Howard Hughes (a UI alumni of 1954) recounts his time as owner and operator of the Howard Hughes Video Store from it's beginning in 1978 on North Main. He says at first the Howard Hughes Appliance Store wasn't renting video to customers, they were only selling VHS players. Renting VHS came slowly overtime. at the time, Moscow had five video rental stores. The store moved to the Palouse Empire Mall in 1983. Hughes at that time bought 100 tapes from a distributor to begin renting. Eventually he bought a property downtown and moved the store there in 1987. He says rentals grew and grew until it became extremely popular. Hughes also remembers how professors from UI would sent troves of students to rent movies for their classes. Space was a concern when it came to the shift from VHS to DVDs, as well as the lack of parking. For the appliance/video store, the main competitor was Sears. Hughes also mentions he did his own radio advertisements for the video store when he was the owner. XXX movies were rented back in 1973, $10 a rental. He found out about Main Street Co-op closing through the newspaper. When Hughes sold to Main Street, Howard Hughes Video Store had a little over 16,000 titles.

Howard Hughes: Okay well.

Howard Hughes: here's one you'll recognize rhonda.

Beau Newsome: Oh yeah there, she is.

Beau Newsome: that's cool.

: yeah.

Beau Newsome: Well yeah just my name is Bo newsome i'm here with the University of Idaho library.

Beau Newsome: we're doing a oral History project on Howard Hughes video and the main street video co op.

Beau Newsome: And i'm here with our to use the namesake of the store so Howard, if you could just introduce yourself and say tell us a little bit about how things started.

Howard Hughes: Well i'm Howard Hughes and I opened Howard Hughes appliance TV and video in 1978 on North main.

Howard Hughes: at which time we were selling the bh the H s tapes blank tapes.

Howard Hughes: And chains.

Howard Hughes: But we weren't doing in your any we kind of got into that gradually, we had a few.

Howard Hughes: People that were by buying video recorders and video cameras from us, and so, at that time, Moscow had five video stores video rental stores.

Beau Newsome: Do you remember, which ones, they were.

Howard Hughes: Well, they were there was.

Beau Newsome: tier video was there were there were two tr videos.

Howard Hughes: One was out at seaside marketplace and the other one was downtown on third street where that chocolate store is right now and then safeway had had a department and then there was another one downtown next to the first security bank.

Howard Hughes: which went out of business.

Howard Hughes: So in 1983 we move to the police empire mall and at that time.

Howard Hughes: One of the video stores downtown went out of business, so I.

Howard Hughes: I bought 100 to vhs tapes and we didn't have any wall to put them on.

Beau Newsome: So wonder where you bought them from.

Howard Hughes: Oh, we bought it from a distributor.

Howard Hughes: Okay, and.

Howard Hughes: So we put the covers in books, and so we ended up, we were renting a lot of lot of tape so we had the guy calling on us monthly and.

Howard Hughes: We had all these books and people were fighting over the book so Finally we bought the old morts Club in downtown and we moved there in 1987.

Howard Hughes: And there was an Gerald parkin's had his Legal Office in that building, so they dumped me there on July, the first with everything from the mall.

Howard Hughes: And my partner don frye did farming, so he left for the for the season, and there I was So the first thing I did I call care appeals Dennis D co and I ordered 100 hundred.

Howard Hughes: One minute spots for July, the first Thursday I was there alone and I had a box of all these tapes sitting there in this empty room and I rented everyone i'm for a buck apiece didn't make money but.

Howard Hughes: The hospital was very close and you know they're open 24 seven so we started immediately building places to put tapes in that that whole office structure and within two weeks we had filled it and I had bought enough tape to fill out that thing and so.

Howard Hughes: The first month we were actually open as Howard Hughes video in conjunction with our biggest clients.

Howard Hughes: We brought in $16,000 and we had only done 1600 last month at the mall.

Howard Hughes: So we were on the way the people from the hospital loved it because you know a lot of nurses and people get off at 11 o'clock at night or 10 o'clock and our hours in the video or 10 till 11.

Howard Hughes: seven days a week.

Howard Hughes: For a long time.

Howard Hughes: And that.

Howard Hughes: helped the appliance store as well, so we would sell so Finally I said Okay, if you buy a vcr from our store i'm going to give you 25 free movie Rentals well.

Howard Hughes: I can tell you, we saw more vcr and we started that gave us a rental customer and we also rented out be car machines, because at that time they were pretty expensive.

Howard Hughes: So we had 25 machines that we were running out, we were running up video cameras for like weddings and things like that, so we soon had an HR manager assistant manager and eight employees just in that division alone.

Beau Newsome: Yes, in the video department.

Howard Hughes: The total store we had over 24 employees.

Howard Hughes: Okay, and we were at that location until they moved out to.

Howard Hughes: pullman road where they are now, but they left the video store downtown and still owned it for about a year and then they decided that they weren't paying a whole lot of attention to it and then they decided to go ahead and sell it.

Howard Hughes: And at that time.

Howard Hughes: that's when mainstream video bought it and they kept the name until they became the Co op and, of course, the rest is recent history.

Beau Newsome: Right right yeah yeah that's when I took over managing was when I moved to.

Howard Hughes: Now, your your sister worked for me.

Howard Hughes: In the video store when you were a little boy.

Howard Hughes: And you used to come in there and try to help her it is.

Howard Hughes: yeah and you ended up as the manager it's a Main Street store.

Howard Hughes: yeah and I don't know when you left there because I lost track, that is.

Beau Newsome: About 1415 I think week 2014 2015 is when I left.

Beau Newsome: But.

Beau Newsome: yeah my sister Jill she worked for you right.

Beau Newsome: yep yeah and then.

Beau Newsome: Do you uh do you have that picture of the more the one on fifth street the morts club.

: Yes.

Beau Newsome: go up all higher little higher there yeah.

Beau Newsome: So that's when I first got hired that's where the location was yeah.

Beau Newsome: Right yeah.

Beau Newsome: But.

Beau Newsome: Tell me a little.

Howard Hughes: here's an interior shot of rhonda our manager.

Beau Newsome: yeah rhonda is the one that hired me.

: Right.

Howard Hughes: He was there for a number of years.

Beau Newsome: And this was after the expansion right.

Beau Newsome: Right right.

Howard Hughes: She was about our our third manager and she was there, the longest, in fact, she was there until Main Street, but what about store up.

Beau Newsome: Right right yeah we we might be talking to rhonda here soon I gotta get older but.

Beau Newsome: I don't know we'll see.

Howard Hughes: Maybe right maybe.

Beau Newsome: Maybe she mo.

Howard Hughes: I talked to don frye this morning, and he doesn't think he's going to be able to, but I was the one that we were a partnership, he was my full time partner, but I was in charge of the video store.

Howard Hughes: He didn't really his his was from the service end of it mainly so his interest was more in that end in mind, has the video store I I love the video store and i'm i've been in movie nuts, since I was saw gone with the wind when when I was eight years old, for the first time.

Beau Newsome: Oh wow where did you see it.

Howard Hughes: In Jerome Idaho.

Beau Newsome: At a theater.

Howard Hughes: it's a Boris theater and I was little I was eight years old and I went with my parents and I remember if the intermission we were all these people in the lobby.

Howard Hughes: And here i'm this little kid looking around these big tall people and wondering if this movie was ever going to end and it turns out it's one of my most favorite movies.

Beau Newsome: Oh wow.

Howard Hughes: But rhonda said she had never watched gone with the wind and, to this day I don't think she ever asked.

Beau Newsome: that's.

Howard Hughes: An interesting point there.

Beau Newsome: that's a check that's one on the checklist the everybody's got to see.

Howard Hughes: Oh absolutely yeah.

Beau Newsome: that's cool, so the video store, so I guess kind of tell me about how it started to grow, and is it just get a little exponentially bigger and bigger and.

: well.

Howard Hughes: As soon as.

Howard Hughes: A related to how we started on that one day.

Howard Hughes: I had signs painted on the windows and I said okay we're we're going to have to build and build fast, so we had signed painted on the window movies 99 cents Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Howard Hughes: and

Howard Hughes: Yes, I remember, then that is the main Washington, the street is the main highway through Moscow from southern Idaho to northern Idaho so we had plenty of traffic that saw those signs.

Beau Newsome: yeah.

Howard Hughes: The minute that 99 cents went up.

Howard Hughes: That wasn't for new releases but new releases get old really fast so.

Howard Hughes: That tripled our business within a month, and so we continue to do that, and I think that they even did it that.

Howard Hughes: Possibly on Main Street I don't know what what their policy was at that time, but.

Beau Newsome: yeah the price has changed over and over.

Howard Hughes: Oh yeah right.

Beau Newsome: We were kind of we're always tinkering with it basically.

Howard Hughes: Well, there were times when we would we would rent a movie five days for $3 for five days and that's that's a long time to leave a movie on.

Beau Newsome: yeah yeah we we adopted the when I was there working there with rhonda and then, when I managed, we still have the five movies $5 five days is that we did the.

Beau Newsome: 99 cent titles, you know so.

Beau Newsome: The older titles, but.

Beau Newsome: I think the new title stayed around $3 and 50 cents.

Beau Newsome: right for one day or two days, and then I think we extended it to three day Rentals so.

: What.

Beau Newsome: Did you were you in charge of like purchasing the movies and stuff for the store.

Howard Hughes: Well, you better believe it, I had to watch rhonda was getting to the point where she was buying $19,000 a month of new releases and we had to tone that down a little bit.

Howard Hughes: But.

Howard Hughes: It paid off, because when we first started buying movies, they were costing us like $64 but they didn't have advertising on them.

Howard Hughes: I remember, they had a coke ad on there or any kind of advertising.

Howard Hughes: We were buying them for around 15 bucks at the time, so we would buy in a new release we'd buy 30 or 40 copies.

Howard Hughes: So you got to the point where professors from wsu and the University of Idaho we're sending students to us for classes, that they were teaching because we were the only place that had a lot of foreign titles, then, as you know.

Howard Hughes: We had old movies that most other places have discarded, and on the new release places online and then these grocery stores you didn't get you didn't get the older movies, and I still have a library of my own a bowl movies going back 25 years so.

Beau Newsome: vhs and DVD here.

Howard Hughes: No just vhs.

Howard Hughes: vhs yeah I I kind of left it when it went to DVD.

Howard Hughes: yeah I was sad to see that go but but it had to happen so.

Beau Newsome: It did yeah we we were kind of struggled with that actually when I was working for rhonda me and the employees and was like well, we got to start trying to get some DVDs and replace all these vhs titles, you know so.

Howard Hughes: Well, the trouble is you didn't have room to have both.

Howard Hughes: and

Howard Hughes: I helped.

Howard Hughes: I helped with move because I owned.

Howard Hughes: When Donna and Kevin moved over by the liquor store the the appliance division, I was no longer part owner of that and and they still own the video store so then when they were renting that space from me.

Howard Hughes: The new owners decided that they wanted to move it on Main Street so at that time I I I helped with that move and because I had to rent my building and I had an empty building that was a sad day to see all the videos got the front door and move down the street.

Beau Newsome: I know right.

Howard Hughes: You know, but.

Beau Newsome: yeah and I when I told us, and I think in my interview that I did I.

Beau Newsome: I almost started crying when I saw the building that we're leaving.

Beau Newsome: The size of it to the building, we were going into was about half the size, so I was like.

Beau Newsome: Actually, how we going to do this.

Howard Hughes: i've had a lot of customers say that they they didn't like the new location as well.

Howard Hughes: yeah and.

Howard Hughes: parking was the problem, though.

Beau Newsome: In both locations both locations, but.

Howard Hughes: We thought that they were always parked in the cross street and her in the sporting goods parking lot.

Howard Hughes: Permanent yeah yeah that they were there when we first moved in there and they if you parked over there, you get a ticket there eventually they they call the police give somebody a ticket so.

: yeah.

Howard Hughes: And then we'll drop box in the corner.

Howard Hughes: yeah but people could drop their movies.

Beau Newsome: corner of Washington and 53.

Howard Hughes: Exactly yes.

Beau Newsome: So did you always own the building when you move there.

Beau Newsome: Yes, it's the fifth street address.

Howard Hughes: We bought the whole march building and then the mental part was a glass glass glass place did auto glass and.

Howard Hughes: Oh, we bought we bought that out, and then we bought he had another piece left with the parking lot on fourth so we bought the whole block so when we got through.

Howard Hughes: We own from fourth to fifth from the alley to Washington street.

Beau Newsome: Oh right yeah okay very.

Howard Hughes: And our gross business out of that entire area at that time as as we left the location was it in excess of $2 million a year that's not profit in mind you, but.

Beau Newsome: Right.

Beau Newsome: But yeah that's a.

Howard Hughes: Very good business for.

Beau Newsome: ya roscoe.

Howard Hughes: Exactly moscow's bromine it's growing.

Beau Newsome: It is still is, to this day yeah.

: yeah.

Beau Newsome: that's so when you.

Beau Newsome: So when you started selling renting vhs tapes.

Beau Newsome: Was it just in within the bit on the appliance store.

Howard Hughes: Or did you always get.

Beau Newsome: The action off the videos.

Howard Hughes: Well, actually.

Howard Hughes: When we were up on North main across the Moscow builders for the bill store was used to be called murphy's when I bought it.

Beau Newsome: yeah Moscow building supply.

Howard Hughes: yeah yeah that was that was a hole in the cross the street at that time was nothing there but anyway RCA came out with the video disk there were 12 inch discs and they came out with the machine and 1982 so we were a dealer in those and we were renting those.

Howard Hughes: We had him on the wall, but the disadvantage of those video discs we were getting ready for $5 a rental if anybody left them in the car or got warm day warped.

Howard Hughes: yeah so we would warn them don't leave them in your car you're gonna have to buy them and they were costing us I think 70 bucks apiece and RCA abruptly exited that business about three years later, because it wasn't well planned we did well with it, but that's kind of where.

Howard Hughes: Where we got started was with the video this now matte box came out with a.

Beau Newsome: laser discs to was.

Howard Hughes: out now magnavox came out with the laser discs which was entirely different oh wasn't in a package.

Howard Hughes: And, but you had to have a special player to use it well, Philips bought out magnavox and Philips actually owned the patents for the laser disc or the CD, as we know it today, and they still own that bad and I believe.

Beau Newsome: Oh wow.

Howard Hughes: But the vhs tapes turned out to be the easiest thing to handle.

Beau Newsome: yeah now the.

Beau Newsome: Did.

Beau Newsome: So, would you say the video store were started in 1983 1984.

Howard Hughes: well.

Howard Hughes: i'd say 1983 actually because that was the year we moved out to the mall and that's where.

Howard Hughes: We had the exclusive right to be the only store in the mall.

Howard Hughes: That could rent out tapes because we had some.

Howard Hughes: But as I said, we we had to have them in books and people kept saying you need to.

Howard Hughes: put them up on the wall well there was no wall to put them up on because we had refrigerators on will involve microwaves, on the other, and then the washers and dryers and.

Howard Hughes: console TVs and stereos out in the middle, we only had 6000 square feet there, so it became pretty crowded, and it was costing us a lot to be out there, so we just decided we had to move downtown.

Beau Newsome: And own basically bye bye.

Howard Hughes: So I called up Moscow.

Howard Hughes: realty and I talked to the guy and I said, do you have any buildings downtown for sale, he said by golly yes march club just came up today.

Howard Hughes: I said, both Don, and I want to go look at it, so we cut we went down there we opened the door and it had been sitting empty since February, and this is this is.

Howard Hughes: About.

Howard Hughes: May and it smells like rotten petunias and P sorry to say.

Howard Hughes: Yes, bar and hadn't been heated.

: Because and.

Howard Hughes: The roof leak somebody came by the work there and they said go upstairs and look in the attic number eight buckets up there, full of water.

Howard Hughes: So.

Howard Hughes: The building was in sad shape, but we bought it.

Beau Newsome: yeah.

Howard Hughes: So that's how we got started but.

Beau Newsome: For those people who don't know marks was a bar.

Howard Hughes: For 30 years it was the place for university of Idaho students to go drink, one of the places.

Beau Newsome: One of them.

Howard Hughes: One of the when I was in college here I graduated with the class of 1954 myself, but when when I was there.

Howard Hughes: More to club wasn't there yet, but.

Howard Hughes: I think somewhere in the 60s, it probably got started but.

Howard Hughes: anyway.

: yeah.

Beau Newsome: What so just for maybe people that Do you remember what space, you had with the police empire mall.

Beau Newsome: Or what today wow.

Howard Hughes: As you come in from the.

Howard Hughes: The drugstore.

Beau Newsome: yeah rite aid.

Howard Hughes: rite aid.

Howard Hughes: You walk straight in and.

Howard Hughes: The radio shack used to be.

Howard Hughes: You know, you were right next door to where the radio shack was and there's a there's a sporting goods thing in there now or was it.

Howard Hughes: And we were across from a restaurant that.

Howard Hughes: went out of business, when that when that China, but they came in.

Beau Newsome: I remember.

Beau Newsome: I used to go to the mall lot because there was a video game games etc arcade used to be right.

Howard Hughes: Well, that was right next to our warehouse because we warehouse right next to where our store was.

Beau Newsome: And there was a restaurant called taters I.

Howard Hughes: Remember, we were right across from taters.

Beau Newsome: taters yes.

Howard Hughes: I remember, I used to go have lunch over taters and I tell them this just for my beer in a Pepsi CAP and I go back to work.

: yeah.

Beau Newsome: So did you know you're always going to start an appliance store or does that.

Howard Hughes: Well, my dad my dad sold hotpoint appliances.

Howard Hughes: Prior to World War Two.

Howard Hughes: which was 1939 through 1941 and 419 41 1945 there were no appliances made in the United States, so.

Howard Hughes: In 1960 no no 1959 I went back home and went to work for my father and I rented a building next door and I started pat's appliance Center and I put in Howard records, and so I kind of got the taste there.

Howard Hughes: I didn't do well, because I wasn't that experienced, but you learn by by air.

Howard Hughes: And that's what I that's kind of where I got started.

Howard Hughes: But I i've worked for a company of California, I have work, I was the sixth floor manager for the big bond marshy and downtown Seattle.

Howard Hughes: For three years I took a transfer to a great falls Montana.

Howard Hughes: And I.

Howard Hughes: Was hired by the RCA distributor to run for stores in Montana, which I did for several years, so I got a great background and appliances.

Beau Newsome: And where did you grow up.

Howard Hughes: I grew up in Jerome Idaho and I graduated from the University of Idaho.

Howard Hughes: Okay, and.

Howard Hughes: that's good school for three years didn't make any money doing that.

Beau Newsome: Know spend a lot of money.

Howard Hughes: Yes, exactly yes.

Howard Hughes: So i've been i've been involved in planning system TVs and stereo so for.

Howard Hughes: 80% of my life actually.

Beau Newsome: Okay, and then you then you came back to Moscow after Montana and.

Howard Hughes: I came back to us, I came to Moscow I bought store from Dean Murphy, and I took possession on July, the first 1978 and prior to that or four years I was the.

Howard Hughes: The buyer and the head salesperson that liberty furniture in spokane and I I left them and came came here after about a year of negotiation between Dean Murphy and myself.

Howard Hughes: I bought it for $5,000 down and.

Howard Hughes: A promissory note of $18,000.

Howard Hughes: And within the first month I had recouped most of that he was tired of the business and they didn't want to do it anymore, and so he and fran moved and.

Howard Hughes: rest is history.

Beau Newsome: rest is history.

Beau Newsome: yeah um so you mentioned something about howard's records what was that.

Howard Hughes: Well, when I had my store down in Jerome.

Howard Hughes: I was selling stereos brand name Hoffman, which is no longer in business, and then I took on RCA and color TV just come out that year 1962 on CBS mainly.

Howard Hughes: And I haven't always been record nut i've still got a record collector that i'm trying to trying to sell that i've been collecting since 1950 but.

Beau Newsome: I might be interested.

Howard Hughes: Well, come by.

Howard Hughes: I got it all over my exercise like.

Howard Hughes: Mickey a heck of a deal.

Howard Hughes: Okay, but I like I love music, especially broadway soundtracks small movies, and just a little bit of everything, so I got interested in that, so I thought, well, I had enough room in mind my list store to put in a record departments, so I I.

Howard Hughes: called a distributor in salt lake city and they set me up and I did that for the last year that I was in business, and then I then I moved to spokane and started working there and in the appliance business for various dealers.

Beau Newsome: Do you um do you mind me asking is Howard Hughes your real name.

Beau Newsome: Yes, it is okay, because a lot of people ask me that if.

Howard Hughes: Oh, they always wondered, I always get confused with the Howard Hughes, you know the.

Beau Newsome: Guy.

Howard Hughes: With a long toenails and.

Beau Newsome: The.

Beau Newsome: filmmaker in the Center billionaire.

Howard Hughes: Oh yeah In fact I spent 14 minute winters in palm springs, starting in 1994 and Howard Hughes.

Howard Hughes: In his earlier years spent a lot of time in palm springs, so there was a lot of confusion down there is if I was related to him, of course, I said well not really but, even now, you can go down and and you can Google Howard Hughes in palm springs, and it comes up with.

Howard Hughes: The the Howard Hughes that.

Howard Hughes: built the spruce goose that you know that big plan.

Howard Hughes: That barely flew.

Howard Hughes: which used to be on display I think around Los Angeles, I think they moved it up to the Oregon coast someplace now.

Howard Hughes: Anyway, no.

Beau Newsome: No, he is too.

Beau Newsome: I know hells angels was one of his big movies.

Howard Hughes: Right well the outlaw was the big scandal with Jane Russell.

Howard Hughes: Because he wanted her to wear this special bra and she was pretty well endowed anyway and.

Howard Hughes: unknown to him, she didn't wear it, but that movie was banned and was not allowed it was released in Europe.

Howard Hughes: And it wasn't released it here until about four years after it was made and, as I was quite young when that that was done, but it was all it was all the scandal, but compared to movies today that you see on TV, it was nothing you know all right.

Beau Newsome: um you mentioned like.

Beau Newsome: So you were sort of the appliance store in Moscow was mostly fridge rater stoves but you also did.

Beau Newsome: A point like TVs and.

Howard Hughes: All yes wait, we were we were the biggest magnavox dealer in the in the palooza and of course magnavox is no longer may fit Philips bottom out eventually dropped it dropped the name but we carry magnavox Fisher RCA zenith philco.

Howard Hughes: We tried to quasar we had about every brand or was it as far as prices are concerned by whirlpool.

Howard Hughes: was our main brand at that time, but we also had philco and not TELCO but.

Howard Hughes: Westinghouse.

Howard Hughes: frigidaire.

Howard Hughes: And hotpoint.

Beau Newsome: Okay, and.

Beau Newsome: So your initial reason of.

Beau Newsome: Starting selling movies vhs was to sell vcr didn't work.

Howard Hughes: Well, it was not only that yeah well, of course, yes it worked because.

Howard Hughes: The competition couldn't compete with us, our main competition, of course, was sears at that time Duran lows but that's always been a good competitor, but neither one of them.

Howard Hughes: Had Rentals to play with, and we had something to fight with there so.

Howard Hughes: It increased our business both ways, so what the point I think really is when when Howard Hughes moved from the location before they went to mainstream.

Howard Hughes: They lost that connection with with with the main store, even though, for a while, in their private letter sale, they would still still put a free movie for Howard Hughes video they were no longer financially connected.

Howard Hughes: But if I wanted to sell a refrigerator and it was down to almost losing the sale i'd say hey i'll tell you what.

Howard Hughes: i'll give you 50 free movies from our video store to buy that.

Howard Hughes: And that work many times I have thrown in a few movies, to get a washer sale.

Beau Newsome: Oh wow yeah.

Howard Hughes: or or side by side refrigerator or whatever.

Beau Newsome: was a.

Howard Hughes: Good combination.

Beau Newsome: yeah a lot of people would especially when we move to the main street store, we decided to keep Howard Hughes video just because.

Beau Newsome: We didn't want people to think we went out of business or is.

: Exactly.

Beau Newsome: But people kept asking what why, why do you guys call it an hour to us.

Howard Hughes: yeah.

Howard Hughes: So, but well when when I bought the store it was called murphy's.

Howard Hughes: And I kept that name for the first year and then.

Howard Hughes: I I started calling Murphy Hughes hyphenated until we moved to the mall and then at the time we moved to the mall I dropped the Murphy name off, but today the phone number is the same number Murphy had because you never want to change the name of roughly.

Howard Hughes: You you can lose up to 50 $60,000 in gross business a year if you abruptly change the name of a store.

Howard Hughes: And people like you say they think you've gone out of business and they don't see your name, of course, the name in the phone book doesn't mean a whole lot anymore.

Beau Newsome: No, no, not.

Beau Newsome: Not not ology and all that stuff now.

Howard Hughes: With the online.

Beau Newsome: sort of video store had a unique phone number Do you remember that one.

Howard Hughes: yeah I see it was.

Howard Hughes: 8823456

Beau Newsome: yep.

Howard Hughes: And that spin it easy easy to remember.

Beau Newsome: it's spelled out at to film fios.

Beau Newsome: Exactly yeah.

Howard Hughes: So the star got tired of getting all the video calls all the time, which is APP.

Howard Hughes: In the store numbers 8822123 and all the time, will do you have such and such a movie no, you need to call this number.

Beau Newsome: Oh yeah I guess.

Beau Newsome: We used to get calls for the appliances all the time, like.

Beau Newsome: yeah somebody's supposed to install my washer and dryer today.

: Exactly.

Howard Hughes: or I get a call I did you did you have a new release of so itself or do you have this cary grant movie sorry, you need and I, of course, we learned that the number was even number so high, even to this day I get calls at home here for both stores.

Beau Newsome: Stay really.

Howard Hughes: lazy people that don't look in the phone book.

Howard Hughes: Sure, no and they'll say I want Howard Hughes well.

Howard Hughes: Main Street video still they kept they kept the both names in the phone book.

Howard Hughes: For for a while, so people would not think that they've done out of business, which was wise decision.

Beau Newsome: yeah oh wow so you either have to direct them to the video store tell them.

Howard Hughes: are right.

Howard Hughes: But now you know if it's a service question not.

Howard Hughes: Usually I can answer it then I don't need they don't even know they didn't get the store.

Howard Hughes: Is this Howard, as I say yes, of course, but.

Beau Newsome: But a movie question you might.

Howard Hughes: yeah right right.

Howard Hughes: Not there anymore it's gone.

Beau Newsome: yeah are you staying on top of movies, do you still watch him and.

Howard Hughes: I watch that Turner movie movie classics is my favorite I don't watch much of this new stuff.

Howard Hughes: I watch a lot of lot of TV.

Howard Hughes: Like two and a half, man is one of my favorite programs but it's not exactly for children.

Beau Newsome: yeah yeah we That was a big deal at the video store when I was working for rhonda was starting to accumulate TV Rentals.

Beau Newsome: That was a huge boost for us.

Howard Hughes: yeah exactly.

Howard Hughes: Because, are you know they're classics I mean you can look at all, how long some of these have been on like I love Lucy and Andy of mayberry mm hmm well those things are still going most people all day are dead, now the movies go on.

Beau Newsome: Oh yeah and people still rent them and watch them and.

Howard Hughes: yeah exactly.

: yeah.

Beau Newsome: So you mentioned Turner classic movies, I I i'm I still have cable and Turner classic movies, is one of my favorite channels.

Howard Hughes: But that's the only reason I keep the expensive cable I have is because.

Howard Hughes: I can't get it.

Howard Hughes: If I if I just want that, alone, I still have to pay the extra fee because it's worth it to me.

Beau Newsome: And what the neat thing about Turner classic movies, is they're not edited there's nothing bleeped out or and there's no commercials that's the entire movie.

: Exactly.

Beau Newsome: And a little explaining before and after of.

Howard Hughes: Well, you know the spokes people that they have sense of.

Howard Hughes: what's the guy's name the past that ran it for so long.

Beau Newsome: I know mankiewicz now is one of the.

Howard Hughes: yeah but the guy before him.

Howard Hughes: He passed away I think in 2014 yeah he was from colfax Washington.

Beau Newsome: Oh wow.

Howard Hughes: Well, my mind went blank.

Beau Newsome: Well, you can think about it just.

Beau Newsome: So I know I remember you talked about vhs is costing so much.

Beau Newsome: Right like new releases.

Howard Hughes: Was that because that was initially because it.

Howard Hughes: Initially there was a big legal fight, you know the movie studios are fighting the fact that they their their movies, for being ran it out.

Howard Hughes: And when we first started in we didn't know whether we were going to be able to continue or not, and then, when they started selling advertising to the big corporations and putting the ads.

Howard Hughes: If the beginning of the movie, then the price drop immediately.

Howard Hughes: And I think all most all of the new releases, I think, had ads at the beginning, like a coke ad or.

Howard Hughes: Whatever you know.

Beau Newsome: or trailers for other movies and stuff.

Howard Hughes: Well, definitely.

Howard Hughes: That that that became.

Howard Hughes: A lot of a lot of previews of what was going to come out.

Howard Hughes: That became kind of annoying after a while I just learned that fast forward get past that you know, so I could get to my movie but.

Beau Newsome: mm hmm.

Beau Newsome: Do you remember, if, like HBO or showtime or any of those like affected rental sales.

Howard Hughes: Well i'm sure they did.

Howard Hughes: Although.

Howard Hughes: We were continually profitable because, as we got stronger the other video stores dropped out of sight, one by one.

Howard Hughes: He our video had to in Moscow, they had one and pullman they had another one in lewiston but there were there was enough competition but one by one, they just disappeared.

Howard Hughes: yeah and it's just like with our prices when sarah's close their their main store in 1993 our business tripled.

Howard Hughes: The sears home stores, which were not owned by sears and they're all gone now to.

Howard Hughes: They took some business but not not from the video part because they never were involved with that, but.

Beau Newsome: yeah I think the if it wasn't for the appliance store I don't know if Howard Hughes would have survived you never you never know.

Beau Newsome: But it was it was nice to have that backing you know owned by.

Howard Hughes: I think.

Howard Hughes: They as as.

Howard Hughes: By 19 by 1990 I think it could could have stood alone.

Howard Hughes: Without without the back end of the store.

Howard Hughes: Because it was profitable, the biggest problem we had with some of our employees were were given free movies for trading their buddies for pizzas and.

Howard Hughes: We had a couple of people that were.

Howard Hughes: buddies at the pizza place and so.

Howard Hughes: pizza would arrive and a few movies go out that didn't get rented so rhonda had her hands full without a few times.

Beau Newsome: yeah, unfortunately.

Howard Hughes: That is.

Howard Hughes: You probably know about that.

Beau Newsome: yeah yeah that happened all the way through probably till it just closed, you know.

Beau Newsome: exactly do you remember some of the employees that used to work there, do you have that first picture that you put up.

Howard Hughes: let's see.

Beau Newsome: The two and there's two employees standing in the.

Howard Hughes: yeah dude it's a second here.

Beau Newsome: Because one of those was my sister's boyfriend.

: I.

Beau Newsome: remember him working there.

Howard Hughes: He became a doctor.

Beau Newsome: yeah Jason.

Howard Hughes: Jason yeah yeah he went down to Mexico he couldn't be accepted here, so he went to Mexico here's the picture.

Beau Newsome: Oh yeah yeah go up a little bit a little bit more yeah.

Beau Newsome: who's the who's the of the Gal on the left.

Howard Hughes: I don't know what she is.

Beau Newsome: And then, it was at Brett on the right.

Beau Newsome: Yes, okay.

Howard Hughes: RON does husband yeah.

Beau Newsome: yeah so we talked about Brett a little bit in other interviews, he was kind of a.

Howard Hughes: He actually was the manager.

Howard Hughes: yeah he was married to rhonda rhonda had some.

Howard Hughes: Some.

Howard Hughes: Problems first can be there all the time and I used to send rhonda and Brett to lots of the Las Vegas show the videos on there much like the.

Howard Hughes: Electronic so convention in January is for a TV and a plan theaters and they learned a lot and brought it back to the video store and made a lot of changes that's you can address that better than I can you know they were divided by directors.

Howard Hughes: and different genres.

Beau Newsome: You had the director and actor wall were pretty big when I was a kid like that was.

Beau Newsome: that's kind of what separated.

Howard Hughes: I never liked it but they encourage it seemed to work so anyway.

Howard Hughes: Here is a picture of a crowd lined up for a.

Howard Hughes: Howard Hughes private sale, where they got 10 free movies.

Howard Hughes: And one free blank tape.

Howard Hughes: Every time, every time they came to the private said.

Beau Newsome: Oh wow 10 free movies.

: yeah.

Howard Hughes: Rentals.

Beau Newsome: And that's on Washington street that.

Beau Newsome: right that section.

Howard Hughes: yeah that's side that's Washington street side.

Howard Hughes: see him lined up there, waiting to get in.

Beau Newsome: You know yeah.

Beau Newsome: Oh wow so they got 10 free Rentals and a a blank tape.

Howard Hughes: You said, like.

Howard Hughes: eight hour blank tape to.

Howard Hughes: us.

Beau Newsome: yeah I remember that that was a big deal because.

Beau Newsome: You guys sell camcorders and stuff like.

Howard Hughes: That oh yeah we rented camcorders out to we rented out camcorders we rented out the machines as well and.

Beau Newsome: yeah.

: That.

Howard Hughes: On a weekend particularly.

Howard Hughes: If it was a big deal at university, we ran out every machine that we had we usually try to keep 25 or 30 of my hand to rent out.

Howard Hughes: And they were only used for Rentals.

Howard Hughes: And then we had eight or 10 cam cars, so we would get 50 $50 for a camcorder.

Howard Hughes: For a weekend rental which is not bad those camcorders were selling for around $2,000 at that time, so people.

Howard Hughes: Really couldn't afford to buy them, so you know they would they would rent them like for a wedding reception or an anniversary, or something like that or graduation on graduation, of course, we will completely out of anything during it.

Beau Newsome: yeah I just about the time I came in, I still remember.

Beau Newsome: there's probably 10 vcr so we still rent it out.

: Right.

Beau Newsome: All numbered and stuff you know.

Howard Hughes: yeah.

Beau Newsome: have their own shelf ID number, just like a movie would.

: Exactly.

Beau Newsome: it's great.

Beau Newsome: yeah good times my so my sister was friends with rhonda I think they.

Howard Hughes: They were quite close actually yes.

Beau Newsome: They worked at the.

Beau Newsome: field theaters together.

Howard Hughes: that's right, and then there was another young man that worked at the theaters that we hired can't recall his name now and had worked with rhonda and he worked there for a couple years to.

Howard Hughes: i'm just trying to go to some of these pictures and see if there's anything else.

Howard Hughes: You have any other questions like shoot.

Beau Newsome: yeah the most is the same time yeah.

Beau Newsome: Well, like.

Beau Newsome: So kenworthy theater and new our theater those are both first run theaters right.

Howard Hughes: They were and.

Beau Newsome: I think there were mostly.

Howard Hughes: They were both owned by the general these, I believe.

Beau Newsome: I, yes I think you're right because they if you've worked for one you work for the other.

Howard Hughes: Basically, because when I was in college.

Howard Hughes: Judd can wear the was fellow classmate of mine and we both drove convertibles he had a green one and I had a yellow one.

Howard Hughes: And that was a big deal back in those days you had a convertible.

Beau Newsome: Okay.

Howard Hughes: let's see i'm trying to see if there's any other.

Beau Newsome: A friend of mine that used to work with me at the video store her, she said her older brother and her older brothers friends used to work at the old store as well, so I was going to see if you remember a name Ian Jensen.

Beau Newsome: Sean Sean foster.

Beau Newsome: No, no okay.

Howard Hughes: Well, so those people came they came came for a short time and they left now so basically.

Howard Hughes: The management people you remember Eric Viola her dad was the manager of the blue small for several years, she she worked there in fact she was manager there before rhonda was for a short time.

Beau Newsome: Okay.

Beau Newsome: Do you remember, who was manager when my sister work there.

Howard Hughes: Was rhonda the manager onto his manager right.

Beau Newsome: Okay okay.

Howard Hughes: Robin was manager to two different times.

Howard Hughes: We first hired her and she had no experience whatever and then she was there for quite a while and then.

Howard Hughes: She left and went to work for tr video for a short time, and then we went through a series of of managers and you know how that goes.

Howard Hughes: Particularly in a college town, you know.

Howard Hughes: So many people are students and they don't stay very long.

Beau Newsome: yeah a lot of turnover.

Howard Hughes: For sure, but rhonda was actually was.

Howard Hughes: The longest lasting manager that we had that that i'm aware of.

Beau Newsome: If you had to guess how long, would you say rhonda managed the store.

: Oh.

Howard Hughes: Probably six years.

: Okay.

Howard Hughes: that's hard to remember.

Beau Newsome: yeah yeah but yes.

Howard Hughes: because she was manager at the time the changes made to that when they sold the business to Main Street video.

Howard Hughes: And so, when she when that happened then she she she didn't go with the deal.

Howard Hughes: When you were you were hired I guess aren't you.

Beau Newsome: yeah cuz they needed a manager so.

Howard Hughes: You worked hard you so you were.

Beau Newsome: yeah I had worked there for probably six seven years, just as an employee.

Howard Hughes: Wherever you working when they approached you.

Beau Newsome: I was working at remember the red door restaurant.

Howard Hughes: Yes.

Beau Newsome: I was working there.

Howard Hughes: i'll be done.

Beau Newsome: Which is Oddly enough there's a ton of people that have worked at both that the video store and the red door there's a common commonality there.

Howard Hughes: You know that red door kind of disappeared I just never I don't know when when it disappeared, but I like to I like to go in there nice it was nice place.

Beau Newsome: yeah it was really good food, but they I waited on the new owners.

Beau Newsome: And they just do I would work i've worked there and other people have said, well, maybe talk about.

Howard Hughes: And they asked well they really needed you, because at the time.

Howard Hughes: There was nobody else knew knew the computer and other than the the part time people that work there.

Beau Newsome: Right yeah yeah they needed somebody that knew the system new the movies noodle library, you know.

Howard Hughes: Because I visited you a few times after you took over in there and.

Howard Hughes: yeah looked at looked around but.

Howard Hughes: The and they did a beautiful job of.

Howard Hughes: decorating that new new store I thought it was absolutely fantastic, but it was a bit small.

Beau Newsome: It was small it's very small it wasn't it was an awkward space to.

Howard Hughes: yeah it was and.

Howard Hughes: same parking lot.

Howard Hughes: For me.

Beau Newsome: The parking got worse.

Howard Hughes: For the Co op hi there.

Howard Hughes: Yes, the Howard Hughes name off the door on Washington put on your back door.

Beau Newsome: On the alley on the back.

Howard Hughes: which face the alley.

Howard Hughes: So people were still parking in their pocket not to go to our views.

Beau Newsome: yeah I remember you coming into the Main Street star quite a bit and you just kind of check check in and see how things are doing.

: yeah.

Howard Hughes: But.

Beau Newsome: Did you probably didn't rent.

Beau Newsome: You didn't rent much movies.

Howard Hughes: Well, I had 103 movies coming I never ever used it.

Beau Newsome: yeah.

Howard Hughes: He when I helped him move and I helped take all the movies down off the wall and I had to repaint the whole inside they were supposed to do it, but they didn't.

Beau Newsome: Well, there was.

Howard Hughes: The owner that that one of the owners that bought it had passed away, you know later on a pancreatic cancer.

Beau Newsome: Harry yeah.

Howard Hughes: yeah he he made a deal with me, he said.

Howard Hughes: Whatever help you do, he says we'll just pay in movie Rentals and I said that's fine, but I watched Turner movie classics so I didn't need to read any move.

: up right.

Beau Newsome: um yeah so I guess one reason that Gary when he bought the store from dawn and Kevin.

Beau Newsome: He owned this the Main Street star so that was the whole reason for the move, but.

Howard Hughes: that's what I think you're right.

Beau Newsome: I think that's what happened there.

Beau Newsome: So as part of when we moved out.

Beau Newsome: If I remember right there was posters stapled and pinned up on every inch of that building.

Howard Hughes: Really.

Beau Newsome: I mean, in your in your building.

Howard Hughes: Oh yeah right.

Beau Newsome: Like on the beams I mean their posters everywhere.

Howard Hughes: Oh yeah exactly.

Howard Hughes: It was pretty decorative I had a hell of a time getting all those posters off that because they were glued on.

Beau Newsome: yeah glue staples or whatever.

Howard Hughes: And the supports for the.

Howard Hughes: In the middle even had posters on it, I mean it's very decorative.

Howard Hughes: i'm I I don't can't find the picture now but I had a picture that interior that show that but I don't have it in this bunch and I know, and I was going to be showing these today, I would have.

Howard Hughes: been more careful.

Beau Newsome: yeah we can.

Beau Newsome: We can always do another quick little interview to and.

Howard Hughes: yeah.

Beau Newsome: Little pictures or whatnot so.

Beau Newsome: So who moved in after we left the fifth street address.

Beau Newsome: And, did you end up selling that building.

Howard Hughes: Yes, I sold it to the insurance company that's in there now.

Beau Newsome: Oh OK.

Howard Hughes: And then his brother in law.

Howard Hughes: Was.

Howard Hughes: Spencer builders I think he's uh.

Beau Newsome: Oh Springer.

Howard Hughes: Springer Springer did all the remodeling they completely get it, the whole thing they had to put in new furnaces that don and I have had to have put put a new roof on and because.

Howard Hughes: Of the marks club fiasco.

Howard Hughes: But.

Howard Hughes: They did a beautiful job of redoing the inside of it and then he then he the front part I think is rented out to has been rented out to several different people, but then the middle part.

Howard Hughes: That thing has been sold and resold about three or four times since since I sold it.

Howard Hughes: And then the architecture is in the far part by the parking lot.

Howard Hughes: that's still there.

Howard Hughes: The police when we moved in there, the police station wanted to know if they could use our parking lot and we wouldn't let them because, by the time management use that parking lot there was no room for anybody else.

Howard Hughes: So that was that was the problem.

Howard Hughes: But it.

Howard Hughes: But anyway, it was.

Howard Hughes: It was a nice move.

Beau Newsome: yeah did you.

Beau Newsome: So where were you.

Beau Newsome: When you heard the video store or were you aware of that co op when it became a Co op and all that stuff.

Howard Hughes: yeah they took a picture I was, I was at the grand opening.

Howard Hughes: I don't know where that picture is i've never seen it and they had me step behind there and I I had my Howard Hughes badge on and I stood with the.

Howard Hughes: Everybody that had been hired to work there on your grand opening they were given away for free popcorn but nobody showed up, I mean no.

Howard Hughes: Six people, women, and there was a photographer from the newspaper and so forth, but they civil get in here you're the founder so like, but I would like to see that picture if you ever find it.

Beau Newsome: yeah I unfortunately, I think, because of the move or the closing and new business selling the building a lot of that stuff got misplaced or.

: yeah.

Beau Newsome: Although doing this project does help kind of find out where some of this stuff is you know.

Beau Newsome: yeah.

Beau Newsome: Did you.

Howard Hughes: Another.

Howard Hughes: Another picture here of RON.

Howard Hughes: There and and.

Beau Newsome: Oh yeah that's Brett on the left there.

Howard Hughes: I don't know who those other two people are.

Beau Newsome: that's pretty good.

Beau Newsome: Well i'm hoping, I can get rhonda to do this do an interview we'll see if she.

Beau Newsome: If she's going to be willing to or not we'll see.

Howard Hughes: Well, you know, some people don't like to do these things, but I did all my own own radio advertising all the years I was in the store with Dennis DC I grew up there and and record so i'm kind of used to this.

: yeah.

Beau Newsome: And then don kind of started doing he does his own.

Howard Hughes: yeah he does he does a good job now.

Howard Hughes: When he started out he you know, had this kind of wouldn't but he he does excellent really good radio spots.

: yeah.

Beau Newsome: Yes.

Howard Hughes: here's a picture of me as the in Las Vegas at the video.

Howard Hughes: deal with this this happens to be the X rated division.

Beau Newsome: Is that an x rated star there.

: Yes.

Beau Newsome: Do you remember her name.

Beau Newsome: No okay.

Howard Hughes: They had so many there.

Beau Newsome: um yeah I guess to that point did you have always start.

Beau Newsome: renting the triple X movies, or that come about later.

Howard Hughes: Well, actually, we were renting them way back in 1973.

Howard Hughes: We had 12 and we got $10 randall.

Howard Hughes: And it was kind of around town.

Howard Hughes: People that were having bachelor parties he'd come and rent one and some of the gals that were having bachelorette parties or were renting those so at 10 bucks a crack that wasn't too bad.

: yeah.

Beau Newsome: yeah.

Howard Hughes: But, but we did put in a private room for people over 18.

Howard Hughes: In fact.

Howard Hughes: My my next door neighbor who has grown children said.

Howard Hughes: that's how he found out about how he was the only place you could get next rated movie.

Howard Hughes: But then I think mainstreet took them out.

Beau Newsome: Now we had them there for a little while.

Howard Hughes: yeah you took them out when they changed the name to Main Street, I think, then you.

Beau Newsome: Know they're in mainstream we had almost a little section, but.

Beau Newsome: yeah we it just wasn't renting anymore, and we needed more room for the TV land.

Beau Newsome: For all the TV stuff so.

Beau Newsome: But they were.

Beau Newsome: Never good renter for the store, you know.

Beau Newsome: Oh yeah over the years, but.

Beau Newsome: And that would be one thing, people would still ask me like do you guys still have adult titles.

Howard Hughes: well.

Howard Hughes: I remember I a lady came to me when we were at the old location, she says, I would, I would like to talk to the manager and I said well i'm one of the owners and.

Howard Hughes: She said, well, I bought him a tag washer and dryer from you, but if I had known that you rent those horrible movies, I never would have bought it.

Howard Hughes: She she has right to her opinion you know.

Howard Hughes: So I said I said, well, we have it all roped off so children are in that in that division so.

Beau Newsome: yeah that was one of my our interview questions that we had to ask if we are hiring somebody are you okay renting out R rated an x rated films and sometimes they'd be like nope and they they leave and say.

Beau Newsome: yeah i'm not comfortable with that.

Howard Hughes: Well, it wasn't a big didn't have a whole lot of you know, but probably enough to.

Howard Hughes: You know.

Howard Hughes: make a difference to some people.

: Sure sure.

Beau Newsome: Where were you at when you heard the video service closing.

Beau Newsome: Where did where did you find out or.

Howard Hughes: Well, it was in the paper.

Howard Hughes: Of course, I take the paper online, so I will keep up with everything but.

Howard Hughes: I knew.

Howard Hughes: Actually, when when they.

Howard Hughes: My neighbor is the manager of the co op store.

Howard Hughes: Excellent and she's the one kind of help with that.

Beau Newsome: yeah she she's been interviewed I didn't know your butt.

: Right.

Howard Hughes: But.

Howard Hughes: I knew when they dropped the Howard Hughes name that was gonna.

Howard Hughes: Not.

Howard Hughes: be a good I didn't think it was a good idea, in fact, when I first I sent an email to whoever wrote the article for the paper, and I said I think it's.

Howard Hughes: foolish to drop the Howard Hughes name I said I they still have my permission to use it, if they want to, but they went ahead and call the Main Street video, and I think they might have lost a little business there I don't know.

Beau Newsome: Maybe.

Howard Hughes: i'm not privy to that information but.

Beau Newsome: yeah the move was really a hard hit, that was a big hit.

Beau Newsome: Yes, people didn't bother to even look and see if it was still.

Howard Hughes: But you guys increased your titles because.

Howard Hughes: When we sold it we had 16,000 titles and I think over 30,000 now isn't it.

Beau Newsome: Well, I talked to Jamie who works at the kenworthy.

Beau Newsome: She I just interviewed her last night, and she said that because they got all the collection.

Beau Newsome: Right and then donated and kept some of it.

Beau Newsome: She said there's about 40,000 titles.

Howard Hughes: that's a lot, and you know.

Howard Hughes: The county taxes those titles as as.

Howard Hughes: equipment, not as merchandise and so.

Howard Hughes: We were paying a huge huge tax on on our.

Howard Hughes: movie because they would value what we paid for them originally they wouldn't, let us.

Howard Hughes: discount them down as I got older.

Howard Hughes: So when when we sold they sold the business to to the main street people.

Howard Hughes: That took care of that because that value went away and whatever they paid for it was.

Beau Newsome: Well, and then we.

Beau Newsome: When I was starting working for rhonda and starting to help with the ordering we were just paying $20 a film, just like anybody else would so that helped with us, building a better library.

Howard Hughes: Oh yeah it's.

Beau Newsome: Much much cheaper to get.

Beau Newsome: than 7080 I remember there's $100 a title sometimes.

Howard Hughes: Depending on the movie exactly.

Beau Newsome: Well cool.

Beau Newsome: yeah.

Beau Newsome: yeah you know there's hindsight lot of different things could have happened.

Beau Newsome: But it was just always kind of a dying industry, but I think if something's would have been done differently, maybe it's still would be still be around but.

Beau Newsome: coven was just kind of the last straw.

Howard Hughes: Well, I don't see how anybody could there are still stores in town closed over that.

Howard Hughes: Right now, there are some stores that have never reopened.

Howard Hughes: Not not in this business but.

Howard Hughes: And I don't think we're through with that yet.

Beau Newsome: um do you have any like happiest memories of the store.

Beau Newsome: That stand out.

Howard Hughes: Well, I think the happiest time and seeing all those people lined up.

Beau Newsome: yeah.

Beau Newsome: hey you guys really.

: well.

Howard Hughes: I think we.

Howard Hughes: We were kind of a family in there, everybody, you know we knew everybody and it's just you know, everybody wanted to work in the video store but.

Howard Hughes: Except they didn't like the desk.

Howard Hughes: That was like ongoing problem.

: As it was.

Howard Hughes: yeah I was always in there, and when I was still with the store.

Howard Hughes: i'd say rhonda get your people to get to dust drag outside there's dust all over those movies, and they just a little bit and then next couple of weeks later be right back at it again, but that's the problem and compliance department to we you can't have dirty appliances, so we.

Howard Hughes: Do everybody a job you know.

Beau Newsome: I remember you'd even come into Main Street and be like well it's really dirty in here you guys.

Beau Newsome: When I was when I was managing that you guys might want to.

Beau Newsome: Start dustin a little bit, but.

Beau Newsome: I try to keep it as clean as I could.

Howard Hughes: It was never as dirty as at our store.

Beau Newsome: yeah the old store was that was.

Howard Hughes: Towards the end there is really bad you could write your name with your finger in the dust.

Howard Hughes: In the in the window sales.

Beau Newsome: yeah and the lower shelves the movies on there would just be kicked kicked in dust.

Howard Hughes: Some movies have be so dusty you know they hadn't been rented a month.

Beau Newsome: yeah yeah you knew which ones weren't written as well that's.

: Exactly.

Beau Newsome: Are you still in contact with anybody through the from the video store or appliance I guess i'm don maybe.

Howard Hughes: Oh, I go into I go into the store on a fairly regular I I still a good customer i've i've spent about three or $4,000 with them in the last four or five months because seems like everything's wearing out but.

Howard Hughes: yeah we're we're still we're still in contact, a lot of people still think I own it because they kept the name.

Howard Hughes: Sure, but I don't I actually I actually signed signed away my.

Howard Hughes: Ownership December, the 16th 1999.

Beau Newsome: Oh wow.

Howard Hughes: But I continue to work there till 2006.

Howard Hughes: And then.

Howard Hughes: I went to palm springs in the winners.

Howard Hughes: Starting in 1993 actually for for six months, and I was, I was selling and flipping condos down there and then i'd come back and and work in store for six months.

Howard Hughes: So I quit doing that in 2008.

Beau Newsome: Okay yeah cuz when I started working at the store I don't quite remember the date but you were no longer owner of.

Beau Newsome: The video store or the point story.

Howard Hughes: Right see I almost bought the video store when they had they had it for sale and.

Howard Hughes: Kevin mentioned me they told me the price that they wanted, I am the cash by it, but I just too darn old to to do it and i'm glad I did.

Beau Newsome: Because, again, I think it was doing pretty well at the time.

Howard Hughes: yeah it was.

Beau Newsome: it's financially but yeah it was just a dying dying industry.

Howard Hughes: Well, the main stores.

Howard Hughes: Most of their focus was on the appliance and TV business over there, and there we have a great service departments, you know for appliances and.

Howard Hughes: don't need TV service anymore, most of that is throwaway stuff you know if you if you buy a big screen TV, today you don't get it fixed if it was out you just throw it away and get a new one.

Beau Newsome: Right yeah nobody's fixing TV.

Howard Hughes: Well, I remember when the first flat screens came out.

Howard Hughes: In 2006 they were they were about $10,000.

Howard Hughes: And now look what you can get.

Howard Hughes: It you can go out to walmart and buy a big TV for 130 bucks.

Beau Newsome: yeah probably bigger than any TV you've ever.

Beau Newsome: I guess you guys used to do a.

Howard Hughes: way, so we used to rent out big screen TVs.

Howard Hughes: thanks again.

Howard Hughes: For the big for the January.

Howard Hughes: New year's football deals.

Howard Hughes: We charge them 100 bucks.

Howard Hughes: And we had four big screens and they were those good big bulky thing that God they waited 10 and the best Western reserve to from us and they got first dibs and then there was another bar and then there was a group of doctors that got together and they would rent the other one.

Beau Newsome: Of.

Howard Hughes: course TV has evolved like that.

Beau Newsome: Do you uh so we kind of asked people because we're closing in on an hour here that we've been talking.

Beau Newsome: Really yeah it doesn't feel like it doesn't.

Howard Hughes: know you haven't fun.

Howard Hughes: Time is better.

Beau Newsome: Is there any we kind of have been asking people if you can think of anybody else we should interview.

Howard Hughes: Oh boy.

Howard Hughes: Well, so many of the people.

Howard Hughes: Like Jason.

Howard Hughes: The doctor I don't even know where he lives so.

Beau Newsome: I don't easy.

Howard Hughes: and his mother moved away from here she used to live here.

Howard Hughes: yeah and her husband was on the City Council one time.

Howard Hughes: Okay Jason stepfather.

Howard Hughes: And Eric Viola, I don't know what ever happened to her, her dad moved to spokane was was running them all up there after he left the police and fire MMA.

Howard Hughes: But the ones that I was really close to they've all.

Howard Hughes: we're looking at 20 years here.

Howard Hughes: And the ones that I was really close to the blonde girl on.

Howard Hughes: And married and probably got families and then are scattered all over.

Beau Newsome: Oh yeah yeah that's when I took on this project, I was like, and I can I still keep in contact with some of these people, but there's some that I just don't know where they're at and don't know what they're doing.

: But.

Beau Newsome: Pretty fun.

Beau Newsome: So, as you mentioned, is there anything you've watched recently that you really like a movie can be new or older.

Howard Hughes: Well, one of my favorites is guess who's coming to dinner katharine hepburn Spencer Tracy.

Howard Hughes: and

Howard Hughes: that's a real tear jerker I just love that movie That was the last movie that Spencer Tracy made and, in fact, he died before it was released.

Beau Newsome: Oh, really.

Howard Hughes: yeah you know he and katharine hepburn were were a couple they live together for years and years and years.

Beau Newsome: They actually were like dating they.

Howard Hughes: Well, they were.

Beau Newsome: married or.

Howard Hughes: No, no, he he he he stayed married to his wife, but he lived with katharine hepburn for over 40 years they made tons of movies together.

Beau Newsome: mm hmm.

Howard Hughes: And this was the last one, of course, and Sidney poitier that that movie was released in 1969 and.

Howard Hughes: it's it's a beautiful movie I just love it.

Beau Newsome: It is, I it was always one I had heard of you know at the video store was always in our I think award winners section, because I think at one some academy awards.

Howard Hughes: Another movie I like Is it fair to remember with cary grant and Deborah car and that movies, was the remake of a movie with Charles boy from the 1930s.

Howard Hughes: And then that.

Howard Hughes: sleepless in Seattle was roughly referred to, because the end they both met in New York at the empire state building that's a tough and.

Howard Hughes: In fact there's a little excerpt of the Fed to remember kari grant you have a car movie in that movie they're watching it on TV and he's living in Seattle and his little boys trying to getting a new new mommy so.

Beau Newsome: Right.

Howard Hughes: Right yeah.

Howard Hughes: that's right I enjoy that.

Howard Hughes: Very much that's another one of my favorite yeah and I, like all of dark days old movies and Betty Hatton.

Howard Hughes: All the movies, that she made Annie get your gun is one of my favorites with Howard keel and and I met both of them personally.

Howard Hughes: at different times I I got Betty hutton's autograph three times it's the fox theater in spokane 1952 she didn't know what but.

Howard Hughes: I managed to do it, we followed her out and they sent the programs back and I thought well that's probably really not her signature.

Howard Hughes: Because there were thousands of people at the thing, so we found her out and when she got in the car.

Howard Hughes: She was a little girl getting an autograph so I got an autograph again, and then we knew she'd be staying at the davenport.

Howard Hughes: So we ran up there, real quick and then she came with Charles of current who she was married to its time.

Howard Hughes: And he saw us with the program he said Betty these boys need your signature, so we got that signature, but I met Howard to in palm springs at the palm springs follies he he.

Howard Hughes: He was on that for one season, and I really talked to him and he was 87 at the time I don't know 78 and I said Howard, you still got it, he says yeah i'm gonna keep it and then he died at the age of 84 but I met him in palm springs and also room mcclanahan from.

Howard Hughes: Young girls I they have a farmers market, similar to the one here in Moscow, and I was walking down in the farmers market with a bag of oranges on my back.

Howard Hughes: And here comes here comes through mcclanahan I said, my God is Blanche she played the part of blanche, and I said, you know what my name is and then she said what and I said it's Howard Hughes and Jesus, what are you doing later honey.

Howard Hughes: She was really cool about it, I might mean that.

Beau Newsome: Well yeah.

Beau Newsome: Well palm springs is a pretty good place for that.

Howard Hughes: But that's where they all retire and die, you know.

Beau Newsome: Right doesn't Bob hope a big palm springs.

Howard Hughes: Well, he had a big round.

Howard Hughes: Up above my one of my condos up on the Hill, which I think after he died at the age of 100 that's been sold but.

Howard Hughes: He had a great connection to palm springs.

Howard Hughes: That.

Howard Hughes: there's a movie named palm springs weekend that was made.

Howard Hughes: Back in the 60s and.

Howard Hughes: I don't remember all all people that were in it, but that part was all deserts and now that's completely filled with condos and everything but it's it's a fun place to go, but you don't want to go there in the summertime it's 120 degrees and it's not fun.

Beau Newsome: yeah yeah yeah I lived in Arizona for a couple years.

Howard Hughes: same way phoenix is just the bad I mean that was.

Beau Newsome: That was enough for me that's where my sister's at now is in phoenix.

Howard Hughes: Oh, really.

Beau Newsome: yeah she likes she likes to sign in the heat.

Howard Hughes: Say air is terrible there it's horrible yeah.

Howard Hughes: it's the particles people with heart problems there's no no place to live, but there's a lot of stuff to do down there yeah.

Beau Newsome: cool yeah I think we're kind of.

Howard Hughes: ready to hang it up for now.

Beau Newsome: yeah for now yeah but, again, if there's anything you would like to talk about or.

Beau Newsome: You know, we can do little 10 minute 15 minute.

Beau Newsome: conversations or.

Howard Hughes: Whatever yeah I don't i'm not done digging through pictures so i'm going to go through my library and and we'll we'll meet again.

Howard Hughes: yeah and then something that is.

Howard Hughes: You know of interest.

Beau Newsome: yeah and maybe the library would want copies or I don't know i'm not sure i'll have to ask them but.

Howard Hughes: Well, I could have the pictures, as far as i'm concerned because.

Howard Hughes: i'm I don't.

Howard Hughes: need it i've got more pictures I got pictures from when I was a three three months old so like I got a lot of pictures.

Beau Newsome: got plenty of them.

Howard Hughes: yeah okay.

Howard Hughes: Well it's been a real pleasure.

Beau Newsome: yeah thanks Howard, I appreciate it we you're on top of our list and.

Howard Hughes: Little did I dream back in.

Howard Hughes: 1978 that this I would be sitting here talking about all this.

Howard Hughes: yeah I don't know where the time went but it went yeah.

Beau Newsome: It does doesn't it well and and people have been so receptive to this doing this oral History project.

Beau Newsome: I think it just the video store just meant a lot to people so.

Howard Hughes: Well here's another last picture that's the middle of the video store.

Beau Newsome: yeah can you go up just a little bit.

Beau Newsome: Okay.

Howard Hughes: See that's where we had our movies displayed we got him on one with a plate.

Beau Newsome: yeah oh yeah I remember those shells, we still have some of those shelves, to the very end.

: yeah.

Howard Hughes: I remember when he was loading loading that stuff out that day he dropped onto the shelves out in the middle of the street, and there were movies going all over the place.

Howard Hughes: It was a nightmare.

Howard Hughes: It was one of those.

Howard Hughes: Things that's a belt.

Howard Hughes: Not one of these up price, but it was the long the long ones that they had in their.

Howard Hughes: It all came apart right out in the middle of the street you got it right up on the pickup and wham is.

Howard Hughes: I don't.

Beau Newsome: know we we had some of those a frame shelves today we.

Beau Newsome: Have we bought from tr video and they went out of business, so.

Howard Hughes: Well, I think that's where we got ours.

Beau Newsome: yeah.

Howard Hughes: Probably now yeah yeah.

Beau Newsome: yeah we just kind of pick apart other video stores and when went out of business.

Howard Hughes: Because I remember when they went out of business and poem and I went over there and but, quite a few movies from them that that I that I wanted you know just from my personal collection but.

Beau Newsome: um yeah there was a there's a video store over there, called video quest I think.

Beau Newsome: yeah that.

Beau Newsome: went out of business and why I hired one of their old employees and.

Beau Newsome: yeah she came over and worked for.

Howard Hughes: me but video quest and tr video both at stores over there.

Howard Hughes: There was a video question Moscow to it wasn't it was not what was called the side marketplace was right close to sears.

Howard Hughes: sears original building.

Beau Newsome: Sorry i'm it adventure land video.

Beau Newsome: yeah, I think, is what you're thinking about the little one right in the mall there.

Howard Hughes: No, it was big.

Howard Hughes: They had an outside entrance.

Beau Newsome: And it will yeah it was a it was two iterations it was movie gallery.

Beau Newsome: and

Howard Hughes: Because they even sold candy bars nerds they can and.

Howard Hughes: If I had bought.

Howard Hughes: The video store I was going to put candy back in we try that one, so this is kind of a.

Howard Hughes: funny thing we we decided the employees were eating up the candy so we said okay we're going to have to start the candy upstairs in the attic well.

Howard Hughes: It gets hot up there, we never thought about that, so I went up there one day to get candy in here all this chocolate candy and everything was all melted and they were melted into each other and dripping all over everywhere that was the end of the candy business for the video store.

Beau Newsome: yeah.

Beau Newsome: We tried it for a little bit.

Beau Newsome: But again, employees, like to eat it disappears.

Beau Newsome: yeah it goes bad yeah.

: Exactly.

Howard Hughes: Well we'll sign off for now.

Beau Newsome: Okay well again.

Beau Newsome: I want to thank you Howard, for doing this, this is really cool, but do you want to just hang tight i'll stop recording and.

Beau Newsome: We can talk a little bit so all right.

Beau Newsome: I just want to thank thank Thank you much.

Howard Hughes: Okay okay.

Howard Hughes: it's been a pleasure.