Katy and Soona Schmidt recount their memories as customers of the Howard Hughes Video Rental and Main Street Video Co-op. Soona describes the store as she remembers it at the 5th and Washington location. They talk about a few of the different video rental stores in Moscow. They talk about renting movies as a cheaper way to see movies and remember going to the Micro theater. Soona talks about choosing Howard Hughes as an adult because of the catalogue. Throughout the conversation both Soona and Katy mention various former employees. They discuss their memories and feelings about the store's move from the 5th and Washington location to Main Street, as well as how they heard of the store's closing. Soona remembers the time she got to pick movies for the "staff picks" shelf.

Beau Newsome: Alright we're recording so hi I schmitz.

Beau Newsome: So i'm here with the University of Idaho library, my name is Bo news somewhere.

Beau Newsome: The University of Idaho library adopted some of the Howard Hughes video library of their DVDs and vhs and i'm here with long time customers is a video store i'll just call him this schmitz katie and sooner, if you wouldn't mind just.

Beau Newsome: Saying if you sign the waiver.

Katy Schmidt: signed a waiver.

Soona Schmidt: I also signed the.

Beau Newsome: winner okay okay good.

Beau Newsome: um so yeah just go ahead and say your names and just give a little bit of background on.

Beau Newsome: Just the video star in general and then we'll kind of go into depth little bit about.

Katy Schmidt: Well i'm katie and I remember, we moved back to Moscow in 1989 I remember, because the first grade teacher, had it up on the counting down the days to 90 up on the board, and we have we're part of four sisters and when once we got old enough to walk around town by ourselves, I don't know.

Beau Newsome: How old, are you and at night.

Katy Schmidt: I was in first grade meeting, so it was a while before it was probably mid 90s before we were walking around yeah probably but mom would let us walk down to the video store by ourselves and pick out a movie yeah.

Soona Schmidt: I remember that, and I remember that it was over in that.

Katy Schmidt: Oh yeah.

Soona Schmidt: Maybe it's like an insurance building now but it had like you would walk in, and it was kind of a long narrow room and and, like the the.

Soona Schmidt: counter was up in one area, and then you would like go up the steps to get to the other.

Beau Newsome: area mm hmm yeah and.

Soona Schmidt: So yeah and I remember that.

Beau Newsome: Because there's basically.

Beau Newsome: In this interview we're talking about there's four iterations of the store there was.

Beau Newsome: That was the fifth street address, but it was at first it was just a corner portion of the big store on fifth street fifth in Washington Okay, and then the plane store moved out to the highway.

Beau Newsome: And the video store expanded and that became the fifth street address like a cross from the Co op.

Soona Schmidt: yep.

Beau Newsome: And then became mainstream video and then became the top at the Main Street address yeah.

Soona Schmidt: So what iteration is that the second one.

Beau Newsome: yeah you guys are probably familiar with the second iteration of it yeah.

Soona Schmidt: yeah you really.

Beau Newsome: Which is what I that's where I first got my job there under ramen.

Soona Schmidt: And I remember Richard I think working there because I remember one interaction when.

Soona Schmidt: You could like maybe answer the question and get a free movie rental.

Beau Newsome: Yes, and.

Soona Schmidt: It was it was, I think there were multiple sisters there at the same time, and we were trying to get this free rental and the question was like to name all the power puff girls, maybe or three or four of the power puff girls, and it was a struggle man.

Soona Schmidt: To do it me we did we got it and we got our free rental I have no idea what we've.

Soona Schmidt: got it.

Beau Newsome: And really can band together and handle and be like okay.

Soona Schmidt: yeah.

Beau Newsome: let's figure this out.

Beau Newsome: i'm sure.

: Most the points.

Beau Newsome: Yes, so your folks came in a lot didn't they.

Soona Schmidt: yeah.

Beau Newsome: Sure Okay, but it was one of those accounts, where it was.

Beau Newsome: The the two parents and then for girls and you guys had carte blanche, or whatever you could come in and.

Katy Schmidt: yeah but it took a while to get that because when we first started going down there by ourselves, you guys would call our parents to make sure it was okay that we rented that our movie.

Beau Newsome: just doing our job.

Katy Schmidt: got.

Katy Schmidt: tired of that so she said just let them run with I really want.

Soona Schmidt: I could be wrong, but wasn't there I don't know if it was Howard Hughes, but there, there was a movie store right down on the Troy highway.

Beau Newsome: Was that our video.

Soona Schmidt: Okay, that was terrible idea so i'm mixing them up.

Beau Newsome: yeah yeah yeah we there's two two tier videos huh there was one ball on the highway and then there was one where RT is like.

Soona Schmidt: Okay.

Beau Newsome: kind of my pizza perfection.

Soona Schmidt: mm hmm.

Beau Newsome: yeah Moscow had a lot of video stores, but.

Soona Schmidt: yeah.

Katy Schmidt: And then Hastings game.

Beau Newsome: And hastening scape we outlasted them all.

Soona Schmidt: yeah you did.

Beau Newsome: um, what do you remember your account number.

Soona Schmidt: What was your account number I think it's 351.

Katy Schmidt: most definitely.

Soona Schmidt: i'm pretty sure.

Beau Newsome: That doesn't ring a bell.

Beau Newsome: And that was always easy to you know it's like you knew somebody was a early customer by that how small their account number was yeah.

Beau Newsome: So when you moved here how did you remember how you found out about it, I guess, your first grade but.

Soona Schmidt: yeah remember.

Beau Newsome: We always mom and dad just.

Katy Schmidt: liked there they just like they liked movies, and it was a way to entertain the kids on the weekend.

Katy Schmidt: So they take us down there and they'd get a movie for us and a movie for them mm hmm we'd watch ours and they'd send us to bed.

Katy Schmidt: Then they'd watch that movie.

Beau Newsome: Where they always kind of movie people.

Katy Schmidt: yeah probably I mean they were probably like us beer in a movie type of people.

Soona Schmidt: I maybe this is related, but I think for a pretty long time like probably until they were able to move back to Moscow they lived in pretty like significant poverty, and so they didn't have a lot of.

Katy Schmidt: We didn't go to the movies.

Soona Schmidt: Right so like that was our option is to rent a movie and I think that that was kind of like they're still a lot of times frugal people and so that was a form of entertainment and kind of a treat that was not super.

Katy Schmidt: Come on mom used to take us to the library all the time and we get 10 books every week and take them back and the library didn't have a great selection of movies, so they found Howard Hughes.

Beau Newsome: yeah we made sure that.

Beau Newsome: No that's.

Beau Newsome: that's cool that so that was my next question did you, you say you can go to theaters much like your new art or kenworthy.

Katy Schmidt: We what we used to go to the micro.

Beau Newsome: yeah oh yeah.

Soona Schmidt: They grow and.

Katy Schmidt: The micro once a month, maybe.

Soona Schmidt: yeah awesome I remember, they had this like summer movie program for kids and.

Soona Schmidt: No, it wasn't the micro.

Soona Schmidt: Before or so like they would show certain movies, and we, I remember you and I katie going a lot to movies, because it was fairly close to our House and we would walk over and we would.

Katy Schmidt: Watch $3 I think.

Soona Schmidt: yeah they were really inexpensive and.

Beau Newsome: I do remember that.

Soona Schmidt: yeah we we would do that a lot.

Beau Newsome: I completely forgot about it until you just mentioned it, but I.

Beau Newsome: Have a funny story MAC you nice classmate wes Gregory and I went to go see the care bears movie.

Beau Newsome: and West just leaned over in the middle of it and goes hey my mom's here i'm gonna go and I was like okay so it's just me sitting there watching care bears maybe find myself.

Soona Schmidt: The movie I remember watching a lot at that summer thing was the newsies I feel like we do you not remember that katie oh my.

Soona Schmidt: God, I feel like I went at times the newsies just.

Soona Schmidt: Over and over and over.

Katy Schmidt: I remember Emma dressed up as one of them for Halloween but I don't remember going to see it.

Beau Newsome: yeah which one, do you think rented out of them out as a family, the most.

Soona Schmidt: Soon, I think I did, especially later in life for sure it was me I was good yeah but I don't know about when we were like kids it could have been katie katie watched a lot of movies, when we were like still in junior high in high school.

Beau Newsome: yeah and then I remember it was like katie left town, but.

Beau Newsome: there's obviously at least one or.

Beau Newsome: Two sisters in town.

Beau Newsome: still keep the video the video account alive yeah How often do you think you visited the store like once a week type of thing.

Soona Schmidt: Maybe, sometimes in the summer, it was like that, once a week, maybe.

Soona Schmidt: um.

: yeah.

Beau Newsome: Was there anything unique about Howard Hughes versus like some of the other video stores, or why did you choose Howard Hughes.

Soona Schmidt: Well, when I was an adult I liked that it was a local business, but I also really like the variety there so like I when I moved back to Moscow.

Soona Schmidt: As an adult my I had been living in portland and the main places that I was renting videos from was redbox and it's exclusively new releases and.

Soona Schmidt: No TV, at least when I was using it, and so that was really, really nice I loved being able to start a new TV show and see the whole thing or rewatch movies that were no longer new releases so that was a big draw.

Katy Schmidt: atmosphere was pretty awesome too, you know if you're younger when I was in my high school you walk into Hastings and it's just overwhelming you know it's like.

Katy Schmidt: You don't know what to choose, but Howard Hughes is small and they've still even though it's small they've got a huge variety yeah I loved it it felt comfortable.

Soona Schmidt: yeah looks cool.

Katy Schmidt: It looks cool.

Beau Newsome: yeah I just.

Katy Schmidt: was always the cool kids behind the counter to.

Soona Schmidt: There is also.

Beau Newsome: Thank you, thank you very much.

Katy Schmidt: At least that's how it felt.

Katy Schmidt: Because they were kind of younger and you'd see him in the Community, if not at school.

Beau Newsome: that's right um yeah that's one thing we talked about is like the the slew of people that have come that have worked there and it was pretty awesome and like Howard Hughes video was never a place where we had to advertise that we were hiring because we just always had.

Katy Schmidt: Oh actually I did fill out an application for their.

Beau Newsome: Did you.

Katy Schmidt: Yes, and when I submitted it it felt like it went into a bottomless pit that's how it was received.

Katy Schmidt: Oh yeah I think it was probably rhonda.

Beau Newsome: Was it.

Katy Schmidt: yeah i'm pretty sure, and I handed it over and she was like Okay, thank you and the way she put it down, I was like nobody's ever gonna fucking look that again.

Katy Schmidt: Over.

Katy Schmidt: Not cool enough.

Beau Newsome: I might have been my fault, I was like no.

Beau Newsome: I probably wasn't even work in there that time.

Katy Schmidt: Remember.

Beau Newsome: um did you have a so i'm sure hardcastle was probably there your entire renting career.

Katy Schmidt: Oh yeah.

Katy Schmidt: Ben maybe not actually I feel like I remember when he came he has his eyes are so striking.

Katy Schmidt: eyes.

Beau Newsome: and always be like people but what's that her I talked about band and i'm like you know Ben work to the video store they'd be like.

Beau Newsome: Which one is he has like the one looks like a vampire and they're like oh yeah okay.

Beau Newsome: Did you have a favorite section in the store.

Beau Newsome: Do you guys utilize the director wall or actor wall or anything.

Katy Schmidt: Well, in the last few years that I went there.

Katy Schmidt: I liked the staff picks.

Katy Schmidt: When it was on mainstream.

Beau Newsome: Oh right.

Katy Schmidt: You you'd get to see like a the staff members flavor which was kind of cool because those different shells would have different, but you can see, the five or six videos that they picked you like oh yeah I can see there yeah the flavor they like.

Beau Newsome: Can on board yeah we used to treat it like homework and there was a competition to rent the most.

Beau Newsome: yeah you have to kind of pedal your own PICs basically.

Beau Newsome: So did you have a favorite section.

Soona Schmidt: I am trying to think I.

Soona Schmidt: To be honest with you, I didn't really use the video store I also don't do this in bookstores I it's hard for me to shop for something there so like I would a lot of times go in with kind of ideas of what I wanted to watch and then like go find them.

Soona Schmidt: So I don't know if I gravitated i'm sure, because I love light fluffy movies i'm sure I gravitated to you know the drama at the you know action, the superhero sections as.

Katy Schmidt: You guys always have those sections.

Katy Schmidt: drama D and Rom COM and stuff.

Beau Newsome: I think dramedy came a little later.

Katy Schmidt: Because I thought that was fun to like is that kind of evolved you like, that is what I want to look at.

Beau Newsome: Right well and it became a huge section because apparently there are a lot of drama tease out there, where it's like well it's not a comedy it's not a drama right.

Katy Schmidt: we'll just take it in dramedy here in the middle.

Beau Newsome: yeah um yeah the what I started first going to the video store in this first iteration the small store they have already had all these different sections, but the director and actor wall were like what drew me.

Beau Newsome: yeah so so you guys are going down there when you were young like kids by yourself.

Soona Schmidt: I don't have memories of that, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen katie's older sure.

Katy Schmidt: Well, I remember definitely in middle school and probably late elementary school, we would walk around town mom would let us walk to the library during the summer, which is as far away as Howard Hughes.

Katy Schmidt: From where our House was um.

Katy Schmidt: I don't know we'd walked a rose ours, which is down the hill yeah.

: Okay.

Katy Schmidt: I don't.

Katy Schmidt: Usually, you and me, sooner or me by myself and we'd walk we didn't usually ride bikes or anything.

Soona Schmidt: yeah.

Beau Newsome: So katie you were the oldest right yeah and then sooner.

Soona Schmidt: yeah and then me.

Beau Newsome: And then Emma and then maddie.

Soona Schmidt: yeah okay.

Beau Newsome: So maddie probably didn't go to the video store is probably as much as maybe the three of you.

Katy Schmidt: yeah probably not yeah.

Beau Newsome: that's why she's not doing the interview right now.

Soona Schmidt: You do.

Beau Newsome: Well, I thought she's gonna make dinner for us all, but I didn't realize you guys are called well.

: All different places.

Beau Newsome: So I guess we're we're kind of talking about.

Beau Newsome: The importance Moscow has or the video store had in Moscow.

Beau Newsome: So, like if you live in other places like you said sooner, like in portland you were just kind of doing red box, but.

Beau Newsome: Even though there is a really cool video store in portland called movie madness, but.

Soona Schmidt: well.

Beau Newsome: I mean the word I don't know where it's located.

Soona Schmidt: Right and so like that's The other thing is that to get to Howard Hughes, it was a you know, three minute drive or 1015 minute walk you know it's real close but to get anywhere in portland.

Soona Schmidt: Definitely takes way longer than that so yeah.

Katy Schmidt: it's sort of tough to because i'm.

Katy Schmidt: Even though we only experienced it for 10 or 15 years ago we were experiencing it as children, so we didn't really know any better, but.

Katy Schmidt: we've heard from our parents that Moscow, even though it was a small town benefited from the culture of the University of Idaho and so, even though Moscow was the size, it was for it to have.

Katy Schmidt: One, let alone, three or four video stores and Howard Hughes have such a broad selection in a small town where you'd normally find a tiny little back to the gas station.

Katy Schmidt: 10 movie collection, you know that's a little extreme but Moscow had a lot of culture available and so that's part of what makes Howard Hughes so cool is that it was such a small town, but it could it chose to bring in that breadth of titles.

Beau Newsome: yeah I think ultimately that's what kept us in business over other video stores and stuff like that, but even though we couldn't compete on the new release side of things just the sheer volume of new releases but that's kind of what didn't drop people to our story so.

: Right yeah.

Beau Newsome: Have you been to any other video stores and places you've lived that have been like Howard Hughes video.

Beau Newsome: Like is there anything in Boise.

Katy Schmidt: But that's part of that the evolution of videos in our own lifetime in is that it's changed so much you know I get a lot of my movie exposure from the Internet now, and so I don't go to a shop and it's just not as.

Katy Schmidt: readily available.

Beau Newsome: Did you tell me my next question did you kind of see the video store changing over the over the years.

Katy Schmidt: We do that I remember when they started getting more new releases to be competitive, I remember, because they use, you know you used to do two or three and they just like people say always be.

Katy Schmidt: hard to get but then someone in management, made a decision to try and get more, and I remember when that happened and I was like well that's cool i'll try going back to how to use instead of going to Hastings and.

Beau Newsome: um What about the move from fifth street to Main Street to that.

Katy Schmidt: I was out of town so soon as the one who's gonna have to talk about that.

Soona Schmidt: um.

Soona Schmidt: yeah I remember the move and I.

Soona Schmidt: Definitely, like the Main Street.

Soona Schmidt: location better you know it's a more inviting place it didn't feel as a I don't know more, there were more windows for color kind of a thing.

Beau Newsome: That was a little more electric I guess.

Katy Schmidt: more modern you, you know I mean.

: yeah.

Beau Newsome: yeah the yeah I just had interviewed Howard Hughes last night the the Howard Hughes and the.

Beau Newsome: He was like I didn't think i'd like that new location, but he's like I really thought it was great it was a weird small space, but.

Soona Schmidt: yeah like I just really liked it yeah.

Beau Newsome: Do I.

Katy Schmidt: need the years it's still having the move it still felt like the culture of Howard Hughes, you know, even though you moved it was still Howard Hughes, you know when I went in there, I still felt like.

Katy Schmidt: It was still Howard Hughes, even though they've moved, I still had my account number, the people behind the desk were more or less familiar and.

Soona Schmidt: it's really.

Katy Schmidt: The same.

Soona Schmidt: It really felt like it had just gotten bigger as opposed to like.

: For me.

Soona Schmidt: Like it didn't yeah.

Beau Newsome: yeah it was a wouldn't say it was it was about half the size of the old store.

Katy Schmidt: yeah much smaller, I would say, but even though it was smaller.

Katy Schmidt: But.

Beau Newsome: we're getting a cameo.

Beau Newsome: not quite yet she's just.

Katy Schmidt: Trying to sneak in.

Beau Newsome: She just wants to be in the archives.

Katy Schmidt: Or you know, and I don't know Bo it felt inevitable the.

Katy Schmidt: vhs and DVD we're going away, you know it's awesome what we've had with.

Katy Schmidt: Internet availability, but I grew up loving bookstores just the way they smelled and going through the stacks and.

Katy Schmidt: going to the video store and looking through the stacks and learning new stuff and finding new stuff.

Katy Schmidt: But I also like the convenience of Amazon, and I remember.

Katy Schmidt: feeling an inevitability when Howard Hughes move from fifth street to downtown that they were trying to make the best of something, but it I just I hoped it would last as long as it possibly could.

Beau Newsome: Do you remember, I want to say it was I don't have the dates in front of me, but I want to say was 2007 that we moved from fifth street those dates sound right to you were in.

Katy Schmidt: points here that time.

Katy Schmidt: yeah I will I wasn't in town, I had graduated from you by and I was out of town.

Katy Schmidt: And I know that right suna and mom were a huge part of that move well, I mean it was.

Katy Schmidt: About occasion.

Beau Newsome: One point.

Beau Newsome: I couldn't keep what sister, but that was always a little a little thing like when.

Soona Schmidt: You.

Beau Newsome: were like what sister did we just read.

Katy Schmidt: Because inside the account, it was a broad account, but you could select.

Beau Newsome: who had rented out you had to.

Katy Schmidt: Have a late fee mom and dad don't have to pay it.

Beau Newsome: yeah okay he's got to pay that shit.

: yeah.

Soona Schmidt: yeah I remember being told, when.

Soona Schmidt: She hears it all the time.

Soona Schmidt: being told them, I was out of town that there's this guy bow and he works at the video store and he doesn't think you exist suna like.

: Right.

Soona Schmidt: Like wait, why would Why would you think that.

Beau Newsome: I thought it was because I never saw you.

Beau Newsome: must have been the time when you were.

Soona Schmidt: Gone uh huh.

Beau Newsome: And the other sisters were renting and I was like far as I know, soon as not real.

Soona Schmidt: yeah.

Beau Newsome: And by the way the transcripts as soon as every time would say.

: So.

Soona Schmidt: We can do.

Beau Newsome: gotta go, we gotta roll with it.

Soona Schmidt: I guess at least on my video it says the right thing, so.

Beau Newsome: It does that's right.

Katy Schmidt: and mine says Martha.

Soona Schmidt: yeah did you can change it katie oh.

Beau Newsome: yeah we'll wait.

: Where you change it.

Beau Newsome: i'm so soon uh you were here when we did the big move right.

Soona Schmidt: Maybe I.

Soona Schmidt: don't know.

Soona Schmidt: Did you find.

Beau Newsome: people thought Maybe it was going out of business, did you.

Soona Schmidt: You know, I think that I left, and it was in the fifth street and I came back, and it was it mainstream, but like katie said, I think that I probably heard about it at the dinner table or it got brought up and phone conversations, but I don't remember observing the change the move okay.

Beau Newsome: Well, you wouldn't got free Rentals if you would have helped out.

Soona Schmidt: Oh.

Katy Schmidt: I would have taken it.

Katy Schmidt: or just for a month.

Beau Newsome: I don't I don't remember, but our the guy who bought the videos or his name is Gary Gary Meyer, he owned.

Beau Newsome: Royal motor in and he was also one of the first fish guy fishbowl.

Katy Schmidt: Oh.

Beau Newsome: But he bought it and then he owned the store that the tattoo shop was in on Main Street so.

Beau Newsome: When he bought it, he says he just started offering everybody he talked to free Rentals and I was like whoa whoa whoa slow down, we can't give out this many free Rentals.

Katy Schmidt: I remember you remember MAC doing that hot dog eating contest yeah you walked around giving free movie Rentals out of that thing I did.

Beau Newsome: Yes, I do remember that.

Katy Schmidt: Is that when you moved.

Beau Newsome: yeah we were.

Katy Schmidt: yeah we were on mainstream 11 point.

Katy Schmidt: 10 or 11 or something.

Beau Newsome: Eva what's your favorite movie.

Beau Newsome: Elsa Elsa.

Beau Newsome: From.

Beau Newsome: frozen frozen frozen I know sooner, I know.

Beau Newsome: But thank you.

Soona Schmidt: understand what a three year old is actually saying, unless you know them.

Soona Schmidt: So I was translating.

Beau Newsome: um did you guys are the juju.

Beau Newsome: When you did you become co op members.

Soona Schmidt: I did I think my mom and I, together, maybe bought a share or.

Soona Schmidt: Oh, I think I think my mom and I did yeah I know i'm a Member, I can't remember if my mom and I bought a shared together or if we did it separately that's.

Beau Newsome: Do you remember, doing the full $200 or the $25 a every well.

Soona Schmidt: I gave me my money was like.

Soona Schmidt: I know you know money.

Soona Schmidt: I wasn't gonna.

Soona Schmidt: I wanted it to work, I wanted it to keep going so I yeah.

Beau Newsome: The.

Beau Newsome: When the time was I wasn't there for the whole co op part, did you notice any glaring differences.

Beau Newsome: Or is it pretty.

Soona Schmidt: Pretty so not really It seems pretty similar.

Beau Newsome: You know man was still there.

Soona Schmidt: I think he was.

Beau Newsome: At that point.

Soona Schmidt: I remember Ben saying that he thought that the Co op deal would probably work pretty well because it's.

Soona Schmidt: If i'm remembering this correctly, the business would break even or make a little bit of money, essentially, every year, and so it was.

Soona Schmidt: Fine, for a Co op to do that, but maybe not necessarily find for a person who's trying to make a living to do that and so he sounded pretty hopeful, which gave me hope.

Beau Newsome: yeah I think everybody was a little hopeful, but just kind of the Board disbanded and people, you know just wasn't in charge of this who's in charge of that.

Beau Newsome: On top of a dying business, you know yeah people not coming through the doors anymore yeah do you think if we're used to running there till because it just basically cove it is what.

Beau Newsome: Ultimately, shut their doors.

Katy Schmidt: Oh wow.

Beau Newsome: Were you still going in there at that point, or was it.

Beau Newsome: I was on netflix and.

Beau Newsome: All that.

Soona Schmidt: I will admit that i'm you know if I was going in there, less and less yes, even though I.

Soona Schmidt: You know, wanted to support the business whatever but yeah I wasn't going in news often I just realized I looked at my fridge and I have a Main Street video co op sticker on my French.

Soona Schmidt: Really yeah.

: for real.

: right there.

Beau Newsome: yeah that was kind of a weird weird situation where it was like people like knowing that the video store was there.

Beau Newsome: mm hmm but yet they're like yeah let's just let's just get it off at home, and I was just.

Soona Schmidt: yeah.

Beau Newsome: You know I knew when I wasn't working I wouldn't want to just that was like not, I want to go all the way down to the video store today.

Soona Schmidt: Right yeah I can just turn my TV on and find something yeah yeah.

Beau Newsome: Did you, what do you how do you get your movies now.

Soona Schmidt: Mostly streaming so.

Beau Newsome: enslaves Amazon all that good stuff.

: yeah.

Beau Newsome: You don't have to admit, if you're sharing passwords you don't have.

Soona Schmidt: But we're totally sharing passwords.

Beau Newsome: Okay it's on record.

Beau Newsome: How did you learn the video store was closing.

Beau Newsome: stores.

Katy Schmidt: hi I didn't even know laurie from you.

: know.

Soona Schmidt: I didn't know what did I do I, maybe went online for something or to Google it or something maybe I saw something on the marquee of the kenworthy because they were selling movies, and I was like wait what, and so I i'd somehow stumbled across it.

Soona Schmidt: Because I think, maybe the kenworthy was selling some of the movies or giving them away I don't really know I think that's how I.

Beau Newsome: They were selling them online yeah what.

Soona Schmidt: yeah.

Beau Newsome: But they didn't donate or keep themselves yeah.

: yeah.

Beau Newsome: Like I don't know if I mentioned this when we weren't recording but they held on to all of the criterion collection.

Soona Schmidt: mm hmm.

Beau Newsome: All the French films because there's still a ui and wsu still do French film festivals hmm and then some of the critics choice was when you first walk into the Main Street stores as you're heading towards the.

Beau Newsome: counter it's the big section on your right yeah.

Beau Newsome: cool.

Beau Newsome: cool movie, so to speak, right.

Katy Schmidt: camera.

: yeah.

Soona Schmidt: I do, one of the things I do remember about having all of those categories is I would go in with maybe a list of things, I wanted to rent and I could only find maybe half of them and then I would be like.

Soona Schmidt: They aren't here and I had to learn that, like you got to ask, because I would not know what category, they were filed under.

Beau Newsome: Well, your pride and go.

Soona Schmidt: On yeah.

: Exactly.

Soona Schmidt: it's hard for me to do.

Katy Schmidt: Especially when you're asking for a drama D and you know i'm the counter all the critics choice awards, or what.

Soona Schmidt: I.

: see if I can.

Beau Newsome: see if I can hearken back to my eye roll like yeah we got it, let me.

Beau Newsome: Let me judge you real quick.

Soona Schmidt: that's.

Beau Newsome: yeah yeah so that kind of a we've heard i've heard that a lot is that we it's too convoluted is too hard to find things and we didn't have a web presence.

Katy Schmidt: I mean yeah, but please, it was so cool to go in there.

Katy Schmidt: And know and like what do I feel like watching because you guys did a really awesome job of making your categories sensory appropriate So if you wanted, I mean we can go back to dramedy but.

Katy Schmidt: Your selections were grouped so well, you could get a you could know what you felt like watching so you'd go in with a movie that you wanted and it wasn't there and then you'd go to the section that felt similar and there was loss and it made sense.

Beau Newsome: You know, you can get something.

Katy Schmidt: Alternative pretty easily yeah.

Soona Schmidt: yeah it actually kind of reminds me of powers bookstore in.

Katy Schmidt: My house.

Soona Schmidt: Which is.

Soona Schmidt: A block of books, you know and but that's I run into the same thing in powells is that I can't find a normal you know, like i'm looking for this one book and I just can't find it and it's because they have these kind of.

Soona Schmidt: I don't know, maybe non traditional sections, so I guess to be compared to powells is probably a fairly good.

Beau Newsome: hey we'll take it.

Beau Newsome: yeah houses awesome wasn't like four or five stories.

Beau Newsome: yeah house books yeah yeah.

Soona Schmidt: Something like that at least three.

Beau Newsome: yeah I remember.

Beau Newsome: Going in there once and trying to find the books about movies.

Soona Schmidt: nerd.

Beau Newsome: third floor in the corner.

Soona Schmidt: They were on their.

Soona Schmidt: photography rafi ones right.

Beau Newsome: yeah that's why we rented an hour that's why we work there.

: But.

Beau Newsome: The.

Beau Newsome: So we've talked about the Co op you talked about your closing.

Beau Newsome: Do you think if it could have survived the pandemic that it would still.

Beau Newsome: still be up and running, or would it was just inevitable.

Katy Schmidt: I think it would have had to start offering something else, some kind of like a gathering and gathering enticement you know I don't know if you started doing showings once a week or even more, because just the inevitability of the availability of online.

Katy Schmidt: Films just makes it so hard to offer Rentals, but I think the culture of Howard Hughes could have.

Katy Schmidt: persevered if they'd offered something more, you know.

Soona Schmidt: About like a.

Soona Schmidt: movie club kind of like a book club, you know.

Katy Schmidt: Something or like you know if they had a movie club with a bar or I mean a beer, you know you could have a beer and talk about the movie it would have had to be more you would have had to have people pay more money for more than just renting a movie yeah.

Beau Newsome: yeah because we yeah I think that's also going to end not having an online presence and stuff like that.

Katy Schmidt: yeah hurt us but yeah.

Beau Newsome: there's a couple of video there's a video store and Seattle called scarecrow video we had 35,000 titles or 35 40,000 titles, they have 140.

Katy Schmidt: Oh, my.

Soona Schmidt: wow yeah but.

Katy Schmidt: They can you read them online like you're saying, can you log.

Katy Schmidt: well.

Beau Newsome: I think they'll they'll do like netflix started out they'll thinking deliver.

Beau Newsome: movie like send.

Beau Newsome: send them over the mail, but first thing you do when you get on scarecrows website is like.

Beau Newsome: browse our collection.

Beau Newsome: yeah okay.

Beau Newsome: But they also sell movies, and they do coffee and.

Katy Schmidt: yeah.

Beau Newsome: T shirts posters, and all that yeah that stuff kind of like record exchange and Boise was a lot like that, but they didn't rent movies, they just sold them stuff.

Beau Newsome: So enough with the.

Beau Newsome: The boring depressing stuff you have like a happiest memory of the store anything stand out about something happening.

Beau Newsome: I know I spring these anya.

Katy Schmidt: yo I like the and we've already talked about it, I felt like a grown up when I would go in there at 13 and say, I want to rent this our movie my mom says it's okay.

Beau Newsome: yeah you didn't have to specify that pitch yet.

Katy Schmidt: No, not anymore, not after a while yeah.

Beau Newsome: And I remember soon, it was on the mains are that.

Beau Newsome: It was still in the fifth street when you actually came in and I found out your real.

Beau Newsome: Think so maybe it was the mainstream.

Soona Schmidt: yeah um hmm I guess I just liked the experience like I like the feeling of walking into Howard Hughes it felt.

Katy Schmidt: Like a friend's house, I mean.

Katy Schmidt: We yeah often.

Katy Schmidt: was like it was oh here let's go get something for something fun to do this weekend.

Soona Schmidt: yeah I liked being able to just wander around and like go back to my old favorites but also just kind of like browse and see if I there were other things that sparked my interest.

Katy Schmidt: I remember one time we tried to rent labyrinth, and we got home and y'all had put legends in the container the Tom cruise movie.

Beau Newsome: sorry about that.

Beau Newsome: So what did you bring it back or did you.

Katy Schmidt: watch it watch this watch this.

Katy Schmidt: Similar with her yeah I could see someone just going, you know picking the wrong one off.

Beau Newsome: Or at least you know, sometimes you somebody would rent a family movie and you'd send them home with like some money some money movie are.

Katy Schmidt: You, is it dinnertime not quite yet.

: Okay.

Beau Newsome: All right, Eva will wrap it up don't worry.

Soona Schmidt: There is one time, I remember being called from Howard Hughes and it was because I had answered the question right and one of the drawing, and so my movies were going to be selected and put up on like the customer picks shelf.

Soona Schmidt: yeah it was, but I was like so much pressure and I was like what shoes I can't shoes dirty dancing I have to choose, like a variety of things, so I do remember that.

Katy Schmidt: We were part of the group of girls that ruined the dirty dancing dancing film right because it was a vhs.

Katy Schmidt: And so, though, and I learned this because of this problem, but the more you watch those sequences that you really like it makes the video deteriorate, so those like pivotal scenes were all scratchy and we couldn't watch him.

Beau Newsome: Oh okay well, let me tell us about $19 and 99 cent Rentals so we'll charge it out to the.

Katy Schmidt: admin account wasn't just us i'm sure your sister was part of the problem.

Beau Newsome: Oh wait.

Beau Newsome: that's funny do you soon, it was at at the Main Street store that we did that.

Soona Schmidt: yeah That was the main street store.

Beau Newsome: God I can't believe I forgot about that that is that's really cool like.

Soona Schmidt: It was.

Katy Schmidt: That oh I.

Soona Schmidt: don't know if they lasted but like they would you know how the signs of the cases would have colored dots on them.

Soona Schmidt: And so I think that the ones I chose, I think that they got my name on them.

Soona Schmidt: Oh well, like.

Beau Newsome: We put them on display with our like right by our employee PICs.

Soona Schmidt: yeah but I don't like when they came off the shelf I don't know if those colored dots came.

Beau Newsome: off Oh well, they were supposed to be that was just an employee that.

Beau Newsome: You can give me a name that would.

: Be.

Katy Schmidt: Like Oh, they love my name.

Soona Schmidt: I don't think I maybe I went back and tried to jack but there were multiple copies of the.

Beau Newsome: Other than dirty dancing Do you remember what do you remember any.

Katy Schmidt: Oh, my God.

Katy Schmidt: What were the where it was a a kid under the bed the monsters were all under the bed, and then they come out.

Beau Newsome: Oh little monsters.

Katy Schmidt: yeah yeah we watched a few times a handful times.

Soona Schmidt: I think.

Soona Schmidt: So you asked how many movies, I got to pick that.

Soona Schmidt: Up to 10.

Beau Newsome: Like.

Beau Newsome: Okay, I could see being a little.

Beau Newsome: dated by that.

Soona Schmidt: yeah um yeah.

Beau Newsome: that's funny I totally forgot about that.

Beau Newsome: um did you are you even like purchasers of DVDs we ever either one of you ended that.

Katy Schmidt: I recently but it's like hard to find ones and ones that I know i'm going to watch over and over.

Katy Schmidt: yeah it's only a small handful.

Soona Schmidt: I would agree, I have a handful of DVDs or TV series or whatever, but I don't tend to buy them because I just don't I don't know if I watch anything.

Soona Schmidt: I don't watch much enough times to make it worth buying you know which was why I liked Howard Hughes so much as I could go back and re rent rent like let's say generation kill once a year, and it would cost me, you know.

Soona Schmidt: Three bucks five bucks something and I would watch it and it was great and then I didn't need it again for another year.

Beau Newsome: till next year yeah so you didn't purchase any from the kenworthy sale either.

Soona Schmidt: No, because I think, by the time I knew about it, they were selling like the westerns and I was like I don't give a Fuck about the Western you can miss the other stuff and I was like.

Katy Schmidt: yeah he goes, what have an awesome.

Beau Newsome: gosh darn I know.

Katy Schmidt: yeah those kind of guys.

Katy Schmidt: rod selection.

Beau Newsome: I don't think they got.

Beau Newsome: sold, they were just kind of donated here and there, and.

: No.

Beau Newsome: yeah sort of been kind of neat I think it was just.

Beau Newsome: From what I.

Beau Newsome: Talk to the assistant manager the kenworthy and she it was just so quick haphazard and does yeah yeah it was kind of a mess, but yeah.

Beau Newsome: it's too bad because that collection should have stayed together and should stay somewhere, but yeah but it's anyways it's spawned this you know this is kind of a cool thing that you've is doing so.

Katy Schmidt: Well, maybe it's not done Bo maybe Howard Hughes video mainstream video welcome back.

Beau Newsome: it's over katie let it go.

Katy Schmidt: You don't think there's a potential for.

Katy Schmidt: Film buffs to come together and some Moscow setting.

Beau Newsome: know they could like when I heard the criterion section was intact, because I was one of our most expensive and highfalutin.

Beau Newsome: But least renting movies sections.

: yeah.

Beau Newsome: It was it cost it's the most money and it made the least amount of money.

Soona Schmidt: But.

Soona Schmidt: yeah I ever rented a movie from that section.

Beau Newsome: Well you're missing out.

Beau Newsome: there's there's a few drama he's in there you.

Katy Schmidt: Go i'm really sorry but I gotta.

Katy Schmidt: Go to the bathroom.

Beau Newsome: we're about ready to wrap up anyway so.

Katy Schmidt: This one.

Soona Schmidt: I.

: Think savor.

Beau Newsome: thanks for giving your input.

Katy Schmidt: You guys should continue, as long as you need to.

Katy Schmidt: Thank you.

: Thanks katie.

Beau Newsome: You want us to sit here and.

Beau Newsome: What you fumble over so.

Beau Newsome: cool well.

Beau Newsome: So I guess I just had a few more questions like.

Beau Newsome: there's probably nobody else you are in contact with from the video store.

Beau Newsome: Other than myself.

Soona Schmidt: yeah I not.

Soona Schmidt: The most social person it's not all that surprising, no.

Beau Newsome: Do you I was katie can ask you both we always ask people if there's anybody, you can think of that we could interview that we maybe haven't but.

Beau Newsome: kind of mentioned Richard and Ben and.

Soona Schmidt: mm hmm.

Beau Newsome: like that, but I don't know if there's anybody else that you knew that work there that.

Soona Schmidt: nope Those are the main people that I remember that works there, I mean there are other people that, like, I can see their face, but I don't remember their names or know their names I don't know if you guys ever wear name tags and I was just supposed to like.

Beau Newsome: Just.

Beau Newsome: he's just newest by our employee PICs.

Beau Newsome: Like which once again.

Soona Schmidt: I remember my mom telling me talking about Ben from the movie store and I was like.

Soona Schmidt: Who is this guy just like you're describing she's like Oh, you know who he is you know who he is and then we'd like saw him one time, when we were tracking movies out and left and she's like that's ben's you know, like oh okay sorry.

: yeah.

Beau Newsome: Ben and I still get hey it's the movie gets for the guys from the movie star kind of.

Beau Newsome: Where people will look at me and be like look familiar.

Beau Newsome: Like Howard Hughes video they're like that's it.

Beau Newsome: The so I usually like to ask, like either one of the best movies you've seen.

Beau Newsome: um lately anything you've watched lately or and and or something that you remember renting from the video store that you were like this is amazing.

Soona Schmidt: um.

Beau Newsome: or recommendation, maybe from somebody at the video store.

Beau Newsome: I know I need to preface this by releasing the emails be like him and ask these questions.

Soona Schmidt: yeah so I can think about it um.

Soona Schmidt: uh well, one of the movies, I watched and I, this is that I don't know if I rented it from Howard Hughes, but I definitely know it was there was warriors.

Soona Schmidt: That like the.

Beau Newsome: The UFC one.

Soona Schmidt: know the.

Beau Newsome: You mean the.

Soona Schmidt: movie the warrior yeah warrior.

Beau Newsome: My God that's my favorite movie of all time.

Soona Schmidt: yeah well, I also know katie has the shirt and I was like what's that probably like yeah you made the shirt um so that's one and I.

Soona Schmidt: I think I rented it from Howard Hughes and I think that the reason I rented, it was because it was referenced in some like Archer I was watching Archer.

Beau Newsome: Oh yeah okay.

Soona Schmidt: You got referenced in there and now he was like we got to watch that movie so we rented it and watched it so that was a good one.

Beau Newsome: And it's amazing.

Soona Schmidt: uh huh.

Beau Newsome: I saw it as a kid and fell in love with it and I it's like my favorite movie of all time still even though.

Beau Newsome: A little dated and it's.

Soona Schmidt: True.

Beau Newsome: Little questionable, at times, but i'm.

Beau Newsome: katie has a warrior shirt.

Soona Schmidt: yeah you made this is katie story, you made shirts for some thing and it says, I don't know if it says warriors but it's has some sort of like one of the gang names on the front it's like grayish.

Beau Newsome: Oh wow.

Soona Schmidt: Maybe it's Brown.

Beau Newsome: Oh, was it.

Beau Newsome: It wasn't a baseball Jersey, this is theories on the back.

Soona Schmidt: I think it might I don't know.

Soona Schmidt: it's not I don't know it doesn't ask her about it, I swear i'm not making this up.

Beau Newsome: Because MAC and I and another guy for Halloween dressed up as the baseball players with the painting.

Soona Schmidt: basis.

Beau Newsome: Nice so maybe it could be could be that.

Soona Schmidt: Maybe could be that um.

Beau Newsome: Is there anything you've seen lately that you.

Beau Newsome: can recommend TV movies, whatever.

: um.

Soona Schmidt: My media consumption is very, very low brow.

Beau Newsome: Time here yeah yeah I think I very much enjoy a happy story, you know with a happy ending, and I know that it's not real life, all the time.

Soona Schmidt: But that is mostly what I enjoy watching, so I wouldn't necessarily qualify them as good but they make me feel good so that's most of what i've been watching recently I don't know if I have something that's like could be qualified as like quality.

Beau Newsome: title.

Soona Schmidt: i'm trying to think.

Beau Newsome: So no big deal.

Beau Newsome: yeah you can't like I used to love watching the darker, the better.

Soona Schmidt: mm hmm.

Beau Newsome: But now i'm like I.

Beau Newsome: can't i'm not in the mood for that i'm gonna watch something a little more.

Soona Schmidt: Right, like, I know, like fucking sucks.

Soona Schmidt: About somebody else's life sucking.

Beau Newsome: Two hours yeah.

Soona Schmidt: yeah hey I know that it can happen, but yeah anyway.

Beau Newsome: Well cool um.

Beau Newsome: So that's about it we've I think we've gone on almost an hour.

Soona Schmidt: mm hmm.

Beau Newsome: So awesome that the two of you did this.

Soona Schmidt: yeah cuz.

Soona Schmidt: I was not thinking katie was going to show up she never replied.

Soona Schmidt: Fries when I saw her face when I logged in.

Beau Newsome: Like okay well i've heard from sooner.

Beau Newsome: Do not accept it.

Beau Newsome: Okay that's.

Soona Schmidt: driving the Caldwell today, so I was like I don't know why she chose Thursday like this was her day.

Soona Schmidt: Whatever she made it so that was cool.

Beau Newsome: that's cool is there anything that we didn't talk about that you.

Beau Newsome: want to say about the video store.

Soona Schmidt: um I did very much like the question having the question of you know and seeing if you could answer the question, it was always kind of fun and I wouldn't say that I was generally all right at the question, but a lot of them were they were from your criterion collection, I think.

Soona Schmidt: Questions that be blast.

Beau Newsome: Oh, like our trivia questions.

Soona Schmidt: yeah like the trivia question that you could like it was written on a board or something, and you.

Beau Newsome: know, we had a little mermaid chalkboard.

Soona Schmidt: yeah and you could enter alert like answer it and then you'd be entered for something.

Beau Newsome: I think it was entered for the to make your own.

Soona Schmidt: impale yeah so I guess, I must have.

Soona Schmidt: got ready thing right and then one the drawing Do you remember what it was.

Soona Schmidt: I do remember one of the questions, so I mean I already told you about the power puff girls, one that was a long time ago, and then I also answered one that was about Captain kirk's like name or maybe it wasn't Captain kirk's but maybe name three or four different captains.

Soona Schmidt: Of the enterprise, so I got that one.

Beau Newsome: um so you so you to your trekkie then.

Soona Schmidt: I can remember really useless entertainment information.

Soona Schmidt: Okay, like.

Beau Newsome: yeah it was it was fun writing those two I.

Beau Newsome: still remember some of the ones we.

Beau Newsome: did in the past, you know.

Soona Schmidt: mm hmm yeah.

Soona Schmidt: I mean, I know I got other ones, but I don't remember what the question was but yeah.

Beau Newsome: A lot of them.

Soona Schmidt: Some of them, we just thought up.

Beau Newsome: on the spot and some we just you know look up trivia for the day and.

Soona Schmidt: mm hmm but.

Beau Newsome: People I think would just come in just for that just to check out.

Soona Schmidt: mm hmm.

Beau Newsome: What our trivia question was.

: yeah yeah.

Beau Newsome: Well cool, I think we don't we don't have anything else to to add and.

Soona Schmidt: I don't.

Beau Newsome: it's really cool you guys did this because the again we used to love me like we used to.

Beau Newsome: Like take pride in knowing people's account numbers.

Soona Schmidt: mm hmm.

Beau Newsome: Like we'd see the Schmidt to walk anyway that's 351.

Beau Newsome: That pulled up and ready to go.

Soona Schmidt: that's funny I do remember, I think it was you who told me that most people don't know their account number, they would give you their phone number.

Beau Newsome: yep yeah we'd have to say account number phone number.

: Right.

Beau Newsome: A lot of people kept them on the back of drivers licenses or blockbuster cards.

Beau Newsome: Hastings card.

: You know yeah so.

Beau Newsome: cool no, it was awesome and you know it's a sad deal that we're even having to do this, but.

Beau Newsome: it's.

Beau Newsome: The fact that lasted this long was pretty.

Beau Newsome: Pretty special.

Soona Schmidt: yeah was pretty cool.

Beau Newsome: And I think it, I would like to see like I don't know if you can look it up, but if it.

Beau Newsome: What how many video stores were left in the in the nation basically.

Soona Schmidt: yeah that would be cool.

Beau Newsome: i'd have to research that one day that's that's for the library to do.

Beau Newsome: Okay studio well if you don't have anything else to add.

: No.

Beau Newsome: will sign off.

Beau Newsome: All right again really appreciate it.

Beau Newsome: yeah 351 and.

: Be up at the.

Beau Newsome: The library for people to check out and stuff I don't know when that's going to actually happen, but.

Beau Newsome: Okay yeah if you just want to hang tight i'll stop recording here, and thanks again you.

Beau Newsome: can watch me fumble over that.