Movie Gallery in the P&C Plaza on Route 20 in Cazenovia has closed its doors after a quick liquidation sale.
Movie Gallery, Inc. filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy on Feb. 2. Part of that restructuring included the liquidation and closure of several Movie Gallery locations around the country, as well as the closure of Hollywood Video and Game Crazy franchises.
The Cazenovia location closed its doors at the end of the day Sunday March 21.
For local residents, what kind of options are there for movie rentals now that Movie Gallery is gone?
The first place they can go is their local library. The Cazenovia Public Library has a large selection of DVDs, with new movies added to the collection regularly. The Cazenovia Public Library allows one-week borrowing of movies.
The Morrisville Public Library and New Woodstock Free Library, both a short drive from the village, also have video collections available to borrow, and, along with the Cazenovia library, are members of the Mid-York Library System.
Besides local libraries, there many instant viewing options as well. Cable and satellite providers offer a number of new selections and older films as well.
NetFlix.com has long been considered the downfall of the video rental industry. While the popular online movie rental service may have hurt businesses like Movie Gallery, it is now a one of a few viable alternatives, offering rentals both through the mail and instantly streamed online.
After signing up, NetFlix users are invited to rate a selection of movies, television shows and genres. Using that information, NetFlix determines a list of movies that the user might enjoy. Movies can then be added to a queue, and are mailed out very quickly, often within one business day.
Plans vary; the most inexpensive unlimited plan costs $8.99 a month, with one DVD out at a time.
NetFlix provides return-shipping envelopes for free; as soon as they receive your return, the next DVD is shipped out. Other NetFlix plans allow for up to 8 DVDs out at a time.
Another NetFlix perk is unlimited instant viewing; users with a quick Internet connection can stream a large selection of movies to their computers or televisions, with the help of set-top boxes by companies like Roku or integration with Playstation 3 gaming consoles.
All this technology might lack the human touch of going to a store and picking out a video; for those who want that experience, perhaps the local library is their best bet.
But even though video stores are closing, there are still a wealth of options.
