and then it'll tell you comes with subscription so, for example, this with netflix you would see comes with subscription and.

Monique Lillard: And then you can press that and we just take you directly to netflix it's alright it's so easy you're taught me something I did not know I can I can go on Google and do it, I I have.

Monique Lillard: My roku does not work well it's almost constantly every other day, we have to unplug the whole thing to have this problem where the mouth and the words are different or with.

Monique Lillard: With our elders.

Monique Lillard: Right anything you have to upgrade.

Monique Lillard: word we don't use it ourselves.

Monique Lillard: But I mean I don't always find the movies, that I want what I do that search and.

Monique Lillard: All the content and I am averse to pay more, I don't want to rent it from Amazon I don't mind reading it from a from a DVD store movie stuff store but there's Courtney that doesn't want to pay Amazon, or whoever, right now, I mean we're already doing.

Monique Lillard: That, why do we need to read so because we have HBO now and we've got Alex and season of HP and game of thrones came out so we were forced to get each year when.

Monique Lillard: We do the good work is the stores gone and I found the series to watch and we're paying for it so yeah right yeah no, I know I might I might get with.

Monique Lillard: My son louie for some reason he dislikes Jeff bezos, and so I don't do Amazon prime because he is so strict about this kind of thing and then I think he does it all the time i'm not sure i'm aligned.

Monique Lillard: To adopt a standard.

Monique Lillard: Okay, so how did you learn the video struggles closing and what were your emotions.

Monique Lillard: learned on instagram.

Monique Lillard: from home who posted from Main Street video I did not know that.

Monique Lillard: And i'm sure I learned from her, I would have to my boss at the Kennedy OK OK, and so that's where I wanted to move now is, can you describe those last days and the clearing out process from the store and then.

Monique Lillard: Getting a whole bunch of stuff in from the camera I think this is maybe then maybe you also have you visited a lot of what we're going.

Monique Lillard: To get to the.

Monique Lillard: Closing and I wasn't there for any of the boxes being moved from what I heard that employees that mainstream video just packed all the goodness.

Monique Lillard: All the DVDs were in the square plastic cleared up like okay cases and then there are actual boxes that were thrown into so they're all separate they're thrown into.

Monique Lillard: boxes and brought to the Kimberly and the aisles and stage or just live with boxes everywhere, and so we have a system that changed throughout.

Monique Lillard: But we'd have to type in each movies number, because it has a five digit number on album and then put the DVD box on the correct casing for it and then match them discard the arms, it was a long process, it just started the the cake cake.

Monique Lillard: I actually.

Monique Lillard: They know.

Monique Lillard: That Yes, they were sales so just so both if you don't mind do demonstrations, to show what the foxes look like and how that works.

Monique Lillard: So we'd have to pretend, these are the same movie this would be in a box and we just said, all the movie cases that we know belong with on top of it as the first step, and my boss would take.

Monique Lillard: This five digits of a focusing on this five digit number, I put it into the system and then, when it's ready, we would take them out of each case put it into the box and then discard them this case and this took.

Monique Lillard: The four months because there were 60,000 DVDs.

Monique Lillard: crazy I know they have.

Monique Lillard: In yeah they would be sorting also that we'd have to be putting these into the correct genre box so drama.

Monique Lillard: cult classics that there is everything and many, many boxes for this was added to the pandemic started right, yes, this started, we started doing this in April, I think, and ended in August.

Monique Lillard: But that's a plus as an employee because they can where you couldn't show movies, but to get to work on this.

: yeah.

Monique Lillard: you're.

Monique Lillard: Right, so my home I work, I think I worked on a couple of days, our customers yeah I had all my.

Monique Lillard: friends.

Monique Lillard: and family.

Monique Lillard: To help with us, it yeah it was rough.

Monique Lillard: But in when looking back at it now those kind of fun, because we were just talking with each other, the entire time and it was at one point just muscle memory thing just going through everything.

Monique Lillard: Remember black currently we're talking.

Monique Lillard: To the right side, there was the area to go.

Monique Lillard: Yes, there was a box with.

Monique Lillard: A dog.

Monique Lillard: Yes, Ben stay with mathematics, do not want it.

Monique Lillard: Under 18 year old.

Monique Lillard: So do.

Monique Lillard: You think.

Monique Lillard: We, there are some of the CEOs from the cameras because they operated there's something else, because you get them in this genre box and then somebody must have type those titles, because I don't want to get access.

Monique Lillard: I was, I think I was in a depression and i'm so mad because I missed getting some things I really wanted, but I know they type things, and then they would.

Monique Lillard: Provide shower we got all the time I wasn't doing actual sales that was on my boss, and everything sometimes i'll be working chip and.

Monique Lillard: Someone named Craig will be 11 to pick up his box of movies, so, then I just go over with him and then hand it off.

Monique Lillard: Who would pick the movies let's say because I remember, they would they would send something out on instagram or.

Monique Lillard: Facebook and and, and so it say okay we're really seeing comedies and all comedy it's like musical comedies we have written yeah, and so they you know go to Lincoln bio and you would go and then you would see.

Monique Lillard: Basically, an excel spreadsheet list, and you would add the five digit number five digit number, which is all wrong right.

Monique Lillard: And you would, and so you would write you would write down your five digit codes for each movie that you wanted, and then you would submit it to the kenworthy and.

Monique Lillard: They would say okay I I got your order and these five are available and these three are not because it was our first come, first serve so then somebody had to.

Monique Lillard: pick those movies, out of the.

Monique Lillard: racks I mean they were just racks and racks of.

Monique Lillard: The white right there yeah.

Monique Lillard: In the genre so somebody had to go through with a fine yeah he says we kind of have them in an order did our best and yeah and then you would go to.

Monique Lillard: The kenworthy in the box with your name on it would be a red flag that you made to get like these are the movies, this person wants so it's but have all the numbers written down on all of them, so i'd have to.

Monique Lillard: try to find the genre go through the box find the movie with that number, because they can be multiple copies and then put it into this person's box if they're taking home boxes was anybody mad or.

Monique Lillard: i've ever come across someone went like oh I didn't get the movie I wanted it lets me.

Monique Lillard: Know cannot find so.

Monique Lillard: yeah the 1972 that's another one, we might all when you when you bring up this one will give you that oh oh.

Monique Lillard: Oh, you own it now okay.

Monique Lillard: yeah that was another thing then we'd get like a taste for these movies, and then we.

Monique Lillard: Practice them because, even if you hadn't come.

Monique Lillard: Oh, I want to get parasite where that is so, when we eventually came across it like weeks later, and how does one.

Monique Lillard: get paid in movies ever.

Monique Lillard: That was kind of like I mean what was that what was that thing I got actually paid yeah yeah.

Monique Lillard: I think it was OK there's like a line of who got choices and I don't know who was first was not be it may have been second like along with the other employees.

Monique Lillard: So that because we're they're working it's like oh.

Monique Lillard: yeah and there was a because there were some movies that were set aside for the libraries yeah and there's a criterion collection.

Monique Lillard: was kept the idea is that right.

Monique Lillard: It was yeah we raised there were some duplicates but we learned that would be the rock it's part of the.

Monique Lillard: Page to get that into the crunch right, I mean the fact that you don't know what it is we did.

Monique Lillard: there's lots of bang noises okay.

: All right.

Monique Lillard: Do you think it can really kind of again, this is not a blame thing and it's not an i'm not volunteering to have done this by any means, but what if they auctioned the movie you think I would have been some excitement about some of them.

Monique Lillard: For sure.

Monique Lillard: I think so, yes, but also, it was a pandemic and these people were working so hard, I mean hours, I think Jamie was there, like 60 hours a week, just.

Monique Lillard: typing in the little five numbers, I mean.

Monique Lillard: It would have taken more bandwidth than was available yeah I mean it's I think in hindsight sure great idea but, at the time it was.

Monique Lillard: I mean I just remember Gretchen wizner they're like going through movies, and I mean become if you combine all the people will help to any point during the planning i'd say right for 60,000.

Monique Lillard: be contacting me on that, so I think.

Monique Lillard: that's fine yeah.

Monique Lillard: yeah I took many pictures i'll send you later, a little video I forgot what the auditorium look like we.

Monique Lillard: know and we you know we get that to the library that'd be great.

Monique Lillard: picture of you doing the final review oh.

Monique Lillard: that's wonderful.

Monique Lillard: yeah no I mean and just again for the record the pandemic, first of all, having done now quite a few of these interviews and thinking about myself.

Monique Lillard: Almost everybody's memory is really vague, you know, and I say to people, it was closed in March of 2020 they say, really.

Monique Lillard: You know and it's just even people who are pretty involved it's just there's some oddness of the pandemic and then we just didn't know what was happening, I mean.

Monique Lillard: In March, people thought that everything will be open in June at the latest and then here it is August and things are still happening so again asking this question about the auction it's just sort of.

Monique Lillard: Just a purely academic.

Monique Lillard: Agreement Dutch auction, for instance, I could just see people racing.

Monique Lillard: back and forth, you know, raising the bits of movies, they really wanted yeah I think that's just way too much going on over there, though we're just like right.

Monique Lillard: Where we were was it going to.

Monique Lillard: win the auction we've had a hell that line so that was that was still early days of how people were doing things, but the inventory where would the inventory be yeah there's.

Monique Lillard: room it, I mean it was the entire theater was definitely want to see the oh no, it was everywhere, like all the aisles the front, especially across see yesterday on feeds the balcony have some really my leg never we never saw that.

Monique Lillard: yeah my memory is just like oh that was last summer, but it seems like such a small thing but.

Monique Lillard: Not at the time of was months and months I collectively spent right days there but The thing is, I only spent like a fraction compared to a few other people there, but you see you finish school right you directly to my.

Monique Lillard: Colleagues, the first month and a half right like Jamie Christine bill made it way more than yeah.

Monique Lillard: Just so people can have Duffy I would, if I weren't out my own corner workout something I bet.

Monique Lillard: They fire up close where one.

Monique Lillard: A little bit of history there.

Monique Lillard: that's good that's good so more memories of that close down owner of the store that's I mean you guys will take those events all money remember it was shocked episode seven that's how I felt I felt like it was just.

Monique Lillard: Something I mean the pandemic and just barely been called it, the site.

Monique Lillard: And, and they said.

Monique Lillard: we're pulling the plug.

Monique Lillard: And we're donating everything to kenworthy and it was just.

Monique Lillard: said matter.

Monique Lillard: That was very sad about it, and I was glad that it that the videos we're going to the kenworthy.

Monique Lillard: But.

Monique Lillard: I mean, I guess, I still don't know what was going on behind the scenes, and I assume that the income have gone way down and it just wasn't sustainable so.

Monique Lillard: I don't know if I kick myself and not renting more by then, I was telling I move Louis in September so.

Monique Lillard: 20 2019 so renting wasn't if we were to rent would be on the weekend and it wasn't practical for me, I can get things back in time so.

: I really couldn't rent at that time.

Monique Lillard: and apparently are late fees were not enough to support the business.

Monique Lillard: Moving to sort of away from Moscow in particular store.

Monique Lillard: It I mean you think about the 20th century, when I guess was the birth of film and then movie theaters and then TV and then video stores, first the taste and the DVDs and other technologies, then streaming I tell me if i've left something out there.

Monique Lillard: And now, here we are, wherever wherever we are here in 2021, what do you think about the all those different forms of delivery of entertainment, what are the pluses and minuses.

Monique Lillard: I don't know if you've been to a theater now the injured open back up again yeah you know, and so, so we still got, I guess, we still got all of those except the video rental store.

Monique Lillard: What what again, what are the pluses and minuses of all those different forms.

Monique Lillard: But I really I do like going to movies, and I suppose on before the years out, I will start again yeah i'm not sure if i'm I think i'm probably good think i'll probably wear a mask when I go back.

Monique Lillard: Those people crushed it and they're.

Monique Lillard: Seeing right and yeah i'll be much more comfortable at the camera yeah.

Monique Lillard: The other one over there in the mall that had limited seating oh really Okay, yes, so that that wouldn't know because I mean there's nothing quite like going to the movie and being around other people and getting their reactions.

Monique Lillard: But I also really started to like the convenience of streaming and I, you know I i'm binge watching the wire now which I had never watched before and it's so easy so and and I can watch it down there, and most of them appear on the weekend I can I often don't watch it, but I can and.

Monique Lillard: yeah I mean growing up when we watch TV.

Monique Lillard: We had no control when we watched the show the show just was like it was at this time, and you saw it, or you missed it and then.

Monique Lillard: As time went on, you can record it and maybe watch it later, and that was that was a nice change and then maybe.

Monique Lillard: You didn't see a couple of shows, but you had your video recording it and you could watch two in a row, and that was fantastic and then streaming which shows dropping and you can see all episodes you know binge watching became.

Monique Lillard: Something that that happening and I.

Monique Lillard: I love binge watching.

Monique Lillard: But there was just something that the last big DVD rental is when Ben convinced me to watch game of thrones and it was spring break 2827.

Monique Lillard: or 2019 when you went to Seattle is winning team I think now i'm I was around it was spring breaking.

Monique Lillard: and

Monique Lillard: Ben and I were both.

Monique Lillard: yeah.

Monique Lillard: Road and I had some kind of a flow or something I don't want to.

Monique Lillard: Do, and so we would we would watch and.

Monique Lillard: Then we would rent our three three DVDs.

Monique Lillard: And then we take turns stumbling downtown to turn.

Monique Lillard: People.

Monique Lillard: infected people.

Monique Lillard: someone to take it on us.

Monique Lillard: But it was a goddess out of the House again it's moving yeah and.

Monique Lillard: I don't know.

Monique Lillard: Was it was just funny always remember that was very like on our Chair and couch just.

Monique Lillard: Are hot drinks yeah and I guess my fault that's my second last the last one being getting freaks and geeks because.

Monique Lillard: After been removed from at that time, all streaming services i'm like well I have our deeds to Moscow video cut back on the place to go when you're screaming versus failed yeah yeah.

Monique Lillard: yeah to save.

Monique Lillard: Money happiness funniest we're just the reason the store anything leaked to mine.

Monique Lillard: It does it doesn't have to do with renting any movies, this was.

Monique Lillard: A yogurt Tommy the intermittent when they started doing the where's Waldo hunts downtown.

Monique Lillard: I remember Howard Hughes being there the longest out of any other store because we just couldn't find him we're there for maybe half an hour.

Monique Lillard: start at the beginning and explain what where's Waldo yes, so it started in 2014.

Monique Lillard: And then I remember it was the 25th anniversary of all.

Monique Lillard: Right.

Monique Lillard: behind him and engines and some small bookstore started a let's celebrate the 25th anniversary of where's Waldo so they had like these little miniature cardboard versions in bell that big or so and hit him around 25 different local stores at small.

Monique Lillard: right but but it happened within the US, and it was yeah just.

Monique Lillard: Moscow, so they gave an area they give you like a little passport and you carry that around and once you find them in store and tell them floor he where he is you get stamped and so we're at.

Monique Lillard: Howard Hughes are lots of video or whatever it was.

Monique Lillard: And I remember Maybe it was the first that are set, because they started doing it, the next few years after because there's just so much fun, the first year so successful.

Monique Lillard: So I remember the first or second year just walking around the store for maybe half an hour, and now we can we can do this and then just finding him and it's just the most obvious spot.

Monique Lillard: So innovation.

Monique Lillard: posters in their.

Monique Lillard: Faith plan.

Monique Lillard: clear as day because we're all looking on the shelves, where we thought you would be there were several times, speaking of posters were you guys requested, so I don't know if it was for mainstream videos on our views, but they would we can really as well we do okay.

Monique Lillard: And that was the thing that mean the kids would request them and they wouldn't know for sure if they were going to get them that it was always a big deal to get one of the posters.

: You got it as a feature that from 1030.

Monique Lillard: Anything I should have asked for anything you want to add.

Monique Lillard: Well i'm still sad that it's gone yeah I.

Monique Lillard: Remember, but I just liked the feeling of going in and you often have a goal, and I want to get X or y but.

Monique Lillard: You know those days you see something that you hadn't hadn't seen in years or that you've met to see for a long time and.

Monique Lillard: You just never knew what you're going to find any consult you know, as I go through HBO or netflix whatever I scroll through and and.

Monique Lillard: vacation will see something and watch, something I didn't plan to watch because there it is, but it was just so much, it was a better experience with all those titles and just do one sweet with your eye and you might see five things that.

Monique Lillard: You liked or want to see you don't if you can't replicate I can't recommend that.

: story.

Monique Lillard: For that wasn't here that was it was.

Monique Lillard: It was in 90 it was thanksgiving week of 95 so Henry had moved up to Moscow and my parents live in portland at the time, and so those a year after Pulp Fiction came out.

Monique Lillard: And i've been talking with my parents on the phone and i'm my mother said sunita this book fiction, it should be watching I said oh I don't think you should watch that.

Monique Lillard: And I don't think I said it any more strongly than that but I thought it was strong enough.

Monique Lillard: And she asked a couple more times and then it was thanksgiving week and my mom color because the video store and block block but blockbuster had a sign saying we will always have fiction in if you ask for it, they must have had 20.

Monique Lillard: And so, she could she could walk away from the side or my warning and so thanksgiving when she called us we've rented Pulp Fiction and I said.

Monique Lillard: That I said okay call me when you watch after you watch it and my parents are both especially my mom.

Monique Lillard: Religious evangelical Christians, and so it just wasn't the film, they should be watching, but now I needed to know, and so I I must have called them the next day, and I said, did you watch it and there was a pause you said chichi chichi sunny why didn't you tell me not to watch.

Monique Lillard: But I knew that my my dad was primarily mosquito specialist but also Paris at all just and and there were always I mean he would tell parasites stories of the dining table there were scenes I mean knowing them I knew that there were going to be some seeds that they.

Monique Lillard: would have reacted to in in a in an interesting way as well and i'll go ahead and name the scenes So what about the scene in the.

Monique Lillard: In the pawn shop where Bruce willis is going from one weapon to a neck to the next, trying to figure out what to use didn't you think that was funny and my mother pasta know.

Monique Lillard: I came up with some other see I can't remember which one I said, well, did you think that was funny no and then I said the watch when Bruce willis tells the watch story, and you see who is in the Christopher Christopher walken come in and she passed, she said that what was soon bottle.

Monique Lillard: And you'll have to look for the watch.

Monique Lillard: This.

Monique Lillard: saw it would.

Monique Lillard: I guess, I just want to add at the at the new location, the main street location I love to the front door and the back door, I.

Monique Lillard: Thought and the return slots, which is amazing yeah in the alley really not fun when we walk to the Co operative.

Monique Lillard: But I love that you could go in either way I just like entrances, I guess, in a sense, but I love going in and hearing list keep listening for the movie they were playing.

Monique Lillard: and identify what am I right CBS around store playing the same thing right and trying to identify it as quickly as possible.

Monique Lillard: without seeing it or having to ask.

Monique Lillard: You this might be one more fun thing is that, behind the cancer, there is had a movie trivia question that if you got it right, you can put your name on her apple to get and if you Adrian name, you get your own shelf with your movie PICs that.

Monique Lillard: which I never want that.

Monique Lillard: list.

Monique Lillard: He picked it up oh actually.

Monique Lillard: I don't think I ever knew the answers to their trivia but i'll also say, because you mentioned and consistent exits there are several stores in Moscow.

Monique Lillard: Where they encourage you to walk through and the video store was one so rather than walk the long way around the block you could just cut through that store both people's another.

Monique Lillard: Night shots another and I actually sent to the people do you mind that i'm just walking through and they say, not at all I.

Monique Lillard: Look around it yeah I almost gave up, but especially the bookstore in the video store they i'm sure they got some business from.

Monique Lillard: The bike store they're just Nice, and you can just feel that they have.

Monique Lillard: You like that too.

: yeah.

Monique Lillard: I know what I forgot to ask you, and this would be to every meal, did you ever go to the micro movie house yes.

Monique Lillard: I love the microphone but just a quick description of the micro just for the sake of it because.

Monique Lillard: I started to expand this into the micro little bit when I when I visited Moscow summer of 94 during the fire season, I took some days off to come up to Moscow to try and find an apartment to go and stop by the College and and ask if there is any can you do in my buddy john Lyons.

Monique Lillard: Was do for some days, he was also firefighter and he was at grateful and I picked him up there, we drove up and he said ui Grad and he told me you're gonna want to go there and I think it was a former firefighter who ran it and, and so there were such great movies there and.

Monique Lillard: Now, it was a huge shame when that close down and then to be replaced, but no offense to the tattoo world but be replaced with the tattoo parlor was just particularly painful for me.

Monique Lillard: I had an excellent massage yes, yes, so, so I should say the word church for their peers I can't draw my bring some other place.

Monique Lillard: yeah um I mean I don't know, maybe i'm cross remember it, but I just I feel like.

Monique Lillard: I think yeah I think you've been in church, but it's not where the places we went like for your first week of finalists are between your we did.

Monique Lillard: The day before my first final you came up to visit and we went and saw because I was living in California yeah yeah and I remember arguing, it was called the next day, and I said need to study music, do you need a break.

Monique Lillard: We went to the movie.

Monique Lillard: Anything else.

Monique Lillard: You know it's funny cuz most my memories are tied up now and packing everything oh yeah so that's perfect that's great yeah and i'll say with regards to the micro movie as the kenworthy is has more or less taken place as far as having niche movies and.

Monique Lillard: And so we haven't lost that although with us the atmosphere was such a cool place.

Monique Lillard: yeah yeah well i'll see this this well, we are still recording I actually said this to everybody, usually off the recording.

Monique Lillard: If you think of more things you want to say or suddenly think, oh no I said the wrong year, I said the wrong list or that, let me know we can correct it on the transcript or we can even do an additional recording, especially since Emma is going to come into you can all afford me here.

Monique Lillard: So that's all excellent, and thank you so much for your time, I think the end the recording unless there's something you want to add right now Okay, and then.

Monique Lillard: we'll ask our youngest member to be the tech guy and click off on the recording stop the complete stuff.

Monique Lillard: yeah okay great and then i'll close this.