Mitchell Lopez recounts his time spent as a customer at the Howard Hughes Video Store since 1994. Lopez and his family run the restaurant downtown: La Casa Lopez. He and his family first began renting movies when the store was located on Fifth Street. The thing he most remember about the video store is the smell, and the echo of the movies playing. Lopez also explains the ability to borrow movies as a child from the Moscow Public Library. He mentions how the video store location changed to the main street location, and how from there it seemed that streaming began to take a toll. Lopez says how great it was to have the video store downtown because not only was it a local business, it was an avenue for downtown to prosper and grow. Lopez also paid $120 in late fees for the movie The Saint.

Monique Lillard: Alright, we are recording I am monique lillard i'm working for the University of Idaho library, which is doing an oral History project of the.

Mitchell Lopez: Video store the video rental.

: store here in town.

Monique Lillard: It was first known as Howard Hughes.

Monique Lillard: And then known as mainstreet video co op.

Monique Lillard: i'm sitting here with my interviewee Have you had a chance to sign the release.

Monique Lillard: Yes, yes, very good and can you state your name just for the record.

Mitchell Lopez: My name is Mitchell Lopez.

Monique Lillard: Okay, thank you, so how and when did you first run into the video rental store here in town and feel free to go back as far as you want your memories, or even your parents go ahead.

Mitchell Lopez: yeah so my family and I moved here in 1994 and we my family is already pretty big movie buffs and.

Mitchell Lopez: US kids my three other siblings and I, we have a lot of friends, yet it was summer so no school or sports were available, so we just rented movies and entertain ourselves that way.

Mitchell Lopez: We often went to the new art kenworthy and the micro theater great, but when they weren't available or we had already watched every movie available at the time.

Mitchell Lopez: We were rent movies from Howard Hughes often and it was kind of our hangout and it will take myself for my siblings hours.

Mitchell Lopez: Because we would ride our bicycles down, it would take us hours to pick a film, because you know you have to pick a good one, and anyway so that's that's kind of we that's kind of how we, we came along, as the Howard Hughes.

Monique Lillard: OK, and now how old were you when in 1994 that's an indirect way of asking how old you are now, but that would involve arithmetic.

Monique Lillard: 94

Mitchell Lopez: I was 11 years old, and I am 38 now.

Monique Lillard: Oh okay all right all right great so at 11 you were able to bicycle around town and.

Monique Lillard: come down with your siblings right.

Monique Lillard: And where was the store that you're remembering there and 94.

Mitchell Lopez: Show when we moved here, since our family open up help open up Casa back in any for when it was because of the auto.

Mitchell Lopez: Howard Hughes for us was on fifth street we're now the quilt shop is and we're.

Mitchell Lopez: screaming construction and.

Mitchell Lopez: State farm is as well, so he was a huge video store at the time.

Monique Lillard: What do you remember about the story.

Mitchell Lopez: The smell.

Mitchell Lopez: yeah I, to this day, I can still smell walking in there and smelling the vhs tapes because they held a very certain smell and the plastic covers of it.

Mitchell Lopez: And a lot of the I ended up taking a couple of the posters from back in the day when they first move, I asked like hey can I have this couple posters and.

Mitchell Lopez: You can really tell the smell of the.

Mitchell Lopez: You know the vhs and then they became DVDs through time and it was very unique smell of the atmosphere and the flooring in there as well.

Monique Lillard: The flooring did you say.

Monique Lillard: Yes, haha What about the flooring.

Mitchell Lopez: um you know, some of them some of it was carpeted some of it was a wood floor but.

Mitchell Lopez: You know it echoed in there and they always had their TV monitor on, and you know they would have.

Mitchell Lopez: The.

Mitchell Lopez: Employee PICs so I got to be friends, a lot of people they're growing up as a kid i'd be like all right, what do you recommend and I started watching cult classics and then I started watching.

Mitchell Lopez: You know, foreign films and French films, and you know these crazy Japanese movies, that they would you know recommend and my dad you know would give me a list of movies to select from, and I would literally go from spaghetti westerns to.

Mitchell Lopez: You know 1930s black and whites and really understood what our world was made it up, because sometimes we didn't have a lot of.

Mitchell Lopez: time to read books, we didn't read a lot of books from the Moscow library, but.

Mitchell Lopez: That was that was kind of a lot of memories of they still come into cost a lot of them have families and and have matured quite a bit in their their own their own mind so.

Monique Lillard: You mean that the workers who were there they're still coming into Casa.

Mitchell Lopez: yeah yeah a lot of them still come in and they.

Mitchell Lopez: Really, you know the release still me coming in, as a kid and my siblings and I, you know walking in and.

Mitchell Lopez: You know I probably shouldn't say this but they would let us rent the rated R movies, because the news for my parents my parents would call in and be like no a this is Felix aroma we're renting up pretty woman.

Mitchell Lopez: You just it's for me because that's actually my mom so you're pretty well sorry, did you hear that part.

Monique Lillard: yeah so just repeat that about your parents would call in and they'd say what.

Mitchell Lopez: And they would a call, they would a call in for us and say hey you know, can you allow them to rent this movie.

Mitchell Lopez: Is Felix aroma from Casa we give them permission, just like we would do for the theaters because my parents couldn't leave work and they.

Mitchell Lopez: You know, everybody understood who they were and knew that we were good kids that we wanted to go watch it, you know PG 13 movie or rent a PG 13 or rated R movie.

Mitchell Lopez: At the time, because he knew the news, you know they were about to close, so we would send us to go pick them up before they were all for it and they would watch it after work or you know, on a Sunday, when you know we weren't open or or such.

Monique Lillard: So i'm feeling this oral history as not just about the video store, but also about downtown Moscow, so why don't you explain who your family is and what business they run.

Monique Lillard: And then I think that also links up with the fact that you remember the smell and you're the only person who has said that but, of course, once you explain your profession taste and smell is very important to you so go ahead, let us know who you are and who your family is.

Mitchell Lopez: um again, my name is Mitchell Lopez my family.

Mitchell Lopez: And I own and operate la Casa Lopez in Moscow Idaho and we've been a part of the restaurant industry in the area since 1994 and we have been.

Mitchell Lopez: Huge part of this community in can be involved in a Mexican cuisine.

Monique Lillard: Absolutely, and I will tell you I dream of your spinach enchiladas and other such things so yeah it's great food and and the T shirt that you're wearing and it's kind of off the screen, but is the Lopez logo there you go.

: There you go.

Mitchell Lopez: lot of her family.

Mitchell Lopez: My siblings and I went to line we all incorporated a lot of her teachings here at the restaurants and education, my brother is a graphic designer.

Mitchell Lopez: And I he he helped develop their logo reestablish our logo, you know, we were all involved, I did marketing and business my other siblings did either some form of hospitality or accounting, so this mainly is our is our family our family business Chris as you would call it as well.

Monique Lillard: yeah it's beautiful it's lovely yes and your family certainly been involved in the Community in many, many ways.

Monique Lillard: I want to go back to the video store there you said, your father and maybe your mother recommended one type of films and the staff at the at the video store recommended another.

Monique Lillard: Focusing on your parents first What was their attitude toward you're watching movies, what what what What were they trying to teach you something that they have a list of every normal person has to have seen these movies, or what was the story.

Mitchell Lopez: So we couldn't really afford to travel as much so they wanted us to really at the time, really see an adventure out.

Mitchell Lopez: Through film and understand different cultures and different environments and see Okay, you know, this is a place that I really want to go to and check out when we could travel.

Mitchell Lopez: So they really wanted us to open up our minds, because books, you know, can have that imagination, but you don't really get to see a story be built, you know in front of you going oh my gosh you know and that's when I really understood that it really fall in love.

Mitchell Lopez: with Moscow and a restaurant, because we really were able to see what the atmosphere really brings a smile to people's taste palettes and.

Mitchell Lopez: You know, some people are unfortunately will never be able to go to Mexico, so they really can't ever have that taste of food and that's the same thing.

Mitchell Lopez: That we do cultural understanding was through film and i've always wanted to go to New York, because I saw so many New York movies.

Mitchell Lopez: And I got to go there, when I was 21 and it was the exact experience that I saw on film, I want to go there, I wanted to go there and eat that food, and you know try all these things and.

Mitchell Lopez: It was the exact same thing as I saw in film and the same thing for Paris as well, I always wanted to go there and we went there, and my mind, is completely blown gone, this is exactly as to what I saw on film so.

Monique Lillard: that's wonderful it just happened actually and I can't remember the name of the film, but it was a terrible movie we were watching it on netflix just a night or two ago, and I said, the only good thing about this is it's taking us to places we've never been yeah.

Monique Lillard: That was fun.

Monique Lillard: That was fun everything else was ridiculous, but it was kept me watching yeah, whereas the staff was pointing us toward what kind of movies.

Mitchell Lopez: You know they really it was all because the saw.

Mitchell Lopez: Much I was evolving and film and what I was looking at and be like Okay, if you like this movie let me connect you to this other movie you know.

Mitchell Lopez: And then cult classics just became so my favorite movies, because they were Their stories are so crazy and someone will make so much sense now because it actually happened but i'm.

Mitchell Lopez: Really really pinpointed exactly okay you love this actor, while you like this kind of Western or you like this kind of action movie and you like this kind of you know romantic comedy and stuff and I think that's what really developed me to be such a you know cheesy romantic I think.

Mitchell Lopez: This was one of the stuff that they really pinpointing no okay you love your family owns a restaurant need to watch cocktails you know I watched the movie cocktails a Tom cruise and I was like you know, I was like God i'm such a romantic idiot you know.

Mitchell Lopez: And that's and that's kind of what evolved in our in our in our in the way we we think I think as a film watchers you know yeah yeah.

Monique Lillard: that's wonderful um, are there any people, in particular, who stand out to you, either by name or by position at the store.

Mitchell Lopez: You know a lot of them I didn't know by name I just know about their face but.

Mitchell Lopez: You know if I if I was able to really think hard and think of who they were and what they did there they really made Moscow.

Mitchell Lopez: easier to live in during really harsh times whether it was whether or or you know business closing because you know those economic flows that we have, for you know the last you know 25 years and they really, really made it very easy to live, you know vicariously through film.

Monique Lillard: that's a nice thing to say that's Nice and I guess I should ask, in the name of thoroughness, did you ever go to any of the other video rental places in town.

Mitchell Lopez: yeah so i'm due to, of course, financial financial law.

Mitchell Lopez: Okay budgeting I guess Howard Hughes, you know we would always call her first hey the new trilogy came out for Star Wars, you know.

Mitchell Lopez: Do you have it, you know we only have two copies of you know each film we don't have it they're booked out until you know, three days from now, because you remember the whole.

Mitchell Lopez: rent you can only have the new ones for a day or you can rent it, you know the other ones for three days, so we had to go to movie gallery across town.

Mitchell Lopez: And then he scenes came on and we didn't run from Hastings because you just didn't have the same feel you know it was it was kind of like a walmart of.

Mitchell Lopez: movie watch and you know, so we always you know our first option was always our Hughes and then our second was movie gallery or video, and we know when they change ownership and then we would go to Hastings hazing was always our third option, but you know it made it really.

Mitchell Lopez: really hard to go somewhere else, because we wanted to make sure that that please survive because movie rents, you know, has always been that feel you know that that and when they went downtown to the other location.

Mitchell Lopez: You know, it was really hard because they weren't making it, you know Amazon and netflix and all that really killed, you know there's that song that radio.

Mitchell Lopez: Radio killed the What was it called.

Monique Lillard: Oh, I I think I know what you're talking about, but I cannot fish it out of my brain.

Mitchell Lopez: or video killed the radio star, I think.

Mitchell Lopez: lights first so you know netflix killed the.

Mitchell Lopez: netflix killed the video store, you know.

Monique Lillard: Well, and that's what I was just about to ask you, so how did the store change over the years from your perception.

Mitchell Lopez: You know, they did they still did a really good job of keeping that you know hip you know artists motivated film kind of sewer.

Mitchell Lopez: place to be at and they did an amazing job of it, but you know again it was really hard for them to stay open and we understand why they haven't shut down but.

Mitchell Lopez: I still went there up until they shut down and rented and bought movies and DVDs and you know my little cousins that come to visit i'm like Have you ever seen goonies I have it on DVD let's get you entertained for the next few hours well and.

Mitchell Lopez: that's what I think is going to be missing from a lot of people's understanding of what film really is all about.

Monique Lillard: yeah you don't think that movies, are as accessible online or through streaming.

Mitchell Lopez: goonies is worried exactly.

Monique Lillard: If you wanted to show it to them, and you were using online What would you do.

Mitchell Lopez: You know, right now is is you know there's so many outlets for film and you have to you know get so many subscriptions that or you have to buy it on Amazon, if you don't if you can't get it from whatever you're using Disney plus or netflix or.

Mitchell Lopez: apple TV, you know.

Mitchell Lopez: It is hard you know it is hard, if you don't have that clutch in on hand, or you still have to be re or vhs and.

Mitchell Lopez: It really makes it hard, because having it be you know just like dinner at home, you know you're cooking dinner, and you sit down and make it a unit together instead of just you know grabbing a you know something from a store.

Mitchell Lopez: etc, I think, not being able to have that DVD on hand or vhs or you plug it in, and you have to watch it.

Mitchell Lopez: right then and there, and you got to watch it at that time you got to make time for it, because you got to bring it back to the store, you know it makes it really hard for people to have that.

Mitchell Lopez: let's watch it all together and understanding and talk about it afterwards, and you know get ideas from it really is the accessibility, I believe, is is dead, you know as it doesn't exist anymore yeah.

Monique Lillard: that's very interesting that's a very good point, I think, because that's what we're trying to get at in this is what was special about that experience now tell me this Have you considered going to the Moscow public library, or even the University of Idaho library to get some films.

Mitchell Lopez: You know my fiance and I talked about this, the other day because.

Mitchell Lopez: I haven't been to the public library peaches not and not because I don't read is because we go to the downside bookstore want to be able to you know pay for a book, you know when we need we have been really.

Mitchell Lopez: we've been really wanting to get into learning our surroundings, when we go camping and understanding what you know what.

Mitchell Lopez: pushes that what leaf is that what tree is that because we want to know what our environment is around so we went to the store and bought a book, because we can take it with us and we've thought about what.

Mitchell Lopez: we're you know we bought a house and we need to go to the library and i'm like oh my gosh I just remember going to the public library.

Mitchell Lopez: When my parents would not want to give me any more money to go, you know rent more you know movies and and they're like you have a library card goes to what they either i'm like.

Mitchell Lopez: holy cow we have this movie there that I want my parents will give me money because I again I watched way too many movies.

Monique Lillard: I think we all did.

Monique Lillard: yeah I know what you mean, I will just say I recommend the public library to their credit, they stayed open through a lot of Kobe I mean it took them a while to open back up and they've got tons of protocols.

Monique Lillard: Complicated protocols, but they they have managed to stay open you can't just stay in there forever, but you can walk in you could walk in with your little cousins or whoever and yeah.

Monique Lillard: They have a lot of movies, but goonies remains a good example I don't know, but my bed, is that they don't have goonies because they have kind of more literary.

Monique Lillard: fancier movies now not only there's some they have a collection but and that yeah so just just as a as a thought, and of course it's the University of Idaho library who's.

Monique Lillard: paying for this whole oral history, so I suppose I could put in a plug for them, but I have not quite gotten into a rhythm of going to them to rent videos.

Mitchell Lopez: Do they do, they have a lot of a do we have a pretty good videography there I.

Monique Lillard: don't actually know I know they do have videos and I need to go and explore exactly what they've got my my favorite way of exploring.

Monique Lillard: is to go and walk and look at the shelves okay and that's what I liked about Howard Hughes and then Main Street video co op.

Monique Lillard: So I, and I suppose there's a list i'm sure there's a list i'm sure they have a card catalog come to think of it, but I will go and look at the shelf sometime but, at the ui so we'll see how it goes but.

Monique Lillard: So did you kind of track the process of the move from the place across from where co op is now to the place on Main Street, and then the move from private ownership into the cooperative did that kind of enter your consciousness, or were you busy with 1000 other things that are life.

Mitchell Lopez: I did actually and I knew a few people that were doing a Co op transition and all that and I knew everything about it because, again I.

Mitchell Lopez: it's near and dear to my family, you know that you know how to use video and trying to keep that culture and understanding, where.

Mitchell Lopez: You know people go quantum be like oh my God he's still going to DVDs or oh my God you're still rent you know you still watch it on etc, and I don't think they quite understand the field that somebody gets on the do that and understanding that.

Mitchell Lopez: We are very fortunate for filmmakers to really have that process of the type of film that we're using and going, you know and being able to.

Mitchell Lopez: transfer from.

Mitchell Lopez: Point a to Point B and have all these older movies over there and I wish I wish I had the money.

Mitchell Lopez: You know to be able to have bought Howard Hughes.

Mitchell Lopez: And and make it just it's like a library, you know.

Mitchell Lopez: I a $10 membership and you get all these films and by co op based donation based going hey you know we need these movies coming out, you know you get your name on the wall, you know it just like an artist with my idea was always to buy it and.

Mitchell Lopez: Just like you would go eat at a famous restaurant where artists movie artists and record artists would come in, you would get your picture with your family sign, you know, on the wall, you know and that type something to help bring money into it, because.

Mitchell Lopez: I didn't want it to die it.

Mitchell Lopez: I think what was that last year is when when it had it shut down.

Mitchell Lopez: The year that last year that year that we thought it was going to shut down.

Mitchell Lopez: My family and i'm not trying to be cheesy and we got choked up you know, we were very sad in that you know our Community will.

Mitchell Lopez: won't have that pleasure, bringing their kids and having our kids walk up and say dad or mom can we look at this movie and their parents going God that's such a horrible kid movie.

Mitchell Lopez: But yes, you know we want because there's some teaching in that.

Mitchell Lopez: To continue our culture evolving because instagram and Facebook isn't teaching anybody anything right now they're just kind of motion everybody's brain of of.

Mitchell Lopez: understanding what you can have, and you can't have ever instead of going you just had that at your home, so now, you had that experience so.

Monique Lillard: Well, what for what it's worth i've been doing a fair number of these interviews now in more than one person has gotten choked up you know.

Monique Lillard: I did it, I felt these tears in my eyes and I thought oh my gosh this is so embarrassing and now i'd like it's Okay, a lot of people feel that way yeah so.

Mitchell Lopez: yeah I held them back a minute ago and.

Mitchell Lopez: It only gets harder once we keep talking, you know yeah.

Monique Lillard: I know I do know that, yes, yes, and in fact that's something I meant to say is if if, after this interview you think of something else you wish you'd said.

Monique Lillard: just get in touch with me and we can do another interview so just just so you know that this is not your only shot that saying things are having memories so.

Monique Lillard: Let me move to a different memory, a very pleasant one when we were cooperative and for the record I was on the Co operative board.

Monique Lillard: We did a big fundraiser at the breakfast club and the people who own the breakfast club were very generous because they Let us use their space, it was an evening party, so they were closed anyway.

Monique Lillard: And many people in the Community donated gift cards and food and you in particular, I just remember you walking in with just vats of delicious custom Lopez food.

Monique Lillard: Do you remember the event, what do you remember about it.

Mitchell Lopez: You know I remember very well, and you know after that event I or before that I was already involved with quite a bit of.

Mitchell Lopez: nonprofits and trying to keep the camera the open and helping the preacher out as well, and it really embedded into my family.

Mitchell Lopez: You know it embedded in us, you know, trying to digest knowing that these places could potentially close So when I mentioned to my family.

Mitchell Lopez: You know, we were going to do it on a smaller scope over like you know the student big scale to help them as much as possible, and I remember, can he knows brought food and.

Mitchell Lopez: You know breakfast club that stuff there and I think sangria and nectar brought I can remember very well, but I think they did.

Mitchell Lopez: And they understood, because you know they're they're part of this area as well, and we just.

Mitchell Lopez: We were there and i'm going Okay, how is this going to help everybody out, you know how can we do more to help and I asked the Chamber of Commerce i'm like hey.

Mitchell Lopez: These guys really need help stay open, what can we do and and I think it was really beneficial to really get an eye opening to bring in people there and helping bring money into.

Mitchell Lopez: The co op to keep it alive, but I was very impressed how many people in this Community really jumped on and helped out to keep that police open yeah.

Monique Lillard: So we so where we.

Monique Lillard: You know, let me ask you a question that we've kind of covered this ground, but let me bring you in from a different perspective i'm you spoken about being a child here, having memories family memories.

Monique Lillard: What about as a downtown business owner, what did the Co op mean to the downtown scene and and you can you can make this go a little broader, as I said, this is kind of a history of Moscow Also, what do you think of that Main Street.

Monique Lillard: I guess it could go to six street I don't know you can define it, however, you want downtown Moscow.

Mitchell Lopez: So you know through in the last 25 years you know today's Thursday there's not a parking spot available downtown.

Mitchell Lopez: In 94 to 98 there was a lot of parking spots available because there wasn't a lot to do a lot of the stuff we're you know all these places we're moving into the mall we opened up and going to gather across town.

Mitchell Lopez: And it was really doing this right downtown was a really hot in place yet and we, the reason we got rid of a mercado.

Mitchell Lopez: Various main one, was to really understand that downtown is where it's at at the time and understanding.

Mitchell Lopez: The connection of you by walking distance after the go to class come downtown in need.

Mitchell Lopez: And then going to you know bars and nightclubs and a lot of ice cream shops, you know in hog heaven was around and pizza pipeline by the slice.

Mitchell Lopez: And we really, really understood the importance of downtown life so when a lot of our friends are it open places they're really like are you going to be upset have we opened up a restaurant i'm like.

Mitchell Lopez: No, because that's going to bring more people downtown you know and the co op and Howard Hughes brought so many people downtown to look at you know people get angry like God and your return my video.

Mitchell Lopez: If I don't return it by you know 11 or whatever the time the cutoff was i'm not to pay the fee, you know back in the day, you have the rewinding the vhs the but you know for DVDs in every wine i'm but you had to bring him back you know and.

Mitchell Lopez: That really brought a lot of people downtown because the cooking of one world was a huge huge landmark change for.

Mitchell Lopez: downtown, I believe, because it brought people downtown to communicate and hang out because we never had that we didn't have a place to hang out downtown unless you're eating.

Mitchell Lopez: or gene food you didn't have a place to just meet up and I remember one day I was sitting, because I love singing or bar in the morning doing doing paperwork and all that, not because i'm drinking during the day, because I.

Monique Lillard: can get.

Mitchell Lopez: But because you really can really pinpoint and sit and watch and see a lot of people, you know they're getting a DVD or vhs and then they would go get their pizza.

Mitchell Lopez: From the pipeline and their ice cream or pick up to go food and it made it a spots get all in one.

Mitchell Lopez: You know, you would pick up your food, you would pick up your treats and you would pick up your movie and you would go home and watch it and I think that really.

Mitchell Lopez: helped evolved downtown so you know when netflix and all these other streaming places killed video it it, it took a piece of Moscow with him so yeah.

Monique Lillard: yeah yeah we worked hard to try to keep it open, and you know it was a bunch of things came together and coven really didn't.

Monique Lillard: Really.

Mitchell Lopez: really wish that again.

Mitchell Lopez: yeah wants to really keep it open and yeah yeah.

Monique Lillard: That was my dream to I wish I had an extra I don't know how much money to just have have run that place but anyway yeah all right happier question but happiest memory funniest memory strangest memory memories of any of the locations.

Mitchell Lopez: You know this is going to be bad and I don't know if I should say this but i'm going to.

Mitchell Lopez: um.

Mitchell Lopez: I was about feels like 13 and there was.

Mitchell Lopez: There was a you know every wreck every new me there, but you would hire new employees right and I remember having this huge crush on this girl that worked there Okay, and I told her the story, as I got she was only I was 13 and she was like 18 or 19 I can't remember and.

Mitchell Lopez: This is a funny story okay so.

Mitchell Lopez: And it's kind of it's embarrassing very, very soon, but.

Mitchell Lopez: I would rent movies, that she recommended on there.

Mitchell Lopez: and never really bad they're really bad movies, you know I just didn't like them either probably she loved them but.

Mitchell Lopez: It would, in my view, being a movie buff they were just really bad movies, but I would read them right and I remember my dad watching one one day and he's like watch this movie and and I was like I don't know, I was interested in and he took the movies back.

Mitchell Lopez: and

Mitchell Lopez: You know, he took the movies back and then he and she was like oh yeah you're suffering from that you guys love it yeah blah blah, my name is this and that and he came back home that day, and he goes.

Mitchell Lopez: rented i've heard a chill Mike I got so read you know so read and also.

Mitchell Lopez: Karma when he said he's like you know i'm proud of you, for you know getting the guts to talk to somebody but stop spending money on stuff you're not going to watch well.

Mitchell Lopez: When I have the hugest crush on her it was so bad and later on in life, you know when I saw I can't remember if I started the garden or or.

Mitchell Lopez: summary, you know as a as an adult and you know, I was like I gotta tell you this, you know I told her that and she.

Mitchell Lopez: turns so read you know you know choosing their the time and she turned around and she's like that's so funny because you're just as cute kid that allows come in and ask for advice and you'd never think that you'd be watching you know.

Mitchell Lopez: You know, really crazy weird cult classic movie but you rented it because it was on the recommendation board.

Mitchell Lopez: And I think that was a huge connection between movie and everybody else's you know, the recommendation of those memories of walking in there, because I do have another embarrassing funny family one but i'm not going to mention now.

Monique Lillard: You sure you teased us now.

Mitchell Lopez: Well, one day.

Mitchell Lopez: vhs movie was wrong one was accidentally put in to.

Mitchell Lopez: Well, we rented we rented.

Mitchell Lopez: Do you remember adventures in babysitting with Christina applegate.

Monique Lillard: I never saw it, but I remember the name yeah.

Mitchell Lopez: So we were excited because it was Christina applegate we watched a you know married with children we loved it, you know and.

Mitchell Lopez: Some movies, had the actual print on there of you know if the it was a high budget movie they would have the actual logo or cover the movie and some are just like black and white and just have the writing on there well um.

Mitchell Lopez: It was an adult film I guess.

Mitchell Lopez: The only luckily luckily, it was only like.

Mitchell Lopez: Like 30 seconds and my dad mom immediately knew what the title wasn't like that's not the movie you know, and you shut it off so.

Mitchell Lopez: My mom my mom very angrily you know call very respectfully was like hey you guys should really double check your staffs how they're putting stuff because it was accidental because it was what we found out was the tape when it was being rewind.

Mitchell Lopez: The tape you know person had a bunch of boxes just putting the wrong box after the round the date, you know, and I was like you need to charge more for 14 rewind for accidents like this.

Monique Lillard: Well yeah I could see where that could have been something that a mom would definitely not want.

Monique Lillard: She hadn't been there, you know you would have.

Monique Lillard: watched for a while, at least until you yeah.

Mitchell Lopez: yeah I mean.

Mitchell Lopez: It was a family, it was a family Sunday get together and then we ended up we ended up going.

Mitchell Lopez: My dad drove down to get back just to swap it out, it was an accidental That was a crazy, seeing that they you know they could rent adult films there that was that was like the well, I guess, it was a big moneymaker and they had to pay bills.

Monique Lillard: Oh absolutely that's what.

Monique Lillard: makes what i've heard, I actually asked Bo newsome, who was the manager, for a long time.

Mitchell Lopez: Why no ball very well, we.

Monique Lillard: Talk oh yeah yeah yeah okay well he's doing these interviews the same way i'm doing it.

Monique Lillard: So really thing we did was we interviewed each other yeah.

Mitchell Lopez: Oh that's great i'm pretty sure he reminds me remember remember how much I was in there.

Monique Lillard: Oh i'm sure he would i'm sure he would yeah yeah and he.

Monique Lillard: You know I had always heard that adult titles made a lot of money for.

Monique Lillard: Video stores, in general, and he said that yes, they were moneymakers maybe not as much as I had thought, but.

Monique Lillard: And I want to be clear, I have never rented one, especially not in the tiny little town of Moscow Idaho because you would have you had to go into that little kirtland closet kind of and I always thought, because I don't know if you know i'm a law professor.

Monique Lillard: yeah, and so I could always say oh i'm just doing research for the first amendment, but I thought, no way, am I going anywhere near their.

Mitchell Lopez: Side yeah.

Monique Lillard: I wasn't interested.

Monique Lillard: But I didn't know enough to know that what those I call them porno movies did is they would take some existing movie and then they would slightly changed the title, and so I can see where adventures in babysitting I mean that's just begging for a bunch of.

Mitchell Lopez: Noise babysitter no, it was um it was a.

Mitchell Lopez: God who's.

Mitchell Lopez: The babysitter's dead something.

Monique Lillard: Okay, oh okay.

Mitchell Lopez: yeah ventures in babysitter was with Elisabeth shue I remember that.

Monique Lillard: Oh okay okay well, whatever it doesn't get anything with babysitter I can see.

Monique Lillard: Why, in a bit i'm sure.

Monique Lillard: That the library is gonna say I didn't know this was getting into this.

Monique Lillard: I think they can take.

Monique Lillard: More stories you got good stories anything else.

Mitchell Lopez: um.

Mitchell Lopez: yeah actually.

Mitchell Lopez: I think I was, I think I was like 16 years old and i'm the movie the movie the Saint with Val kilmer came out.

Mitchell Lopez: And I was watching it and.

Mitchell Lopez: Back in the day, they would call you or.

Mitchell Lopez: They would send you a note, you know saying hey I return these videos you know I love that movie so much I don't know why but.

Mitchell Lopez: I think was because at that time I you know he he got to be so many different characters and like what if I became a doctor, what if I became you know, a secret agent I don't remember, but I paid $120 and.

: I.

Mitchell Lopez: Because I watched so much that I couldn't find the DVD.

Mitchell Lopez: Because my siblings had switched it out, and you know, we had rented a movie from Hastings as well, so I called he's in my case, if there but i'm getting hungry and hundred and something dollar That was the most the most before that was $30 for.

Mitchell Lopez: or a tombstone because I love Val kilmer and I love you know, etc, and that.

Mitchell Lopez: that's actually my favorite movie of all time is tombstone but Val kilmer at the time I was you know super you know into that movie in and when my mom found out she was like well that's a lot of busing hours at the restaurant, but I had to do at a pay it, so I had to go bus tables for.

Mitchell Lopez: A while well just to be able to pay that off so.

Monique Lillard: that's an amazing story.

Monique Lillard: i'm surprised.

Monique Lillard: That makes me feel better the most I paid was 30 $40 and it was my son's fault and i've been sort of holding it against him all this time, but now you see you've made him like that a third of what you cost so.

Mitchell Lopez: Now you watch I watched it a few years ago and i'm like Why did I.

: like this movie yes.

Mitchell Lopez: Such a bad good movie but you know what's funny cocktails has Elisabeth shue and then.

Mitchell Lopez: The same had Elisabeth shue as well, and it was just weird.

Mitchell Lopez: didn't have a crush on her on all that, but all those really good movies always had her in there.

Monique Lillard: You know funny.

Monique Lillard: When we turn off the recording i'm going to take a guess at who it was you had a crush on so I assume you don't want to say it on the recording or do you.

Mitchell Lopez: agree.

Monique Lillard: All right, I, but I am going to take a guess, yes, all right all right more stories I like your stories anything else.

Mitchell Lopez: um you know.

Mitchell Lopez: I want to be going to film really bad and my brother my brother did as well, my brother's awesome photographer as well, he does you know big events weddings he does magazines and all that.

Mitchell Lopez: And you know, he told me once he's like you know your vision is so amazing that you know really wish that we had the money to be able to go to you know.

Mitchell Lopez: Film school, you know UCLA film school is my dream and.

Mitchell Lopez: The morning to watch movies, the more I understood the story that you're telling is uplifting for people making them understand you know and the moves that all I wanted to wait make were movies, that you couldn't stop eating your popcorn.

Mitchell Lopez: And Howard Hughes.

Mitchell Lopez: It a.

Mitchell Lopez: Give me a SEC take a breather.

Monique Lillard: Take your time.

: take on.

Mitchell Lopez: Howard Hughes a broad.

Mitchell Lopez: What.

Mitchell Lopez: was the reason that our family became really close it brought us all together and that we talked about the films and we really helped us really want to be, we wanted to be and.

Mitchell Lopez: It uh.

Mitchell Lopez: I think every memory that we have our Hughes and you know movies, and all that there is no time in our lives in Moscow that didn't.

Mitchell Lopez: It wasn't reason why we became as close as possible ever held events that are house for movies, and all that and made my parents actually they have a movie room now because of it wow.

Monique Lillard: that's huge that's really huge.

Mitchell Lopez: They bought a house and they made their basement a movie room because.

Mitchell Lopez: That was it and I do want to ask you, on I know all that stuff was sold or anything like that, but is there any memorabilia left from Howard Hughes that you know.

Monique Lillard: Oh that's an interesting question.

Mitchell Lopez: Because I would be that would be awesome if I could have a way like something from someone to be able to you know give to my parents that we can you know when they show up.

Mitchell Lopez: Say like you know what this frame from that you know this frame with this movie and it was from Howard Hughes or something that would be our user man, I would even pay, whatever it would take to get a sign that said Howard Hughes on from our US Oh, I would.

Mitchell Lopez: wow.

Mitchell Lopez: When a figure out to get that yeah.

Monique Lillard: I will ask I don't know but.

Monique Lillard: Most of this, I think you know, most of the titles were given to the kenworthy.

Monique Lillard: fair number of them were sold and actually the sales from that helped keep the kenworthy going during that cold.

Mitchell Lopez: But I heard.

Monique Lillard: It said Iran yeah.

Mitchell Lopez: I love him because they have a lot of knowledge of that as well.

Monique Lillard: So that again.

Mitchell Lopez: All Nice, the kenworthy as well because we're very avid donors to the candle or the quite a bit and.

Mitchell Lopez: We have a plaque there as well, because we want to forever, we want to be able to make sure that we don't need that you know that stuff because that was a That was a babysitter when my parents were at work when first movie That was our babysitter was again really.

Monique Lillard: Oh that's neat yeah.

Monique Lillard: I will also ask Lauretta Campbell who was involved with the board and in Bangkok also, I will try to get a question to him and i'll ask pat angle, who was the owner, you know she wound up having to clear the space really fast.

Monique Lillard: And i'll see what I can find out and cody.

Mitchell Lopez: More.

Monique Lillard: Who was the lawyer i'll see what they what they might know about that and get back to you if, if I have a good answer because that's a good question I know one thing we had were little bumper stickers that said Main Street video co op I don't think that they said Howard Hughes but.

Monique Lillard: Those those and I don't know where those are there's a chance that they still existence so.

Mitchell Lopez: yeah I know Lauretta really well, not only from her family coming to cause whole time and when she needs to get on.

Mitchell Lopez: hubspot but i'll ask her well because I totally forgot to ask her but man having having something of the core or signage of that you know, to go to put in that movie room would be that would be awesome.

Monique Lillard: I will see what I can find out, and you ask all these people when you see them ask Bo asked so.

Monique Lillard: yeah i'm good that's really nice.

Monique Lillard: Anything else.

Mitchell Lopez: No, I mean I think everything was covered, you know I think the nostalgia, you know they started feeling, but the install of a movie star that kids will never understand the importance of a library or or or a movie library.

Mitchell Lopez: Understanding the cultural upbringing, that it has for everybody, you know it was huge for everybody, you know understanding of you can be whatever you want to be.

Mitchell Lopez: does exist, you know and a storyline of point you want to be a lawyer, hence you didn't know you want to be a lawyer, you know you watch the firm or you watch, you know.

Mitchell Lopez: A few good men are you watch, you know all these other titles that you know really created some of you, because I want to be a filmmaker and at one point I.

Mitchell Lopez: Will not the wolf of Wall Street Wall Street, I was like man, I really want to live that lifestyle, you know New York, I wanted to go to stock exchange, then.

Mitchell Lopez: You know, when I saw a documentary of that I don't want to die of a heart attack you know at the age of 32 you know, because my stock just went by you know, so I said no, thank you to stock market, you know so anyway, I just I really think that that nostalgic feeling that is.

Mitchell Lopez: One of these days, you know would come back would be great so yeah.

Monique Lillard: Well, just to say i've also interviewed someone who is a filmmaker and he credits, a lot of the Rentals from Howard Hughes as being part of.

Monique Lillard: his whole exposure to film and you know how on DVDs there are the special features and everything so and that I can't help but say it's never too late to do something like go to film school so.

Mitchell Lopez: You agree.

Monique Lillard: yeah i'll give a personal story that has nothing to do with even Idaho but my mother.

Monique Lillard: remembered when UCLA law school opened in 1949 and it was a time when women didn't really go to law school and she was a child, with the depression and she had a good job and you didn't do crazy things.

Monique Lillard: like that, and then she wound up going she started in 1983 going to law school and pass the bar the first time, and was 66 when she graduated and went on to have a short career in law so just want you to know don't give up on your dream okay.

Mitchell Lopez: And I agree, I mean this, this is a pretty good training here.

Monique Lillard: is a beautiful place yeah.

Monique Lillard: We can sound well that's really good that's really good, and I suppose we have to say just for the record, so.

Monique Lillard: Casa Lopez, or, as you mentioned, it was Casa de Oro I think when your parents bought it, it is a short block from the first Howard Hughes video store and it's really just essentially across the street at a slight angle from the main.

Mitchell Lopez: street video co op.

Monique Lillard: So, just in case somebody in the future is trying to plot this all out these were mere steps really for an active young person to walk So yes, all right.

Monique Lillard: Anything else now.

Monique Lillard: Okay don't hesitate to call and.

Monique Lillard: I really appreciate your time I know you're very busy I know you're sitting right there in the restaurant, even as we speak so.

Monique Lillard: Thank you and i'm going to stop the video recording and then just say a few words do and then we'll be done okay.

Mitchell Lopez: sounds great Thank you Thank you let's see here.