The black-and-white exterior of Beyond Video on N. Howard Street looks like an optical illusion straight out of M.C. Escher. And that sense of disorientation continues with just one push of the business’ front door. Suddenly it’s the early aughts all over again, when renting DVDs and VHS tapes was still one of the hottest modes of entertainment.

From Erol’s to Blockbuster, back then, browsing the selection of the local video store was an event and an outing in its own right. And if you were lucky enough to belong to a neighborhood video store—such as Video Americain or Cranbrook Video—you would get to speak with actual cinephiles, real movie buffs who lived and breathed movies and could make recommendations tailored to your particular taste.

But streaming changed all that.

“Everyone was talking about how video stores were dead,” says Lake Walker resident Kevin Coelho, 44, one of the three founders and co-owners of Beyond Video. “I was never convinced video stores are dead. I think the business model of video stores is dead.”

Coelho, along with Remington resident Eric Hatch, 49, and Greg Golinski, 49, of Reservoir Hill, know a little something about that business model; they all met when they worked at Video Americain, which was at one time the destination for Baltimore’s cineastes. Coelho, who began working there in 2003, says things got trickier when he was promoted to manager in 2007.

“I loved working at Video Americain. It was one of the best jobs ever. But,” he admits, “the business side was very stressful.”

Between making sure employees had enough hours to make working there worth it, collecting late fees, and hoping customers would keep renting, he mentally took the job home each night. It was tough.

“I saw the arc of the business stopping—from having busy Saturday nights with three employees working to only one,” Coelho says. The traffic of people coming to rent went from a flood to a trickle. That’s when the three men began discussing if there was actually a different way to run a video store. When Video Americain announced its closing, its supporters held a community meeting. About 30 people showed up.

“The initial idea was just to try to get resources of money, time, and people to try to save one or both of their locations, because we just felt that Baltimore can’t be without this,” explains Hatch. “For various reasons, we weren’t able to pull that together. We sort of licked our wounds and started reconceiving from scratch.”

Video Americain’s collection ended up getting sold off in lots or at sidewalk sales. It was tough to watch, but Coehlo, Hatch, and Golinski understood the owners needed to make money back. “It was a good motivator for us to try to rebuild it, because it was really sad to see it go,” says Hatch.

But if these movie-lovers were going to make a go of starting a video store with staying power in the 21st century, they knew the old business model needed to go the way of all those VHS tapes—out the door. They decided to open Beyond Video as a nonprofit.

“If we removed the profit motive, it actually could kind of flourish,” says Hatch, who had gained industry experience as a film programmer, most recently for the New/Next film festival, after his years at Video Americain. In addition, they knew that having volunteers instead of employees would also help keep the endeavor alive.

“I didn’t want anyone to be stressed out by money,” says Coelho. “I didn’t want to hire anyone to have to do the books or handle payroll and stuff like that. I think it was important for all of us to go into this, at the bare minimum, keeping the lights on and keeping the door open.”

Based on what customers most wanted, they also ditched the late fees. “Everyone misses video stores. No one misses late fees,” quips Hatch.

Even though they wanted to change the video store business model, they still needed funding—at least for rent. But first they needed to gauge how popular their idea was. Sure, Hatch, Coelho, and Golinski wanted to believe that there were still people who preferred a physical video store to the endless browsing of streaming services. But then again, they’re all hard-core movie-lovers. Would regular moviegoers care?

They tested the idea’s viability by launching a three-month Kickstarter campaign in 2017, with the goal of raising $30,000. The crowdsourcing platform made sense because it’s binary—if they didn’t hit their financial goal, all of the money would go back to the donors.

“We sort of left it up to the public about whether or not we were even going to be able to do this,” says Golinski.

And they began crowdsourcing in another way—accepting physical donations of DVDs, Blu-rays, and VHS tapes. For a while, money trickled in. It looked like they weren’t going to make their goal. Then, out of nowhere and shortly before the Kickstarter was going to end, an anonymous donation of $10,000 came in. That rejuvenated the campaign and others began giving.

“It was kind of nerve-wracking,” Hatch says. “It was a photo finish.”

When the Kickstarter ended on June 20, 2017, the final amount they raised was $32,250. And now the co-founders had to actually do what they had envisioned for years.

“I was kind of like, ‘Oh shit!’” admits Coelho. “But I mean, I was excited.”

“EVERYONE MISSES VIDEO STORES. NO ONE MISSES LATE FEES.”

Once they reached their monetary goal, the biggest hurdle for them was finding the perfect space. Finally, they located their current space on N. Howard Street. Hatch says that the landlord was kind enough to give them a bit of an incubation period before rent kicked in. They built the space out with a counter and bookcases to hold the physical rental stock. Some they built themselves.

“The ones that are warped are the ones we built, and the ones that are sturdy were professional,” admits Hatch, with a laugh. He notes that there was at least a year between the Kickstarter campaign’s closing and the soft opening of Beyond Video. Over time, the 30 people who had rallied around Video Amercain narrowed to a core of six to nine people, called the Baltimore Video Collective.

“The process had gone on for so long that some people had moved, gotten jobs other places, gotten married and had children, and started careers that became dominant in their lives and other things,” says Golinski.

After a soft opening during which they tested out the rental system for friends as well as the Kickstarter supporters who helped fund the project, they opened to the public in December 2018. And except for three months during the COVID-19 pandemic when they, like other businesses, were require to close, they have been open ever since.

Here’s how it works: Beyond Video has about 275 people who have paid memberships—in the form of donations to the nonprofit—and depending on how much they pay each month, they can rent more or fewer DVDs, Blu-rays, or VHS tapes. (While the name Beyond Video is an homage to the VHS rental outlets of yore, most of the shop’s stock is on DVD or Blu-ray.) They generally have anywhere from 300-400 members at one time.

“We get students who go away for the summer and let their memberships lapse, and then they come back in September and renew,” says Golinski. “Over five years, I would say it’s been close to 1,000 people who have signed up,” says Hatch.

The two price points are $12 per month, which allows members to have three movies out at one time, and $20, which allows them to have six. There is no limit, though, on how many rentals a member can take out each month—just the number that can be out at one time. Newer releases can be rented for one week and older for two. As there are no late fees, the due dates are just a courtesy to other members.

“If you need more time, we’re pretty lenient with the renting. If people reach out to us on email, Instagram, or even call, and ask if they can renew, as long as no one is looking for it, we don’t mind renewing it for another two weeks,” says Coelho.

In 2018 when they opened, Hatch says they had a collection of about 9,000 movies. Today, that has ballooned to over 31,000. There are new releases (though this is not their bread and butter, as popular movies can be easily found online), staff picks, and a Criterion Collection Section, but the second floor is where most of the collection resides. This is where the Director’s Room is located, in which all the movies are grouped by director, starting with Chantal Akerman and ending with Terry Zwigoff. Besides featuring big directors such as Robert Altman, Wes Anderson, John Carpenter, and more, it also contains smaller, lesser-known names like Jim Cohen and Leos Carax, who have their own sections in the room, too.

Of course, they have a John Waters section. “He’s been in the store a few times, and he’s donated some stuff to us as well,” says Coelho. “John’s stuff always rents great.” They also have sections on Made in Maryland, Classic Cinema, Thriller, LBGTQ, Cult and Horror, Martial Arts, Foreign Films, Basic Comedy, Stand-Up Comedy, Romance, Drama, Action, TV Series, and more.

“SOME YOUNGER PEOPLE, THOUGH, COME IN, AND I HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO THEM WHAT A VIDEO STORE IS…”

Walking around the store on a Thursday night, it’s amazing to see how much they can fit into the narrow, attic-like space. The store feels more like a home than a business, with the TV always on and a window half-open to let in the breeze and the sounds of the neighborhood.

After browsing the “Store Favorites” shelf, featuring horror films with ominous titles like We’re All Going to the World’s Fair and DVDs with handwritten recommendation notes from the owners, two young women come down the stairs with a small stack of more horror movies. Their haul is illustrative of the perennially popular horror section at Beyond Video, which enthusiasts appreciate because it contains more of the obscure, home-video style films that can’t be found anywhere else.

“Cult is an oddball, sort of unclassifiable,” says Coelho. “We have stuff like Penitentiary, a prison boxing movie from the ’70s, and then we have Left Behind, the Kirk Cameron religious wackadoo movies.”

They say they’re always looking for DVD and Blu-ray donations, but will only take VHS if you can convince them why they simply must have it. Volunteers are also always welcome. While Hatch, Coelho, and Golinski all regularly volunteer at the store, they have full-time jobs, too. (As a result, the store has limited hours: Thursday through Sunday, from 3-9 p.m.) There are challenges, but their new video store concept is proving surprisingly sturdy.

And ironically, the very thing that drove these guys to open Beyond Video is also what’s helping keep them in business: streaming services.

“I think corporate streaming services are the best advertisement for us because they’re letting everyone down. They keep splintering and rebranding, and making constant moves,” says Hatch. “There are people who instantly get what we are and gravitate towards it. But then there are so many people who come in for one specific thing, and once they’re in the space, we’ve got them because there’s so much other stuff.”

And what age group tends to rent the most? Ages 25-35. Hatch thinks it’s because, “They still have a sentimental or practical attachment to physical media.” While Coelho says, “They’re also in that age group that was alive during video stores and like to be able to pick something up and read the back and browse. Some younger people, though, come in, and I have to explain to them what a video store is, which makes me feel fucking ancient.”

EAT

Dec. 13: 410 Empanadas at Monument City Brewing

Monument City Brewing, 1 N. Haven St. 5-10 p.m. Free.

If you haven’t yet tried the crispy empanadas from this up-and-coming food truck, this Friday is the perfect opportunity. A mainstay at city and county festivals, 410 Empanadas will make its Monument City debut with its signature bites stuffed with combinations like crab and Old Bay, spinach and cheese, and barbecue pulled pork. If you have room for dessert, try the seasonal pumpkin pie empanada and wash it down with Monument City’s barrel-aged imperial stout.

DRINK

Dec. 14: Highlandtown’s Winter Wine-derland

Seya CrossFit and Wellness, 3301 Eastern Ave. 12-5 p.m. $40-75.

There’s plenty of reasons to stock up on wine before the holidays: office parties, White Elephant swaps, and late-night gift-wrapping sessions, to name a few. Luckily, the first-ever Highlandtown Winter Wine-derland will fill Seya CrossFit and Wellness with more than 90 wines to sample on the spot or take home to wrap. Along with a curated tasting and discount bottle prices, this holly-jolly affair features a boozy hot chocolate station, pictures with Santa, complimentary gift-wrapping, and eats from local food vendors. Spring for the VIP package to enjoy a mini wine class with experts, charcuterie, and a local prize raffle.

SEE

Dec. 14: Under $500

Maryland Art Place, 218 W. Saratoga St. 6-10 p.m. $25-30.

This annual event is one of the highlights of the holiday season in the local art scene, with free-flowing beer and spirits, a lumberjack theme, and, most importantly, tons of affordable and original works of art. Now in its seventh year, this first-come, first-served art sale features works by dozens of local and regional artists, including the likes of Katie Pumphrey, Phaan Howng, and Peter Cullen. Browse through the downtown gallery to find a piece (or two) to purchase and take home, and then head down to the basement to watch holiday films and rub elbows with fellow collectors and artists.

HEAR

Dec. 13: Beyond Video Anniversary Party

Ottobar, 2549 N. Howard St. 10 p.m.-1:30 a.m. $3-5.

It’s officially been one year since an unassuming rowhouse on North Howard Street transformed into the home of Beyond Video, a crowd-sourced, nonprofit video store complete with a hypnotic paint job and thousands of titles on VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray. To celebrate its first birthday, pack the Ottobar to dance the night away to vintage soul, funk, and disco tunes provided by local legend DJ Mills. Stick around to snag Beyond Video merch, raffle prizes, and giveaways, and don’t forget to bring a few movies of the store’s wishlist to donate in exchange for raffle tickets and free admission.

DO

Dec. 14-15: Greater Goods Market

R. House, 301 W. 29th St. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Free.

There are tons of holiday markets to choose from this time of year, but this tried-and-true monthly shopping extravaganza has our hearts. After grabbing lunch inside the Remington food hall, spend the afternoon browsing through everything from handmade clothing to one-of-a-kind jewelry made by more than 50 local vendors. Bop along to beats by DJ Amy Reid (of GRL PWR fame) while you shop, and come back on Sunday to shop the exclusive mini-mart for a second day of shopping.

News

Theater Renovations on the Horizon for Arena Players

On Dec. 4, the Maryland Board of Public Works approved a $300,000 grant for improvements to the Arena Players theater—the oldest continuously operating African-American theater in the country. Designated for “the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of Arena Players theatre,” the funds will go toward infrastructural updates to the beloved local cultural space.

Hamilton Returns to the Hippodrome

There’s good news for those that missed their shot to see Hamilton during its first visit to Baltimore this fall. The Hippodrome announced this week that the hit musical will return in summer 2021, taking the Eutaw Street stage from June 8-July 3.

Visual Art

Necessity of Tomorrow(s): Future Histories

Filling in the blanks in the stories of our past can help us create a better informed future. Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of The New York Times’ “The 1619 Project,” will explore this idea alongside activist and art collector Pamela J. Joyner and Baltimore artist Zoë Charlton at this latest installment of the BMA’s groundbreaking conversation series. 6-10 p.m. Dec. 17. The Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr.

Current Space’s 7th Annual Art Market

The holidays are creeping up quick, but this annual market featuring dozens of local artists and crafters can help you find the perfect thing for the art-lover on your list. Meet the people behind the works and browse items from talented local creators such as Press Press, Dana Bechert, and James Bouché. Dec. 14. Current Space, 421 N. Howard St.

Literature

Book Signing: Lost Restaurants of Baltimore

Restaurants come and go so quickly that it’s often hard to keep track of what used to be where. Some places, however, stick with us. Stop by Eddie’s of Roland Park to pick up a signed copy of Suzanne Loudermilk and Kit Waskom Pollard’s exploration of the places and plates that helped build Baltimore into the food city it is today. 2-4 p.m. Dec. 14. Eddie’s of Roland Park, 5113 Roland Ave.

Music

The High & Wides Album Release Show

This rip-roaring group from the Eastern Shore is back with a brand new album, Seven True Stories, and they’re ready to celebrate with Baltimore’s bluegrass-loving crowds. Pack into Creative Alliance to hear live renditions of new tracks such as “Reverie” and “Real America,” then grab your copy of this DIY collection of mostly true tales. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 19. Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave.

Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon with Amy Reid and Infinity Knives

Catch up with Catonsville’s Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon post-American Idol at this full night of local talent. Settle in and enjoy the good vibes from electronic artists Amy Reid and Infinity Knives before Harmon takes the stage with dreamy tracks such as “Almost Heaven” and “Learn to Love.” Doors 6 p.m. Show 7 p.m. Dec. 17. Ottobar, 2549 N. Howard St.

Theatre

The Wiz

There really is no place like home. Celebrate ArtsCentric’s new space by joining the company for their first show in Remington, a fitting trip to the land of Oz with The Wiz. This retelling of L. Frank Baum’s classic tale featuring an all-black cast swaps out the 1939 movie’s show tunes for a soul, R&B, and pop soundtrack you’ll be humming all the way home. Dec. 13 through Jan. 12. ArtsCentric, 2600 N. Howard St.

Film

Beyond Video Anniversary Party

Celebrate your friendly neighborhood video store’s first birthday with a party at Ottobar featuring vintage dance tunes and tons of giveaways from cinephile favorites such as A24 and Criterion. A few dollars gets you entry to the festivities, but generous partygoers can bring in a movie or two off the wish list in exchange for admission and raffle tickets, as well. 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Dec 13. Ottobar, 2549 N. Howard St.

Those of us born before a certain year remember the idle pleasure of browsing your local video store, hoping the newest release wasn’t sold out, discovering hidden gems on the shelves, and buying sour candy at the register.

The passionate film lovers who make up Baltimore Video Collective certainly share those sentiments, too, considering they joined forces after beloved store Video Americain closed in 2014. After an impressive Kickstarter campaign, support from people like John Waters and Beach House, and collecting 10,000 titles from various sources, BVC is ready to open its new nonprofit video rental store Beyond Video.

Located on Howard Street in Remington, Beyond Video is using the modern streaming service model and applying it to its collection of vintage and rare VHS tapes, Blu-rays, and DVDs—ranging from rom-coms to campy horror to cult classics. The store’s founders include Joe Tropea, Liz Donadio, Scott Braid, Dave Barresi, Greg Golinski, Albert Birney, Kevin Coelho, and Eric Hatch.

As they prepare to open their doors on Friday, we spoke with Hatch (formerly director of programming at the Maryland Film Festival) about his love of movies, the origins of the project, and what makes this all oh-so-Baltimore.

Where did your love of film first begin?
Ironically, I grew up without a TV in the house, but my dad was, and still is, a big fan of old Hollywood movies—Marx Brothers, Humphrey Bogart, that kind of stuff. I grew up in Columbia and he would take us up to the Senator, the Charles, and places in D.C. to see these old Hollywood movies. That sort of gave me the bug. In my late teens, he relented and we got a TV/VCR, but strictly so we could watch old movies.

How did that passion translate into the opening of a nonprofit video rental store in Remington?
Well, it’s really a collective of us. A group coalesced one by one as Video Americain started closing. Initially it was to see if we could literally keep the store open, but that wasn’t viable. So we kept meeting over the years, looking primarily for a sympathetic landlord who would let us open another space. This nonprofit video store started forming in our mind. Things took a turn for the better almost two years at this point when we were able to start renting this space on Howard Street.

I know you got a lot of support from the local community. What was it like to see that outpouring?
It was very heartening to see the response on Kickstarter. Our goal was $30,000 and we ended up exceeding it. Looking back, I think that just the right amount of time had passed after Video Americain had closed. It wasn’t just nostalgia, it was a palpable loss. The hardcore cinephiles who were looking for foreign, documentary, and experimental things, they weren’t finding what they wanted online. They realized they had a broader spectrum at the video store. And maybe they realized that they missed talking to the people that work there. Sometimes algorithms on Netflix are great, but they don’t compare to the real world.

Do you think the younger generation understands the appeal of a brick-and-mortar video store?
Honestly, it isn’t taking a lot of work to show a new generation this world. We’ve done a low-key, invite-only opening the last few weeks to make sure we remember how to run a video store. There’s a wide sector of people coming in. The overwhelming majority are either people old enough to remember video stores and younger people who’ve never been. I think that’s actually how culture works. I grew up in the 1980s, so I had a fascination with the ’60s and ’70s. Kids that grew up in the ’90s or 2000s, they’re fascinated with the generation right before them. It’s a window into something they couldn’t have experienced before.

Talk about the unique model of Beyond Video.
The payment system is similar to a streaming service. You set up a recurring donation and you pick one of two plans: $12 a month that gives you three items at a time or $20 where multiple people can have have six items at a time. Once you’ve set up that recurring donation, there are no rental fees or no late fees whatsoever unless you’ve smashed one of our DVDs [laughs]. You hear about projects like this from around the country, but mostly it’s venerable institutions the have shifted to nonprofit status. All of them were pre-existing stores and they use the old business model of pay-as-you-go. The fact we’re building it from scratch and have 10,000 titles is unique.

How did you build out your collection?
The initial period we were accepting donations and we had a social media presence. We would take any commercially issued tape, DVD, or Blu-ray. And then, as things got a bit more serious, we did the work of laying out the collection, scanning everything in and seeing what we had and didn’t have. It was sort of this mental game of identifying where the holes in the collection were. That was actually super fun. We created a shared Google Doc and people started sending items we were missing from that list. Even though there’s something old-school about a video store, we’re using all the best aspects of the internet like social media and crowdsourcing to make this happen. I got a great response from A24, Criterion, and other distributors, who gave us freebies or big discounts. They loved the video store era, too.

Any titles you’re especially excited about?
I myself donated from my collection a copy of my favorite movie Posession, a 1981 very over-the-top arthouse horror movie that is only available in a super expensive velvet box. We’ve also had a lot of people donate a ton of out-of-print titles. But we want to be a full-service store. We have two floors in our store, upstairs there’s one room organized by director and then there’s another that’s comedy, drama, horror, and romance and those are very well-stocked with a lot of recognizable films.

What’s in store for this weekend?
Friday is going to be our first day open to the public. We’re open just on weekends through December and going to scale up in January and February. We’re hoping eventually to be open four or five days a week. On Friday, no balloons or popcorn I don’t think, we’re just opening the doors to the general public for the first time. I’m sure this type of thing could happen in other cities, but this has had a very DIY spirit that reflects the Baltimore sensibility.

For Scott Braid, the love of film began with his childhood video stores. Growing up in Perry Hall, the lifelong Baltimorean had a weekly ritual: scour the shelves, explore the horror section, and take chances on movies he’d never heard of. 

Years later, in 2000, he got a job at the eclectic Video Americain in Roland Park that cemented his fascination with cinema. He worked there for 10 years and claims to have learned more at the store than during his time at film school.

Eventually, Video Americain started to struggle, ultimately closing in 2014, at which point Braid joined forces with fellow Maryland Film Festival staffer Eric Hatch to form the Baltimore Video Collective. Now, with five other members, BVC plans to bring nostalgia back to Baltimore with Beyond Video, their own nonprofit video rental. Thanks to a push from Kickstarter, the store is set to open on Howard Street this fall. 

“Working in a video store taught me so much about both film culture and people,” says Braid. “They are places to share ideas, make friends, and learn.”

Beyond Video will feature everything from vintage and rare VHS tapes to Blu-rays and DVDs, ranging from rom-coms to cult classics with an overall goal of 10,000 titles. They also plan to include screenings, discussions, and workshops at this long-incubated project. 

“We want it to be more than just a video store,” says Braid. “We want it to be a community gathering space and resource.”

With such a diverse collection, BVC hopes to provide the kind of personal experience that streaming services can’t. 

“Like bookstores and record stores, video stores give people a browsing experience unlike anything online,” says Hatch. “There are films that were life-changing to me that I only encountered because video-store employees put them on the ‘house favorites’ wall. We want film-lovers old and new to have these experiences, and make these kinds of discoveries again.”