For nearly 40 years, Top Hat Video has been serving its community by allowing customers to rent videos and bond over movies. But now, the business has decided to shut its doors with the increasing popularity of digital movie services.
Bountiful’s iconic video store will close its doors for good by the end of the year, making December 31, 2022 its final day for video rentals. A social media post made by the company reveals that all employees are saddened by the store’s closing, but thanked the community for their support and friendship over the past several decades.
The company says that their customer’s support and loyalty has meant the world to them and that they as a business have always strived to sell their patrons an experience rather than the latest new release. For years, Top Hat Video has been known to sell older classic movies, foreign films, and often hard-to-get movies.
Following the pandemic and the increasing popularity of streaming services, the need for physical media-related stores fell drastically, even lower than when streaming services like Netflix closed down stores like Blockbuster.
Employees including Cade Handley, who has worked with Top Hat for over four years, commented on the closing of the store saying that the store has been a big part of people’s lives. Handley’s mother bought the store in May 2020 after Top Hat was originally going to close after originally being owned by the Earl family since 1983.
Customers were also disheartened by the news, sharing their stories of traditions and how the store felt like home away from home. Several customers say that even though it’s much easier to watch an on-demand movie, there’s a special feeling behind visiting a classic video store and renting something physical.
