 When: Thursday, June 14th at 8:00pm Where: 51st Street Speakeasy, 1114 NW 51st Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73118 Price: FREE SHOW!!! A quiet, reserved florist find he bit off more than he can chew when the unusual plant he befriends gets a taste for blood! This 80's musical is a star studded classic that cannot be missed! This is a FREE SHOWING and we want you to come out and join us for a night of song and horror-comedy! We'll have drink specials and the Speakeasy's $5 Burger & Chips deal going on all night! We'll also be having a fun giveaway!!! Doors Open at 8pm / Show Starts at 8:30pm / !! FREE SHOW !!/ 21+ RSVP UPDATED: Images Added
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 - A Report by Sean Peel for VHSANDCHILL.net Born in the early 1980's, I was raised with VHS tapes being everywhere. My mom had shelves full of recorded episodes of Star Trek The Next Generation and Quantum Leap. Though it wasn't until 1993, with the release of Jurassic Park, that I would fall in love with movies. I managed to see that movie 11 times in the theater and for a 12-year-old, that's really saying something. Fast forward to 1998 and I started working at our local Video Update. It was there that that I knew I would love working at video stores. Nothing was more fun than talking with customers and fellow employees about movies day in and day out. There was a period when I was renting 6 movies at a time while I worked on my movie knowledge. I would watch nearly every movie that was recommended to me. Over the years I worked at Movie Gallery, Hollywood Video, and of course Blockbuster Video. I was there to witness, firsthand, the transition from VHS tapes to DVDs. Although I wasn't 'behind the scenes' in later years, we all witnessed the fall of Blockbuster Video and nearly the end of the entire video rental industry. However, even now in the age of internet streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, some independently-owned video stores still exist here in Oklahoma. I did a little research and, not including resurgence chains like Family Video, I found several independently owned and operated video stores still in operation around the state. So, my wife and I packed up and went on a little road trip to find and explore the Last of the Oklahoma Video Stores.  Our first stop was the closest in nearby Del City. We pulled up and found the Reel Deal Video Store open and looking ready for business. Once inside we could see that they had a nice mix of blu-ray and DVD movies with a focus on television shows. They had a large selection of previously-viewed movies for sale, included a few old clamshell family films on VHS! They also had the normal assortment of candies, popcorn, and sodas, PLUS some really cool store t-shirts in many sizes available for purchase. The owner, while a man of few words, did answer a few questions about his store. I found out that they have been in business for about 6 years, with him being the same owner. When asked "What made you want to open your own video store?" He answered with a shrug, "Why not?".  Next up was Video Magic in Madill. Although it wasn't originally on our list, we spotted it while we were passing through town. We instantly turned around to check it out! Once inside we could tell it was a little different than your average video store. Half of the place was devoted to a Tanning Salon! Inside the video rental section of the store we could see the place was hopping. It was the weekend and kids were running back and forth bringing DVDs and video games up to their folks and asking to rent them. It was a trip! I could see that they rented DVDs, blu-rays, video games but couldn't find any VHS tapes for rental or sale. One thing I thought was super cool was that they had a large selection of Digital Download movie codes for sale. I had seen this practice before at Family Video, but it was nice to see the rural stores doing the same. Another thing I REALLY enjoyed was their epic movie-themed carpeting all throughout the place! If only I could have that in my house! (The owner wasn't available for interview nor follow up attempts)  As our road trip continued it was my turn to sleep and when I woke up we were in Prague, and right in front of us was Flicks Movies & Games! Inside we met the most wonderful woman who's been running this place for 20 years! She was more than happy to talk with us and explained that Flicks has been in the same location and under the same ownership for its entire 20-year history. We spoke a bit on the fall of Blockbuster Video and the rise of digital streaming, but apparently neither of those things has really affected business out there. People have always come to Flicks in Prague for their movie needs. Unfortunately, the owner says that they'll be closing for good this year as they're needing to focus more time with family. This will be one of the stores I'll be making sure to come by again before the doors close forever. They rent DVDs, blu-rays and video games. No VHS tapes anywhere but they do have a sweet Lord of the Rings action figure collection behind the counter!  Our final stop was Perry and it was the largest of all the stores we visited. 2001 Video was originally opened in Tulsa back in 1986, though they moved to Perry in 1989. During the video store heyday, they had a total of 18 stores around the area. They've always been owned by the same owner, though the business was started with his brother in the beginning. He was only 18 when they opened their first store. The owner says they named it 2001 video because they didn't think they'd still be running video stores by the year 2001, yet here they are, still open and renting movies in 2018. They have a great mix of DVDs and blu-ray but what was most surprising was that they have shelf after shelf of GLORIOUS VHS TAPES! I made sure to buy a handful of choice movies before we left. I asked them if the fall of Blockbuster or the rise of digital streaming had affected them in any way and he said that it really didn't. The nearest Blockbuster was in Tulsa, so when it closed nothing really changed for them. He did mention that a local Movie Gallery had once offered to buy them out. He refused the offer and told them that when THEY closed down he'd be there buying their stuff and that's just what he did. He pointed over to some of their rows of shelving and said that's their old shelves right there. Interestingly, half of their store was dedicated to furniture sales. There was also a friendly employee there that we spoke to that told us that she had been working there for 20 years! She told us that they once shared their strip mall location with a Wal-Mart and a Lowe's, having outlasted them both. She said that back in the day they were renting nearly 300 movies daily! It's 2018 and 2001 Video shows no signs of slowing down! Personally, I'm not convinced that the few stores we visited are the ONLY remaining independent video stores left in Oklahoma. Some of these 'Mom & Pop' rental stores don't have much of an online footprint and I think that they like it that way. I'm sure that nestled in the small towns and away from the big highways, they're still out there. Every night renting out VHS tapes, DVDs, Blu-Rays, and the latest video games to the people that have always visited these bastions of the old ways. Somewhere, somebody is leaning over a counter still giving out movie recommendations to waiting customers and that right there brings a great big smile to my face!  When: Friday, June 1st at 12:00 MIDNIGHT Where: IAO GALLERY, 706 W Sheridan Ave, Oklahoma City, OK Price: FREE SHOW!!! Open to the Public Our FREE MIDNIGHT MOVIE series continues out at the Individual Artists of Oklahoma - IAO Gallery on Film Row! Teamed up with the OKC Film Society we'll be presenting the film that practically started the entire Midnight Movie genre screenings! Friday night, June 1st join us as we screen an absolute cult classic! This 1970 western adventure follows the path of bizarre characters and violence encountered by a man in black on a journey of enlightenment! Doors Open at 11:30pm / Show Starts at MIDNIGHT / !! FREE SHOW !!/ 18+ Update: Event Pics Added!  After a brief hiatus, we’re returning to the 51st Speakeasy for “Raised by Wolf Gods: A Hayao Miyazaki Art Show” this summer. We’ll be celebrating his revolutionary work through art, music, food and other live performances inspired by his films. Miyazaki’s stories, which sometimes deal with the tenuous relationship between nature and human progress, are often whimsical in tone. As a node to the surreal worlds in which his characters inhabit, you can expect thoughtful touches throughout the bar this evening. If all goes as planned, we hope to have micro art installations erected to simulate the experience of walking through an animated wonderland and promote full immersion. Miyazaki helped found Studio Ghibli, which is opening its own theme park in a few years. Since that won’t happen for a while, and we haven’t been to Disney Land recently, this will be our vision of a theme park. Granted, this will all be taking place inside a 21-and-up bar, so take that with a grain of salt. For those who can come, an entire city of unique artists will be uniting to bring magic to the bar for one night with James Nghiem and Mike Allen returning to work behind the scenes in support. FOR ARTISTS (UPDATE: SUBMISSIONS ARE FULL as of Feb. 17) Our makeshift gallery, as always, will be upstairs. Submissions for this show are now open. Any artist interested, please message James at robotsavescity@gmail.com. We will be taking a $10 flat-fee commission for every piece that sells this evening that we will donate to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. The rest of the money goes directly to artists so please adjust your prices accordingly if you’re an artist. Submissions must be completed and ready to hang by April 21st, the day before Earth Day. Please use email to contact James. He might be slow getting back but he’ll reply. For buyers, we accept cash the night of the show. We try to let all pieces hang until at least midnight that evening. After midnight, buyers are allowed to take home their art or arrange meeting times to pick their pieces up. The gallery itself will be decorated to reflect Miyazaki’s unique sense of style. We have a couple of months to figure out what that entails, but get ready. FOR MUSIC LOVERS We’re currently scouring the city for acts that match Studio Ghibli’s level of whimsy. We’ve been talking to a DJ who wants to mix hip-hop with movie instrumentals. We’re currently looking for cinematic-sounding bands or small-scale orchestras. FOR FOOD LOVERS Like the food in “Spirited Away” that turned Chihiro Ogino’s parents into pigs, our dishes will be delicious. We’re in talks with the kitchen and bar to see what we can come up with in terms of a special menu for the evening. FOR COSPLAYERS Cosplayers are always welcome at our events. What you do is living art that moves around a space, and we love when you come to our shows. SPECIAL EVENTS We’re still developing ideas for small secret shows around the bar. We’re currently trying to commission some sort of D.I.Y. ballet for the occasion. There will probably be a comedy show of some sort, maybe involving a Mystery Science Theater-inspired screening of Miyazaki’s Lupin adaptation. We’ll keep you posted on fun stuff as we think them up. LOOSE ENDS This will be eighth art show in our series, succeeding “A Night at the Bronze: A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Art Show” and “808s and Solid Snake: A Metal Gear/Kanye West Art Show.” The show is free but there will be a $5 suggested donation to enter. This is to help support the show. If you can’t pay that, if can pay some of that or if you would like to pay more, all of that is fine. We just ask that you enjoy the show and support the people who put it on as best you can, so that we can continue putting on shows like this. Again, you must be 21 or older to attend this show due to alcohol laws. Update: Event Pics Added!  When: Thursday, May 10th at 8:00pm Where: 51st Street Speakeasy, 1114 NW 51st Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73118 Price: FREE SHOW!!! Five bored, occasionally high and always ineffective Vermont state troopers must prove their worth to the governor or lose their jobs. After stumbling on a drug ring, they plan to make a bust, but a rival police force is out to steal the glory. This is a FREE SHOWING and we want you to come out and join us for a night of SHENANIGANS! We'll have drink specials (syrup chug??) and the Speakeasy's $5 Burger & Chips deal going on all MEOW! We'll also be giving away a poster for 'Super Troopers 2' SIGNED BY THE CAST!!! Doors Open at 7:30pm / Show Starts at 8:00pm / !! FREE SHOW !!/ 21+ Updated: Event Pics Added! |
