The (Mis)Adventures of a VHS Hunter
It all started two years ago . . .
I was visiting family in the great state of Oregon and the local Mom & Pop video store closed. They were selling off all of their DVDs and VHS tapes. Even though I was out of work and money was an issue, I couldn’t help myself. I stepped in the door, died, and found VHS heaven! I had no idea they had so many cool flicks! Of course they didn’t . . . See there’s a company based in Vancouver, WA called Movie Movers. They have two stores in Vancouver and they go around the Pacific Northwest helping stores liquidate their stock & bring some of their own. They purchase the entire store’s stock and then sell it dirt cheap, still making a nice profit. I bought myself an armful of tapes, promising I would someday go all the way up to Vancouver to uncover the treasures held within their doors. Fast forward to a few months ago. I loaded up the kids and the wife and made the nearly 700 mile trip to the in-laws house on the Oregon coast. I had one thing on my mind: Movie Movers - I had to go! After resting up for a couple of days, I set out on the only day there was no rain forecast that whole week. I hopped in our borrowed SUV gas-guzzler from hell (keep in mind that was during the recent peak of gas prices!), setting out on my 3.5 hour drive to Xanadu. The first leg of the journey on twisting, turning two-lane roads, the SUV rolling one way and then the other: me, white-knuckling the wheel the whole way. The second I was out of the curving roads, about an hour into my trip, my lead foot got the better of me and I was nailed by a state trooper within minutes. He actually had to slam on his brakes as he was traveling the opposite direction and tear ass over to the other side to get me. $190 ticket. Not a good way to start a trip, let me tell you. Honestly, I almost turned tail at this point, figuring it just wouldn’t be worth it. I closed my eyes, gathered my resolve, and continued my quest. I hung a left on the I-5 and was on my way. I traveled through Eugene, Salem, beautiful Portland, the Washington border and finally arrived. 3.5 hours of driving, two years of waiting, and I had arrived. I walked in the door, palms sweating, gut full of butterflies -- and my heart sank. Inside the small store stood a VHS collection with a great selection but horrible prices! I paid $1 a movie 2 years prior and now all the tapes were $5+.
