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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate NEWS NOW Good news for skiers ... Should women serve in combat roles? ... Flood watch issued for Sunday ... Good news for skiers ... Should women serve in combat roles? ... Flood watch issued for Sunday ... BUSINESS Ashland's Video Explorer is a survivor Comment By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Jun. 30, 2015 at 6:05 PM By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Jun. 30, 2015 at 6:05 PM » Social News The online streaming and mailing of videos has just about put an end to the 30-year old tradition of grabbing a movie and bringing it home. However, Ashland’s homey Video Explorer continues to hang on, thanks to friendly vibes and a vast array of engaging movies, many of which you’ve probably never heard of. It’s the kind of locally owned place where they remember your name, have a tip jar out to help pay the rent, keep prices affordable and are far from draconian about late fees. Laid-back and overflowing with tips on good flicks, owner Steve Lanusse says his shop is now unique in Ashland, since the demise in April, after three decades, of DJ’s Video. How has Video Explorer survived the onslaught of the Great Recession, as well as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and other non-store movie providers? “People like how we can recommend great movies,” says Lanusse, now celebrating the shop’s 10th anniversary in Ashland. “We get good responses on what we recommend. I order movies I know are interesting and unusual, like ‘Song of the New Earth’ and ‘In July.’ They are wonderful, but most people don’t hear about them.” Business is good, he notes, with June being 20 percent over a year ago, likely because of competitor DJ’s end. Still, rentals are about a fourth of what they were before Netflix. “We’re not going away, not in the immediate future anyway,” he says. “Usually summer is horrible. A lot of our customers are young and broke and they appreciate a $2 movie, including new releases. We have full TV series and shows like ‘The Simpsons’ and ‘South Park’ that young families like.” Customer Brandon Jones says, “This place is a must. I was looking for the independent documentary “I Am” and this was the only place I could find it anywhere. You can always find early episodes of series here.” Scott Garriott has been working at Video Explorer for eight years and notes, “We have more customers, while most towns don’t even have a video store anymore. There’s one in Talent. I don’t know of any left in Medford, just a few in markets. Blockbuster drove a lot of them out of business, then Netflix drove Blockbuster out of business. RedBox is around, with a limited selection.” The success of Video Explorer, says Lanusse, is about being “a neighborhood store with a homey feel. It’s a labor of love. There’s not much profit in it. We break even and make a small living.” In a biographical sketch written by Lanusse, he says, “I grew up watching old movies from the Golden Age of Hollywood, and was always into the latest movies, faithfully watching the Oscars and the indie films of the '90s, then branching into foreign films and in the late '90s and early 2000s when films like "Amalie" and films by the Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami who made 'The Wind Will Carry Us,' and other foreign films were exposing me to an alternative to Hollywood's formula-driven blockbusters. I remember walking out on several of these (blockbuster) films at the Varsity Theatre, feeling somewhat discouraged and found myself delving even more into the delights of off-the-wall and unpredictable low-budget movies.” Lanusse, a native of the San Fernando Valley, ran his video store in Cave Junction for a few years before coming here. At first he wouldn’t allow movies with guns on the cover, but realized customers wanted the range of movies, from action flicks to alternative think-pieces, such as "Saltmen of Tibet,” “Himalaya," "Once,” "Off the Map" and "Breaking the Waves.” Lanusse works five days a week and says his social life is centered around the shop and its location near Ruby’s Café and the Food Co-op. “I have had some of the best experiences of my life in this store the last 10 years," he said. "I have met people whose families have lived in Ashland for generations and others from all over the world and enjoyed so many interesting people.” Video Explorer is open noon to 10 p.m. daily at 320 Oak St., on the side of “the old Cantwell’s,” as everyone still calls it. They have up to 8,000 titles. Phone: 541-488-9317. John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected]. By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Jun. 30, 2015 at 6:05 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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