Sandra Kelly recounts learning about Howard Hughes Video Rental when she moved to Moscow in 2007. She describes what it was like when she first went in and saw movie posters and all the genre sections. She talks about how the video rental served different communities in Moscow. She describes the shift to streaming and its impact on the store. She describes her opinion of the transition to a co-op and how she felt it represented how community oriented Moscow is. She talks about how she got involved with the Main Street Video Co-op's board. She discusses the struggles of fundraising and the questions of a co-op structure versus a non-profit structure. She also discusses the circumstances and decisions that led to the closing of the store.

Monique Lillard: There we go and it is recording all right, my name is monique lillard I am with the University of Idaho library.

Monique Lillard: We are doing an oral History project regarding the video store in Moscow Idaho today is may 5 CINCO de Mayo of 2021 and i'm sitting here with Sandra Kelly, and have you had a chance to sign the release form.

Sandra Kelly: I have signed a release form, thank you.

Monique Lillard: Excellent very good I assume I said, your name right go ahead and say it yourself.

Sandra Kelly: You did yep I am Sandra Kelly and happy to be here.

Monique Lillard: Very good that's very nice, can you.

Monique Lillard: briefly describe your relationship to the video store here in town, whether you call it Main Street video co op or Howard Hughes and then we'll start talking about what just you as a customer and how you experience the video store to go ahead.

Sandra Kelly: You bet so I moved to Moscow and 2007.

Sandra Kelly: and love movies, I like I think so many people do and you're always looking for that place to go and you need your movie fix and so in 2007, of course, this was long before streaming.

Sandra Kelly: And a sort of like the very beginning of YouTube so there weren't a lot of options out there and.

Sandra Kelly: I had moved from Helena Montana, where I had a Hastings card and use it all the time, and it was able to use it, of course, here in Moscow, but.

Sandra Kelly: um well, I appreciated Hastings a lot and appreciated what they had you really do sort of miss you look for that hometown feel and my favorite thing about Moscow I grew up coming to visit Moscow and my favorite thing is always been that hometown feel so I really.

Sandra Kelly: wanted to find kind of my niche and So the first thing I always recommend to people is to go downtown and that's how you find Moscow that's how you find the people and get your feel and Lo and behold, there was a cool looking video store.

Sandra Kelly: And I didn't know much about it and I didn't have time to go in, and so I asked my good cousin his name is john gaffney.

Sandra Kelly: He grew up here, I said john tell me about Howard Hughes goes oh my gosh Sandra you have to go in.

Sandra Kelly: And so I did and oh my gosh at first, I was a little overwhelmed i'm not gonna lie, because it was set up so great, you know you have all the great movie posters out there.

Sandra Kelly: They did such a great job of titling everything they had a SCI fi section and a horse section and a criterion section classic section TV new releases drama comedy I mean British TV.

Sandra Kelly: And it just was so great to see such a selection of it did take my breath away the first time I walked in I really didn't know where to start.

Sandra Kelly: Because i'm a browser I don't often go in thinking Oh, I want to rent X i'm like what do they have and it took me a while to figure out.

Sandra Kelly: Where to go, so that was my introduction, and at that time, I think it was Howard Hughes at that time and I quickly got a membership was relieved to find it wasn't very expensive and relieved that I can rent so many things all at once that was also a nice bonus.

Sandra Kelly: And I just became hooked from there on out I worked at the newspaper at the time, so I was always close by could just drop in and get a TV show or a movie.

Sandra Kelly: yeah it just became really a part of my whole world.

Monique Lillard: Okay now so two questions at least here, are you remembering the store that was at I think its fifth and Washington across from the current food co op or you remembering the one on Main Street.

Sandra Kelly: No, I remember the one Main Street, and I don't remember the dates of that, but that was.

Sandra Kelly: The first time I saw it yeah.

Monique Lillard: The one on Main Street.

Monique Lillard: Okay, and now i'm just curious What did you do for the newspaper I don't think I knew you worked.

Sandra Kelly: Oh gosh yep I was the sports editor at the newspaper the Daily News.

Monique Lillard: Very good, very good a female sports at it.

Sandra Kelly: Yes.

Sandra Kelly: A little unusual okay very much so.

Monique Lillard: yeah yeah that is cool there's an interview for another day but.

Monique Lillard: I hope that newspapers don't go the way of the video store.

Monique Lillard: All right, who have newspapers okay all right so.

Monique Lillard: you're remembering the store on Main Street, so what was your favorite section.

Sandra Kelly: It turns out that my favorite section was truly the British TV section I am.

Sandra Kelly: You know, thanks to PBS I got a really nice hint of some really great English British shows, and then, when I saw that section at the video store I went through.

Sandra Kelly: So many of their dramas and really discovered some such nice things that I never would have seen otherwise some mystery shows some dramas a couple comedies.

Sandra Kelly: But because it was so easy to rent and because it was I mean really I thought inexpensive to rent I could rent a TV show for a week I think I went through almost all the Bruce collection first.

Monique Lillard: that's great that's great.

Monique Lillard: How do you think that store was important to Moscow as a Community, and you sort of answered that but i'll just ask it again see if it gets a different answer.

Sandra Kelly: yeah I do think you have a slightly different answer to that.

Sandra Kelly: I think, because it serves so many different communities, quite honestly I mean, I think you had.

Sandra Kelly: kind of the old guard like I had my cousin john who is several years younger than I am.

Sandra Kelly: Point me in that direction, and he grew up in Moscow, so he knew about it, at both locations and he also loves movies so there's an old guard.

Sandra Kelly: He went there as a kid his parents went there as adults see and I think of like so many of my now friends in Moscow that i've grown to know, over the last decade or so.

Sandra Kelly: They almost all know about it or knew about it, and so it served that part of the Community.

Sandra Kelly: And then, of course, we have the students at the University of Idaho what's your such.

Sandra Kelly: it's such a giant part of our Community and because it really is relatively close to campus I think when they would come downtown.

Sandra Kelly: Even if they're just exploring they were able to be like wow what is this let's let's check that out, and again you open the doors and they're just so much to choose from that, I think they were hooked.

Sandra Kelly: And, and so and that's a revolving Community you know, but I think we had them for so long, and that was great um so it really just it really intertwined itself to I think every group in every niche and Moscow.

Monique Lillard: yeah yeah that's I would agree, I would agree.

Monique Lillard: How did the store change over the years if it did change just in terms of the customer experience.

Sandra Kelly: You know, and sadly i'm sure we'll get to this later also but, really, what did change was.

Sandra Kelly: The ability for people to stream their movies and and the ability, I mean netflix and i'm the first to admit I love netflix right and i've had a netflix subscription since I mean for 20 years now, I suppose.

Sandra Kelly: And, and always enjoyed that and had one, while I was also a customer at the video store I use both, and I think a lot of people did that but.

Sandra Kelly: When we went from having those discs sent to us to then go into a red box, it could immediately get something anytime 24 hours a day.

Sandra Kelly: And then, what really I think was the deciding factor was a streaming was so easy just to sit back on your couch and just flip through.

Sandra Kelly: I mean, and I love the remote control, but it also really hurt the video store and I would say that was that's really the biggest change people were still coming in.

Sandra Kelly: To rent things but that wasn't the urgency like oh my gosh it's Wednesday night I don't have anything to do, or I don't have any homework quick let's go and grab a video you lost that urgency of people coming in.

Sandra Kelly: And I not really that that has hurt the whole video industry, and it really I think that's where we saw the change in the store itself.

Monique Lillard: that's very interesting I What about the selection process itself so, can you compare being in the store and sitting on your couch using a remote use whether it's netflix or some others.

: To.

Sandra Kelly: Have you know from myself personally, I there wasn't much of a change, I am.

Sandra Kelly: I don't usually get the new releases every once in a while I would I like to go to the camera there to see those.

Sandra Kelly: Right, and so I love to see the big new dramas come out on the screen and they can wear these my first go to.

Sandra Kelly: So I was, I was a person who watched TV shows that I hadn't been able to watch because of jobs and like oh I didn't want you to watch the show forever, so I can watch a whole season of something um.

Sandra Kelly: And so, for me, that's what I was looking for I was looking for that type of viewing experience and so.

Sandra Kelly: I get the same thing really streaming but and.

Sandra Kelly: This is a nerdy thing to say, but what I really enjoyed is that human contact experience, about being in the store, sometimes with the clerks but sometimes have people looking at videos you know.

Sandra Kelly: I if for those that know me i'm not very shy and I like to talk to people, and I would often strike up conversations with people in store, if I see them looking at a video, I might say.

Sandra Kelly: Oh, have you seen that or I saw that just last week and I really liked it or what do you know about that I thought that looked weird and I miss that you don't get that streaming.

Sandra Kelly: You know you just flipping through and you're like Oh, my friend Jamie told me about this, I should look at it, you know um so that's What I miss.

Monique Lillard: What did you think was the most important person in the store.

Sandra Kelly: The customer.

Monique Lillard: haha how so.

Sandra Kelly: Because they were the ones getting the movies, you know they knew they either knew what they wanted.

Sandra Kelly: or they knew that they wanted something and without the customer, I mean there's no store and I think we have seen that whether it's a red box or a netflix you don't necessarily have to have a clerk but you always have to have a customer very interesting.

Monique Lillard: Yes, yes.

Monique Lillard: So what were you aware, when the store moved from being privately owned to going co-operative were you part of that process or were you aware of that process.

Sandra Kelly: I was aware of the process, but I was pretty new to town, and I was working nights at the time, so I wasn't involved in that process, but I watched it and I was really interested in it.

Sandra Kelly: And I think quite honestly that's one of the first times I really realized what a Community oriented town roscoe is.

Sandra Kelly: Because I mean so many people know about the Co op the food co op right it's been around a lot of time, but moving in and seeing them try to put something like this together for a movie.

Sandra Kelly: star that was amazing and I really did get a great feel for that small town Community joining together and doing something good for our Community and and that just touched my heart.

Monique Lillard: And I think we should say and we probably should have said earlier, you are on the Moscow City Council right now.

Monique Lillard: it's your turn yep and it's a two year term or for your.

Sandra Kelly: For your term.

Monique Lillard: For each and you've been serving about two years.

Sandra Kelly: yeah I fact I counted it up, yesterday I think it's 15 months now.

Monique Lillard: 15 minutes excellent congratulations.

Monique Lillard: Great.

Monique Lillard: Job during a very difficult year.

Sandra Kelly: Obviously.

Monique Lillard: Thank you so.

Monique Lillard: Are you running for mayor.

Sandra Kelly: well enough, this time around i'm just trying out what how the city works.

Monique Lillard: gotcha all right okay.

Monique Lillard: turn this into a campaign speech.

: Why.

Monique Lillard: So what made you decide to get involved with the cooperative board, because you eventually served on the video co op.

Sandra Kelly: I did yeah and it was a real honor to serve on that board, I want to say.

Sandra Kelly: I became involved.

Sandra Kelly: And, and this does sound like a campaign speech I don't mean for it to at all, but.

Monique Lillard: I didn't need to take.

: Anything you said.

Sandra Kelly: You know I really just fell in love with the Community aspect of Moscow and I slowly but surely you know I started off at the newspaper.

Sandra Kelly: I ended up going back to school Lewis Clark state college, they gave me a better deal than the University of Idaho, but I do love our vandals Okay, I just want to put that out there.

Sandra Kelly: My whole family were vandals except for me.

Sandra Kelly: and watching the Community grow has just been really special to me, and you know I became involved in the humane society, I became involved in the historical society i'm a historian.

Sandra Kelly: I give tours in econometrics will slowly but surely, I became involved in different aspects of Moscow and the more I became involved, the more I thought the such a great place to live I love it here um.

Sandra Kelly: And I didn't become involved, because I wanted to go anywhere, I became involved with the things that I just care about a lot.

Sandra Kelly: pretty soon, I became involved with the kenworthy i'm not on their board but I mean I help with the fundraisers and I think the people that run it are absolutely amazing, and so I just morphed into that and then one day i'm at the food co op.

Sandra Kelly: Getting dinner or lunch i'm not sure what and I ran into a Ian pan cook and we were chatting I knew him from other things right.

Sandra Kelly: And I said Oh, how are you I haven't seen you for a while and he goes oh yeah pretty good i'm just going to a board meeting for.

Sandra Kelly: The video, Sir, I went really tell me about that he told me about i'm like wow I just didn't I just hadn't put it all together, that of course it had a board, and of course that's how it ran So how are things going, he says, oh.

Sandra Kelly: we're hanging on we're trying to make things work, but things are tough and so we lamented about that and I don't know how it came up exactly but um.

Sandra Kelly: He said there were some spots open so gosh I you know i'd love to be involved with that he was like well come on up and I, he may have a different version of that for sure that's how I remember it happening, you know, and I think I became involved the next month and.

Sandra Kelly: It was a real honor to be involved with it yeah good good.

Monique Lillard: So what were the challenges.

Monique Lillard: That the Co operative faced.

Monique Lillard: Sure say.

Sandra Kelly: Raising money like you know I mean if that's my Twitter version raising money, of course, was the hard part yeah um you know, one of the things we went back and forth on after I joined the Board was whether we should switch to just being a nonprofit.

Monique Lillard: And that's what I wanted to ask you.

Monique Lillard: Okay okay tell me what was in your mind about those two options there.

Monique Lillard: Or maybe more than two.

Monique Lillard: And let me just say before you even start because it's come up in other interviews there's the question of did the store support itself, in other words were there enough video Rentals to support salaries.

Monique Lillard: rent and other expenses and then there was the question of really completing the sale or completing the purchase.

Monique Lillard: Of the store from the existing owners who are sort of personified by Pat angle, although there were other owners coming in and out we don't have to go through all that, unless you want to which.

Monique Lillard: But so they're the distinguishing maybe between those two if you think it's appropriate, so I got a huge compound question here, but.

Sandra Kelly: i'll do my best to cipher through the part of.

Sandra Kelly: That you know, and so, in terms of being self sufficient it was sort of a yes and no answer which is it's a weird answer I understand and.

Sandra Kelly: Are you know the folks are renting from are very understanding when you're trying to buy the building and they really did work.

Sandra Kelly: I felt, you know board members may have a different idea, but I really felt that they wanted us to succeed, and we are so grateful for that, but we had a hard time making those payments.

Monique Lillard: You know, wanting to buy the.

Monique Lillard: The business.

Monique Lillard: Yes, absolutely I think you meant.

Sandra Kelly: Oh sorry, thank you, yes I.

Monique Lillard: Did okay.

Sandra Kelly: um you know, and we had a hard time with that um.

Sandra Kelly: If we didn't have to worry about that aspect of it, I think we could have done it, but it was just too much and.

Sandra Kelly: yeah and we just ran out of time and and they ran out of time and other opportunities came up and.

Sandra Kelly: And, quite honestly, we got to the point where it didn't look like, even if we did some major fundraising and even if we could make it.

Sandra Kelly: Through like build up for a couple months we didn't know how long we can hang on and make that sustainable if we didn't have to worry about.

Sandra Kelly: Those payments, I could have been sustainable in terms of you know, salary and staff it's tight, but I think we could have done that part but it just again when I talked about you know the streaming aspect and the other options for people to be entertained we were really hitting a wall.

Sandra Kelly: And we were missing, we still had our hardcore people, but we started missing those hey you know we could do, tonight we can watch a movie.

Sandra Kelly: And I think you know we don't have any stats on that early I don't, but I think that type of business, it was a lot bigger than we realized.

Sandra Kelly: And so, while we had our dependable I see you every week and isn't that great we were missing the every fourth Thursday someone might come in, because they have the night off, and when you add those up and take that account out, I think that really did hurt us.

Sandra Kelly: So, to get back then to the nonprofit versus co op aspect of it and the folks that were running the board of the time knew all about co OPS, and how it ran how they ran.

Sandra Kelly: I grew up in the nonprofit world, and so I understood that world I think really well, and there are different types of fundraising you can do as a nonprofit versus out of a Co op.

Sandra Kelly: And there are different grants that are available for you and much easier to get grants as a nonprofit than it is, as a co op and so when I came in with that mindset and a couple others came on later that also in the nonprofit world we were really working toward just becoming a nonprofit.

Sandra Kelly: But that would take about six months.

Sandra Kelly: And then to loop into those grant opportunities and fundraising opportunities would be another six months to a year, so we were really looking at about an 18 to 24 month process.

Sandra Kelly: To where we thought we could become sustainable and really earn money on a consistent basis and we ran out of time yeah.

Monique Lillard: I understand that I was.

Monique Lillard: an original group.

Monique Lillard: That we have with the steering group met at my house and then I was on the original board, and I will tell you, we went back and forth I think there's such a thing as a nonprofit co op and also then a for profit co op.

Monique Lillard: Yes, then there's straight nonprofit organization and we talked and talked about that and Melinda shop who knew a lot about.

Monique Lillard: coats Of course you she's the manager of the.

Monique Lillard: Food co op i'm saying this mainly for the.

Monique Lillard: video recording here, and she has been interviewed by me and so you can get her perspective, you know she knew a lot about that and there, and there were some certainly some advantages to having it essentially a joint ownership.

Monique Lillard: And then there were technical things about being a nonprofit that you had to file things and.

Monique Lillard: or something like that, and so we went back and forth and back and forth, but I think all of us thought from time to time, maybe we should have done it the other way, because people would say i'll give you a donation, can you give me a tax receipt.

Monique Lillard: You know, and I think a lot of people just gave some donations anyway, but you know it yeah That was a very hard call.

Sandra Kelly: True call yeah.

Sandra Kelly: And you have to go with your strengths and I mean an absolutely Melinda knows how to run the Co op.

Sandra Kelly: Absolutely no and if you're asking someone to take such a leadership.

Sandra Kelly: role you have to go with their strengths and there's truth to that.

Monique Lillard: yeah absolutely so wonderful energy and she was just effervescent at yes.

Sandra Kelly: yeah yeah no.

Monique Lillard: Were you on the port to the bitter end to the very end.

Monique Lillard: Was okay.

Monique Lillard: Can you describe not pre pandemics so starting like December January, February, what was going on at that point.

Sandra Kelly: You know, it really was like and I don't mean to belittle anyone's experiences right, but it was like being in hospice care.

Sandra Kelly: You know I mean we just kept thinking out, you know if we can just raise $400 we you know we'll be okay for this month, and if we can just get this we're going to be okay and.

Sandra Kelly: I really felt like for about six to eight months we're really, really tried to just push it a little bit farther and, finally, you know really about, I would say about three months before we finally said that you're right we can't do this.

Sandra Kelly: At least a couple of US we're really starting to push the idea of I think it's really time to think about how we are going to close, and that was it was horrible you know um.

Sandra Kelly: And no one wanted that but you really could just see the writing on the wall and you just knew it was time.

Sandra Kelly: And there were some and I commend them for their always we're just hanging on say no, what if we just do this and, finally, you know we got a push up.

Sandra Kelly: From the owners like you know we really have to have the standard we're just like you're right, and thank you for all of your help, and you are correct, it is just time and.

Sandra Kelly: yeah we just had to and I can't emphasize enough how are we tried to hang on and just push through that but really just couldn't yeah.

Monique Lillard: And, am I right that you thought about maybe another location with cheaper rent and better parking.

Sandra Kelly: We did we thought about that um and quite honestly gosh there were a lot of different factors that went into that we really liked the idea of it sure, but.

Sandra Kelly: Even at a cheaper rent we're going to have to pay, you know ahead of time we didn't have that Christian to be like well here's a month ahead we didn't have any Christian.

Sandra Kelly: We didn't most of us, I believe, felt that, if we weren't at the downtown spot we were really going to lose our base.

Sandra Kelly: And there's no factual evidence of that and i'm the first to admit that it was just a gut feeling like our people want us downtown yeah and if we go to another, if we go to a strip mall or another building, even if it's four or five blocks away.

Sandra Kelly: we've lost our downtown crowd and we really thought that just wouldn't work, so we thought we were I should say, I thought, and I think some other stuff is to that we were really just trying to extend the inevitable.

Sandra Kelly: And we were just the people that are on the board of that time they were so exhausted, I mean we were.

Sandra Kelly: We were working so hard to try and keep this up and not just physically working, but it was mentally working at this and.

Sandra Kelly: Trying to come up with different ways and gosh none of us have deep pockets.

Sandra Kelly: You know it's not like anyone's just like you know what i'm just gonna write you a $2,000 check and if you never pay me back great you know, none of us had that if we did someone would have done it right, but we just couldn't so.

Sandra Kelly: As tempting as that sounded we just didn't think it was feasible.

Monique Lillard: just had a question in my head in it Oh, did you put out any calls for help, or.

Sandra Kelly: Because we different ways.

Monique Lillard: Okay, tell me.

Sandra Kelly: What but well you know and we tried to set things up the cash register, we tried to do some email out, we did some emailing.

Sandra Kelly: But again, you have to really careful and how you do that, you know, in terms of a Co op versus a nonprofit right because I mean it's.

Sandra Kelly: And they're just different rules and how you can do things and what you can accept them what you can't and what really was hurting us was the idea of having to be a member.

Sandra Kelly: Right that's how you earn money is to have more members well you really tap out in Moscow and how many Members because honestly.

Sandra Kelly: As a student there's really no reason to be a member, and yet we wanted them and we had a few because you can still rent videos without being a whole fledged member.

Sandra Kelly: And so it was you can't really ask for donations right and so that was really hard and that's why we were hoping we could transfer over to becoming a nonprofit.

Sandra Kelly: Because, then we could do those fundraisers and we can do those asks, and we can do those different fundraising activities, but we really were hamstrung with what we could do right.

Monique Lillard: Right, and you know some of the other interviewees have mentioned what i'm about to mention, and I remember, we talked about it, oh again on and on and off at the beginning of you know, we wanted people to buy in, for I think it was $200.

Sandra Kelly: yep $200.

Monique Lillard: But we knew that there were several different contingents in this town, who, for whom That would be a hardship students.

Monique Lillard: And then, some people who live here all the time, who just don't have that kind of spending money, and so we said okay we'll do this $25 one and then you're supposed to keep reapplying it.

Monique Lillard: yeah but that's what people wouldn't do it, they wouldn't come back or they'd say yeah next time or I don't know what happened, I don't really know you know yeah so that I think there was.

Monique Lillard: A training of people who worked there to try to ask every time i'm not sure.

Monique Lillard: I don't know if they did, or didn't I never quite knew actually.

Sandra Kelly: late, and you know I can say that some good and some didn't but I will say, before I got on the board, because I was one of those it was happy to pay the money, but had very little money.

Sandra Kelly: And so I would pay a little at a time, and no one ever asked me.

Sandra Kelly: Oh, did you know that you know you owe another 25 or hey if you do your membership, right now, will give you five free videos you know I would always have to ask.

Sandra Kelly: hey Am I up to date on my yearly payment to you, and so, and I don't want to blame stuff either you know I mean I think our staff worked hard and did a great job.

Sandra Kelly: They had a lot of different things they had to do also and they shouldn't have to be fundraising.

Monique Lillard: That was.

Monique Lillard: Hard it's hard and I think some of them by their natures frankly they were, and I mean this in the most loving way they were moving nerds they were there, because they.

Monique Lillard: Less movies, and the introverts and the last thing they wanted to do was, I mean, I think you are I can.

: Have.

Monique Lillard: That as a compliment.

Monique Lillard: But I mean I was known to be standing there watch somebody come up, and I would say hey.

: Have you do.

Sandra Kelly: We do.

Monique Lillard: yeah.

Sandra Kelly: yeah and you know when you're in gosh i've been paid stuff at at at jobs where you're making minimum wage or right around minimum wage and.

Sandra Kelly: You know you're sorting and you're being the cashier and you're cleaning and you know they shouldn't have to always be the ones to also be trying to get extra money.

Sandra Kelly: You know that should be built in somewhere or there should be incentives, you know and.

Sandra Kelly: And as a board that we are all full time workers that that was also hard to figure out the best practices to help the staff know how to help the customers to become to continue to increase their membership yeah yeah.

Monique Lillard: And I know kristin at would, I think, before you were on the board she organized this mondo wonderful dinner and.

Sandra Kelly: It was.

Monique Lillard: At the breakfast club, but at night.

Monique Lillard: And yeah Member Castle Lopez my Lena also two people donated food.

Monique Lillard: And I actually spoke with Mitch Lopez, because he was a customer and so generous that night and then she did these gift basket things or.

Monique Lillard: yeah guess what does that word.

Monique Lillard: Like raffle baskets.

: Right.

Monique Lillard: But you know I think this gets kind of hard well.

Sandra Kelly: it's hard and it gets smaller all the time, like the first time you do it it's great we tried to replicate it a couple years later, and had like 12 people show up yeah yeah.

Sandra Kelly: And and that's not on her, she worked super hard at it and I felt bad you know and.

Sandra Kelly: And the same thing, I mean whether it's a raffle basket or a painting donated or you get 25 movies, for five bucks because you win the raffle you know yeah if you get big money right at first, and then it just trickles down and so right yeah.

Monique Lillard: ya know, and I remember sitting out with tables during.

Monique Lillard: homecoming parade entering the Saturday market and amazing numbers people come through who don't who this is worth knowing from Moscow.

Monique Lillard: For both homecoming in the Saturday market lots of people aren't from Moscow, which is totally cool that they got but there's not another person who's not from Moscow.

Monique Lillard: Moscow, please walk by.

Sandra Kelly: Now, no yeah we handed out that last year I stood out to halloweens I think at least one Halloween.

Sandra Kelly: And dressed up and we had like a free movie rental and you know candy and just.

Sandra Kelly: trying to get people to store, because a movie rental giving away a free movie rental wasn't it didn't really put us right, especially for brought them into it more movies, and we handed out a lot of those but it just again it's just too little at the end.

Monique Lillard: Yes, yeah okay so coulda woulda shoulda is there anything that you wish you'd done differently or that you wish you'd encourage other people to do differently, with no blame attached.

Monique Lillard: yeah the question or two anything you might answer just a truly coulda woulda shoulda I.

Sandra Kelly: You know I really do wish we could have I wish I would have been a little more.

Sandra Kelly: forceful the wrong word I wish I could have brought more to the table in terms of how to make us a nonprofit and done that earlier.

Sandra Kelly: um I think if I if we'd had another maybe six months we could have done that, because absolutely I know we could have gotten grant funding and we could have gotten we could have had bigger fundraisers that we didn't have to work around issues right so um.

Sandra Kelly: But again that's my background and so of course that's you know the way, I think, because I remember having great talks with Melinda and saying oh.

Sandra Kelly: I don't understand your co op world you know she's like I don't know why we can't do this, we tried to really.

Sandra Kelly: find different ways to work around and there were no workarounds right you just you have to go by what the Rules say and we weren't trying to break rules at all we're just trying to find the best way to thrive and.

Sandra Kelly: The idea of having a membership and growing it that way, I think was a good idea, but it just wasn't sustainable or as doing continual fundraising is it sustainable it's hard, but it is sustainable, and so I wish we would have gotten that route, a year or two earlier but.

Monique Lillard: I can see that I get to do that now, in retrospect, or not record, I guess, this is an alternative universe here if the building hadn't been sold, do you think the store would have thrived during the pandemic, or do you think it was the pandemic was the death knell.

Sandra Kelly: Go I love that question.

Sandra Kelly: um if you're the only one i've asked it to sound like it a lot and quite honestly um.

Sandra Kelly: If we weren't right on the brink of are we going to survive or not, if we were Okay, and just like we were normal rears I think we really would have thrived.

Sandra Kelly: I think we would have been closed, maybe the first month right, and then I think I know I absolutely know, we would have figured out a way to do drop videos right, I mean.

Sandra Kelly: By a really a month into it people knew how to disinfect everything right and I have no doubt that we would have worked out a system to where.

Sandra Kelly: People will drop off movies, will have our gloves on you will disinfect those movies, will disinfect the case put it back on the shelf.

Sandra Kelly: It would have been harder people only would have been able to pay, you know online and we would have to come up with whether it's a PayPal account or ven mo or something else apple pay whatever.

Sandra Kelly: I know we could have done that that wouldn't have been really hard and I also know that it would have been hard to have stuff on at that time so maybe we only went have been opened, like.

Sandra Kelly: Thursday, Friday Saturday right and I bet if we were said we're going to be open, three hours on these times and keep ahead board members come into dedicated staff and.

Sandra Kelly: done and just one person in the building right just inspecting putting up getting movies, putting them in a container or mailing it out if we had to.

Sandra Kelly: I just ordered people can come up like curbside service like they do it at the great restaurants in town, I know we could have done that, and I really think we would have thrived yeah.

Monique Lillard: I yeah I mean it was my impression also I mean.

Monique Lillard: I remember the day I heard that it was closing it was the day before the first real super strong shut down and.

Monique Lillard: Our I during that shutdown I thought gosh I wish I had more movies at home because I had some.

Monique Lillard: Actually, it was supposed to return them and I did.

Monique Lillard: I did, but it as the as this whole thing, and nobody knew and again, so this.

Monique Lillard: is completely not reality world because nobody could have dreamt that over a year later we'd still be feeling that pandemic I.

Monique Lillard: think the store would be open, by now, but you know.

Monique Lillard: I thought oh gosh this is when you binge watch to beat outbid.

Monique Lillard: yeah and I yeah I prefer for a lot of reasons I prefer the DVD to the netflix you know, and all I would have done it I can even name you the titles.

Monique Lillard: Right so.

Sandra Kelly: yeah all right.

Sandra Kelly: I know I agree.

Monique Lillard: yeah so talk to me about the transition where they're at the.

Monique Lillard: Book What was it like the day you decided to shut down what What was it a board meeting what happened.

Sandra Kelly: You know that is it's so weird because I don't exactly know it was all happening fast and slow all at the same time and um I think we have decided that, I mean we're going to close and I don't remember who was going to you know.

Sandra Kelly: Talk to the owners it went really fast and I got a call.

Sandra Kelly: To say hey is there any way you can help second movies, and I said I don't feel comfortable with that, because of the pandemic.

Sandra Kelly: I live here with my mom right and I was like I if it were just me, I would, but I don't feel comfortable with that i'm really sorry because I wanted to um, and so there were a couple guys, I mean there was dedicated and went in and box that movies.

Sandra Kelly: And then they took him to the kenworthy and took all the show me to the camera the end the the ironic part about all that maybe an irony isn't the right word but kind of a.

Sandra Kelly: an odd part of that is if i've been able to go in and help box that movies, they would have been in a better order, and I did help at the kenworthy.

Sandra Kelly: Right I helped sort movies there and they I mean, and this is not critical of the stuff i'm thankful, they did what they could put it kind of felt like they just you know everything was just thrown in boxes and taken over.

Sandra Kelly: And so, as we were the can really sorting out like oh my gosh this is such a mess and we had the whole stage lined out right, and I mean Christine Gilmore and Jamie hill there are so organized and they just they had a great system right and we went in and.

Sandra Kelly: I mean I can't tell you how many Saturdays I spent there hoping of go through movies right, and so we finally did and got that done it took a lot longer than we anticipated and then another great thing is.

Sandra Kelly: We had the you know those little white shelves that would roll around that we had a lot of movies on.

Sandra Kelly: At first, they can where they had them and then they didn't need to have a need for that and i'm on the board of the insulin oasis and when they just opened a food pantry.

Sandra Kelly: And we're using those shelves at the food pantry and it just does my heart's It gives me joy, when I see those shelves because.

Sandra Kelly: Again that's another great thing about Moscow it's like they weren't just thrown out it's like they found a way it went through to nonprofits or one nonprofit to get to us at England oasis.

Sandra Kelly: Right so we're still seeing that and I love, seeing that I love that I was able to you know I wanted to be in the store when they closed up that store so special and then, but then to be in the kenworthy and help sort things because.

Sandra Kelly: I love the kenworthy and those people are great to work with, and then to be like you know what I think Illinois is can use those shells, I mean it's just that's how Moscow works, and you know you get some some nice benefits at us and said endings yeah.

Monique Lillard: that's a beautiful component I love that I just love that that those moved along like that and.

Monique Lillard: yeah and for what it's worth that always says food.

Monique Lillard: pantry was on the front page of the paper today.

Sandra Kelly: Yes, it was.

Monique Lillard: And I guess it's just opening what extended hours or.

Sandra Kelly: two.

Sandra Kelly: Hours right now, because you know again it's all volunteer run.

Monique Lillard: Like most things in my school yeah.

Sandra Kelly: Exactly and so we're just now putting up you know, a volunteer list and getting that organized but.

Sandra Kelly: yeah the food pantries open and pretty soon it will be a food bank great.

Monique Lillard: that's wonderful that's wonderful.

Monique Lillard: And were you part of the sale of the movies, out of the kenworthy Okay, no.

Sandra Kelly: I was not.

Sandra Kelly: And I didn't want to be for a couple different reasons i'm i'm on the field, I was when they had a film Committee, I was on the film committee at the camera the.

Sandra Kelly: On and I like I said I volunteered there a lot and I really felt that that would have been a conflict of interest.

Sandra Kelly: And I just you know that's just too much and two things and so how's it gone now you know if i'd been answered, or like I don't think it's appropriate that i'm a part of this.

Sandra Kelly: And I think everyone would have agreed with that.

Monique Lillard: yeah I mean I would trust that you personally, but I.

Monique Lillard: think there is a certain sort of an overlap.

Monique Lillard: yeah yeah yeah yeah Do you know what became of a lot of those movies.

Sandra Kelly: Sure, a lot of them are donated to the University of Idaho, especially if you know, like the classic collection and some of the criterion collections.

Sandra Kelly: But not all you know the university only has a finite space as well to keep things, and so I know some people were really disappointed because they just wanted all of our amazing movies, to go to the University of Idaho and.

Sandra Kelly: I mean, and I think it's really easy when you don't work in in place to be like well, of course, you have room, but you know you don't you can't keep everything.

Sandra Kelly: So we reached out to the kenworthy earth to the University of Idaho I know that the lake county library was contacted see you know what would you like um and then they went up for sale and how to really had big sales at the kenworthy.

Sandra Kelly: In fact, I worked a couple of them you just put the movies outside even during the pandemic.

: People can go that.

Sandra Kelly: People could go up, I mean people are getting.

Sandra Kelly: Just they could I mean and again that can where the folks there Christine Gilmore jameel are so organized that.

Sandra Kelly: They had an online portion so people can go through and pick what they wanted, they would start the movies out put them in bags have people's names on them, they pay for it just.

Sandra Kelly: So a lot of I would say, probably most went that way but i'm a good portion, especially of those a really rare movies, I believe we're at the University of Idaho great good.

Monique Lillard: Good good good um let's see here.

Sandra Kelly: And we're thankful that the university was able to help us out again just really cementing those bonds between town toning down, as they say.

Monique Lillard: On a gap.

Monique Lillard: Right right well i'm.

Monique Lillard: glad that the university is doing this oral History project, you know I I, I think that that cements it also so I like it, I like it, let me just check my notes here.

Monique Lillard: Oh, this is just a question or something you said, a long time ago I just didn't hear a word that you said so, you said something about your Community involvement, you said you give tours of something to.

Sandra Kelly: What the model mansion.

Monique Lillard: Oh, the mcconnell mansion.

Monique Lillard: got it.

Sandra Kelly: Okay, and i've given tours at the 1912 Center as well.

Monique Lillard: cool Okay, you really are.

Monique Lillard: Is Moscow.

Monique Lillard: like it.

Sandra Kelly: it's so easy to be that way it's just a great town.

Monique Lillard: Do you think Moscow has lost something by losing this video store.

Sandra Kelly: I do absolutely um.

Sandra Kelly: You know anytime you see something like this go, you know, I think, having market time drug leave and not leave they've moved across and they've changed their form that was an old Moscow feel and and you lose a little something and definitely.

Sandra Kelly: I always tried to call it means your video and I always had a hard time with that it's always Howard Hughes yeah right and.

Sandra Kelly: I did, I mean it's just it's such a great part of our history and to that's such an eclectic building and such an eclectic entry.

Sandra Kelly: And it really stood out.

: um.

Sandra Kelly: yeah it's just it's just it's a it's a growing up, you know it's a part of your youth it's gone and you look back and you know whether it was like.

Sandra Kelly: That first car, you know or first boyfriend girlfriend you know I mean it's like growing up process and regardless of how old we are.

Sandra Kelly: it's just a part of US it's no longer there and I will always look back, I mean really was a soldier that kind of that kind of building just emanates the soldier anyway.

Sandra Kelly: Right, but you look back you like it was such a great place i'm i'm sad to see that gone and yet you know we move on and other things come up, but how great to have been a part of that, you know as a Member.

Sandra Kelly: As a Washington is part of our Community, and then to be on the board, you know um yeah it'll always make me a little sad but sort of that that are shuck sad like that was a cool time how great that we had that here for so long.

Monique Lillard: I understand what you mean I do, and I should ask you somebody else I interviewed wondered if there were any memorabilia of either the Main Street video co op or the Howard Hughes video like the old sign, he would be willing to buy that.

Monique Lillard: For his parents, because they now have a video viewing.

Monique Lillard: leads yeah Do you know where that would be.

Sandra Kelly: or who we know.

Monique Lillard: And I might ask debbie Reynolds I don't know if you even know.

Sandra Kelly: I might know Lauretta might know.

Monique Lillard: I will ask both of them.

Sandra Kelly: Right um it was just that the last part was so fast.

Sandra Kelly: Yes, I know that I don't remember seeing it at the kenworthy like you didn't accidentally get boxed up without stuff.

Sandra Kelly: So I haven't seen it there and I worked, you know we use that building as democratic headquarters.

Sandra Kelly: And i'm involved pretty involved with the Democratic Party and I spent a lot of time there and I didn't see anything there even clean the bathroom again I couldn't believe I got stuck cleaning the bathroom again.

Monique Lillard: That will rent a bathroom that's worth remembering and.

Sandra Kelly: So I don't know where it ended up that I would check with Lauretta.

Monique Lillard: I will do that I will do that, and that leads to.

Monique Lillard: Have any memorable weird crazy who knows what memories to share funny stories.

Monique Lillard: You know the any of your capacities.

Sandra Kelly: yeah Oh well, many I do in many capacities, but in the store itself um you know there'll be two things that really stand out to me and one I got to work on a board, where I didn't really know the Members.

Sandra Kelly: And that was great I mean I knew in.

Sandra Kelly: And that was really it and so getting to know Melinda and getting to know Lauretta and Kristen Oh, my goodness amazing people and you were there for just a titch while I remember the first couple mornings, and I just.

Sandra Kelly: To again it's a Moscow thing i'm like wow they're here are more amazing Moscow people how great is that um so I treasure that.

Sandra Kelly: And then again just the store itself, I love that backroom part and coming down the ramp.

Sandra Kelly: You know, and that cool Bulletin Board and the staff picks on the on the wall, the trivia question I always felt so good, when I knew the answer I never did when a movie, but when I even knew the answer that was a win for me.

Monique Lillard: I never do the.

Monique Lillard: hard.

: work.

Sandra Kelly: So.

Sandra Kelly: It just randomly helping people they had no idea that I was on the board or had anything to do with it, but.

Sandra Kelly: I love and people like Do you know anything about this movie and if I did I tell them and, if not i'd be like.

Sandra Kelly: No, but I can tell you that the guy over here the Clerk is really smart about that let's go ask him, and I would like go up and ask because sometimes people are nervous to do that, so those things, and they were fun and I love doing that kind of stuff so.

Sandra Kelly: I do miss that.

Monique Lillard: yeah yes yeah that's that's a good man i'm so glad you you put that in because I don't think anybody said it on the tape about the ramp going.

Monique Lillard: down.

Sandra Kelly: entered from the alley side.

Monique Lillard: yeah.

Sandra Kelly: And I often entered from the alley side.

Monique Lillard: me too.

Monique Lillard: yeah yeah.

Monique Lillard: Once in a blue moon i'd park in the food co op lot but that's a secret, you may not tell.

Sandra Kelly: well.

Sandra Kelly: You know if you're getting a food co op I took that is absolutely okay.

Monique Lillard: Well, I did too, but that I happen to say something to Melinda and I was like.

Sandra Kelly: No it's not telling you Oh well.

Monique Lillard: So not just rush over and drop my.

Monique Lillard: Alright, is there anything I didn't ask you anything else you want to say, and again if something comes to your mind you know if it triggers something, and you would not be alone I we can.

Monique Lillard: easily arrange another session.

Sandra Kelly: You know I would I do really want to say.

Sandra Kelly: Thanks to all the people that made it work, you know, and I don't just mean the staff we had some great stuff numbers.

Sandra Kelly: And boy they work so hard, especially at the end they I mean they also wanted to make it work right they worked really hard to do that, but.

Sandra Kelly: I mean people that were members and people that weren't members, he just used it thanks for being a part of that, I mean it really is a special place um.

Sandra Kelly: we're hearing stories i'm hearing stories that occasionally about like how there's one blockbuster left are there no more hasting video stores left you know they're going by the wayside.

Sandra Kelly: And those were all big box companies so to have our little independent movie House last so long it's because of the great people.

Sandra Kelly: And I missed that I missed the one world folks would pop over I missed the people you know, Casa Lopez or Mike is are all our great downtown stores that were just.

Sandra Kelly: pop in while after they got done eating or going to a movie you know, it was a really nice Community atmosphere and I just want to thank them for being a part of that, I mean from years ago.

Sandra Kelly: Right and to keep it going as long as it did gosh thanks for that and I miss it too I know we all miss it but look back on it and and be happy that we had that and that we weren't independent movie house and that's amazing in this day and age and.

Sandra Kelly: Again that's just part of what Moscow is.

Monique Lillard: that's great that's great thing to say okay if you'll stay on i'll stop the recording and as long as there's nothing else.

Monique Lillard: And then we'll talk for just a second.

Sandra Kelly: Oh, that sounds great alright let's see here.