The DVD and VHS tape collection at Future Shock (photos: Future Shock)
Lets Get Physical: Future Shock Video
By Marielle Songy
At 2855 Magazine St. is Slow Down, a store featuring vintage clothing, sustainable fashion, books, art, and handcrafted goods. At the back, Future Shock Video is a video rental store encouraging sustainability and human interaction, asking consumers to be more mindful of how they spend their time and money.
Owner Eden Chubb, an illustrator, was inspired to open a video rental store while watching TV with her husband. Burnt out on streaming services, the lack of movie options, and rental prices, Chubb realized she would prefer the experience of going to a brick-and-mortar store and supporting a local business.
Chubb explains, “The shine started to come off when we couldn’t find certain TV shows in the version that originally aired. There wasn’t much of a choice.”
After learning about video rental stores in other cities and inspired by the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast and its segment 'Weirdhouse Cinema', in which the hosts discuss old, obscure movies, Chubb began working to create a video store experience here in New Orleans.
She began spreading the word about her passion for movies through screenings she hosted throughout the city. Fortune shined on her burgeoning business when she met a fellow movie fanatic who offered his Mid-City garage for Future Shock Video’s first location in spring 2023. Chubb began building her movie offerings, which include VHS, DVDs, and Blu-rays, by hunting through pawn shops and thrift stores, scoring finds on eBay and receiving donations.
She says, “Once word got out, people just started giving me stuff. People got excited and wanted to help and be a part of it. There were a lot of collectors who wanted to purge and donated videos to the store.”
Future Shock Video now has around 3,000 titles to choose from, and Chubb prides herself on having many selections that can’t easily be found on streaming services, such as Hong Kong cinema. While customers appreciate Future Shock’s lesser-known offerings, more popular movies are rented just as much.
She explains, “Obscure movies get rented, but I have no way of predicting of what people will want to come in and rent; it doesn’t seem to be affected by how easy or difficult something is to find. My favorite thing is when someone doesn’t know what they want to watch and I get to help them pick their perfect movie.”
Chubb sees Future Shock Video as part of the 'slow' movement, encouraging people to take a more deliberate approach to living and consuming goods. In a world where everything is available at the click of an “add to cart,” the slow movement encourages people to take extra steps and be mindful of how they acquire goods.
She says, "It's about reusing things and making a deliberate choice to go to a place in your community and have a human interaction."
Chubb notes that the slow movement puts money back into communities and considers the resources needed to obtain goods through other means. She emphasizes the massive physical impact of the internet on the world in relation to "fast" fashion and goods; more goods are being produced without what has been created being used. In addition, she wants Future Shock Video to be a place where people can meet other people and have a conversation.
She explains, “It disturbs me that we’re becoming a society that stays in our houses all the time. I’m an introvert but I like being able to leave my house even if it’s just to go to the grocery store. For me, it’s about making conscious, deliberate actions and forming memories.”
As the store expanded, it outgrew its previous post and settled into its current spot at Slow Down, which honors the same spirit of sustainability that Future Shock Video is working to encourage.
Future Shock Video operates like the video stores of yesteryear. Membership is free, and you can pay for individual movies with a credit card. Regular movie rentals are $3, and kids' movies are $1. If you don’t have a player, the store rents them for $7. When you're ready to return your rental, Future Shock video return boxes are at the store, at the Broad Theater in Mid-City, at Hey! Cafe in Broadmoor, and at Sea Cave Arcade in the Bywater. Simply drop your movie in the box, and it will be returned for you.
Chubb is excited about Future Shock Video's future and hopes that customers enjoy the experience of visiting a physical video store and renting a movie.
“At the end of the day, it’s a more fun way to pick a movie,” she says. “We have rare movies and some movies you can pay to stream, but the point is to go to a video store and talk to someone about movies; that’s something that feels good.”
Future Shock Video is open Friday from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Monday from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Click here for their website.
By Marielle Songy
At 2855 Magazine St. is Slow Down, a store featuring vintage clothing, sustainable fashion, books, art, and handcrafted goods. At the back, Future Shock Video is a video rental store encouraging sustainability and human interaction, asking consumers to be more mindful of how they spend their time and money.
Owner Eden Chubb, an illustrator, was inspired to open a video rental store while watching TV with her husband. Burnt out on streaming services, the lack of movie options, and rental prices, Chubb realized she would prefer the experience of going to a brick-and-mortar store and supporting a local business.
Chubb explains, “The shine started to come off when we couldn’t find certain TV shows in the version that originally aired. There wasn’t much of a choice.”
After learning about video rental stores in other cities and inspired by the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast and its segment 'Weirdhouse Cinema', in which the hosts discuss old, obscure movies, Chubb began working to create a video store experience here in New Orleans.
She began spreading the word about her passion for movies through screenings she hosted throughout the city. Fortune shined on her burgeoning business when she met a fellow movie fanatic who offered his Mid-City garage for Future Shock Video’s first location in spring 2023. Chubb began building her movie offerings, which include VHS, DVDs, and Blu-rays, by hunting through pawn shops and thrift stores, scoring finds on eBay and receiving donations.
She says, “Once word got out, people just started giving me stuff. People got excited and wanted to help and be a part of it. There were a lot of collectors who wanted to purge and donated videos to the store.”
Future Shock Video now has around 3,000 titles to choose from, and Chubb prides herself on having many selections that can’t easily be found on streaming services, such as Hong Kong cinema. While customers appreciate Future Shock’s lesser-known offerings, more popular movies are rented just as much.
She explains, “Obscure movies get rented, but I have no way of predicting of what people will want to come in and rent; it doesn’t seem to be affected by how easy or difficult something is to find. My favorite thing is when someone doesn’t know what they want to watch and I get to help them pick their perfect movie.”
Chubb sees Future Shock Video as part of the 'slow' movement, encouraging people to take a more deliberate approach to living and consuming goods. In a world where everything is available at the click of an “add to cart,” the slow movement encourages people to take extra steps and be mindful of how they acquire goods.
She says, "It's about reusing things and making a deliberate choice to go to a place in your community and have a human interaction."
Chubb notes that the slow movement puts money back into communities and considers the resources needed to obtain goods through other means. She emphasizes the massive physical impact of the internet on the world in relation to "fast" fashion and goods; more goods are being produced without what has been created being used. In addition, she wants Future Shock Video to be a place where people can meet other people and have a conversation.
She explains, “It disturbs me that we’re becoming a society that stays in our houses all the time. I’m an introvert but I like being able to leave my house even if it’s just to go to the grocery store. For me, it’s about making conscious, deliberate actions and forming memories.”
As the store expanded, it outgrew its previous post and settled into its current spot at Slow Down, which honors the same spirit of sustainability that Future Shock Video is working to encourage.
Future Shock Video operates like the video stores of yesteryear. Membership is free, and you can pay for individual movies with a credit card. Regular movie rentals are $3, and kids' movies are $1. If you don’t have a player, the store rents them for $7. When you're ready to return your rental, Future Shock video return boxes are at the store, at the Broad Theater in Mid-City, at Hey! Cafe in Broadmoor, and at Sea Cave Arcade in the Bywater. Simply drop your movie in the box, and it will be returned for you.
Chubb is excited about Future Shock Video's future and hopes that customers enjoy the experience of visiting a physical video store and renting a movie.
“At the end of the day, it’s a more fun way to pick a movie,” she says. “We have rare movies and some movies you can pay to stream, but the point is to go to a video store and talk to someone about movies; that’s something that feels good.”
Future Shock Video is open Friday from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Monday from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Click here for their website.
