Let’s say you’re not a fan of indie rock festivals, bicycling in groups or DIY crafting events. Or maybe you had too much fun the night before and want to stay in a cold, dark place for 90 per cent of your day. Well, have I got just the thing for you. You need to rediscover your local video store. What’s that you say? You don’t have one? Don’t fret! I’ll lend you mine: Bogie’s Casablanca Video on 4th.

You should go to here.

Video stores are a dying scene these days, along with independent movie theatres. Which means you should probably just forget about those crappy big-wig online movie houses and go local. I can guarantee those crap houses don’t have half of the selection Bogie’s Casablanca does. And while your at it, you should probably stop downloading illegally, because your hard drive is going to crash and you really need to stop making love to your computer and get some fresh air or something.

Not only is the selection at Bogie’s super-fantastic, but the customer service is spectacular. I’m pretty sure those crappy big-wig online movie houses won’t engage you in delightful conversation while you’re choosing your rental or recommend videos based on a real person’s opinion as opposed to auto-generated-computron calculations of movies you would like based on math. Gross. And didn’t we just discuss leaving your computer alone?

This is Kevin, he works at Bogie's and won't judge you for renting crap!

Lucky for us, our city has places like Bogie’s and Casablanca in Marda Loop where you can find a whole wall dedicated to documentaries, cult films and a section organized by Director. Whaaaat??? They don’t require a whole lot of commitment or coolness to sign up and they won’t even judge you if you rent something with Renee Zellweger in it, that’s just how nice they are. And if you’d like to go to the store prepared, read what Sarah Pynoo our resident film expert has to say.

Even if you live in the far north or the deep south, these stores are two of Calgary’s long standing gems, that you should really discover and help keep local business alive.