Business of the Week: The Video Forum, Now Closed

This article originally appeared on Patch. 

Yesterday was the final day in business for the venerable Video Forum, on Seventh between Garfield and Carroll. The independent video store, one of the neighborhood's last, had been renting their space on a month-by-month basis since their lease expired in December, and even though they'd been offered a new deal they just couldn't maintain the overhead. Business had been down for months, and a couple weeks ago they finally decided to pull the plug.

The Video Forum first opened its doors in the halcyon days of 1996, when mega-chains like Blockbuster were booming but there was still plenty of room in the market for local independent video stores. The owner, Jay, owned another store, Video Edge, where the T-Mobile store is now on Flatbush Avenue near Seventh, as well as Park Heights Stationers next door, which also closed recently.

The Video Forum was perhaps best known for its loyal, knowledgeable employees, many of whom had been working there for five years or more. I spoke with Sean O'Brien, who'd been there for five years and has a degree in screenwriting, and he lamented the loss of the person-to-person communication that brick-and-mortar video stores provide.

"There's a real benefit to being able to walk into a video store and speak to someone who can guide you to films that you might not have heard of or come across otherwise," he said. "Netflix offers suggestions, but it's not personal."

He was also sad to be saying goodbye to his loyal customers, many of whom had been coming by since the store first opened. "We had a real community of regulars here; it was a place for movie lovers in the neighborhood to gather," said O'Brien. "It's the end of an era."

"We knew it was bad when winter hit, that's when we first really noticed a change," he said. "Winter is the time when people like to stay at home and watch a movie, and it was traditionally when we'd have the most business. But if you don't have to leave your house to watch a movie, you're not going to."

Longtime employee Sean O'Brien, behind the counter.

They'd been selling off as much of the merchandise as possible since announcing their closure, with both tapes and DVDs going for $5 each. Their last shipment of DVDs came in at the beginning of March, and Sean had to laugh when naming the final DVD they added to their inventory: Jackass 3. 

Jay has decided to get out of the retail business, according to Sean, and will focus on managing real estate that he owns in the neighborhood. As for O'Brien, he's left with no choice but to give in to the new industry leader.

"I hadn't signed up for Netflix because all the movies I wanted to watch were right here," he said. "I guess I'll have to subscribe now."

The Video Forum, 133 7th Avenue Brooklyn NY 11215.

Closed for Business: Mama Rosa Latin Bistro, 669 Union Street

Zagat

All signs point to Mama Rosa, the generally mediocre Latin Bistro on Union Street near Fourth Avenue, being closed for good. 

The restaurant, which opened seven months ago and quickly entered local lore thanks to a maddeningly bizarre meal had there by Erica over at FiPS (and the resulting comment war), has been tightly locked for days, according to Zagat Buzz, and calls to the restaurant are diverted to a full mailbox.

King of Cupcakes Closed for "Renovations"

The King of Cupcakes, the shop that opened last October on Seventh between 4th and 5th Streets, is shuttered, with signs in their window saying that it's closed for renovations. 

The cupcakes were always tasty, but their prices were astronomical, leading to a generally negative attitude towards the place, which ended up being empty nearly every time I walked by. My guess is that it's closed for good, because all the renovations in the world can't lower their prices, and the store's layout was the least of their worries. 

Their website also mentions that "retail operations are closed until further notice." I've reached out to Sean Rich, the owner, and I'll let you know what I hear. 

Closed for Business: La Classique Boutique, 95 7th Avenue

It's rough out there for boutiques in Park Slope these days, especially the ones on side streets and second floors. Falling into the latter category was La Classique Boutique, which quietly shut down recently after several years in business on Seventh between Union and President. 

They had no online presence whatsoever, and that anonymity (along with rather generic offerings, from what I've gathered) certainly factored into its demise. 

Either way, add one more to the list of recently shuttered storefronts on Seventh, along with mainstay City Casuals, which closed last month.

Closing for Business: The Video Forum, 133 7th Avenue

Google Maps

One of the last independent video stores in the neighborhood, the Video Forum, on Seventh between Carroll and Garfield, is selling off all their merchandise and will be closing at the end of the month.

They were a relative newcomer to the scene, opening in 2000, but managed a loyal following despite competition from Fifth Avenue chain stores like Blockbuster (closing at the end of the month) and Hollywood Video (long gone).

That leaves Get Reel, on Fifth and St. Marks, Video Gallery, on Seventh Avenue between 8th and 9th, and Reel Life on Eighth and 11th, as the only video stores left in Park Slope, if I'm not mistaken.