Video Connections on both North and South Main Street took down their company’s name on March 5 to replace it with another: Movie Gallery.
Movie Gallery, a movie rental chain based in Alabama, bought the name “Video Connection” on Aug. 20 of last year. Almost every Video Connection in northwest Ohio now carries the Movie Gallery name.
Though the purchase was made about seven months ago, neither store had a Movie Gallery sign until March, according to John Barringer, assistant manager of the Movie Gallery at 1107 S. Main St.
“That’s why we just (recently) made the change,” Barringer added.
However, not every Video Connection in the state changed its name to Movie Gallery. Because Movie Gallery owns the Video Connection name, stores have the option of keeping the title.
Also, Movie Gallery didn’t buy every Video Connection in Ohio. The former owners of the video retailer still own a few stores.
These remaining locations, however, have changed their names. For example, at least five former Video Connections in located Sidney, St. Marys, Freemont, Tiffin and Piqua, Ohio now go by “Video Max.”
Store names are not the only things that have changed.
New releases are much easier to find now, according to Melissa Riehl, manager of the video store on North Main Street since October 2000. “And if we don’t have something we can put it on a list and try to order it – we couldn’t do that before.”
Joy Whitman, a clerk at the same store since before the change, described the increased selection: “When ‘Legally Blonde’ came out, we had (so many) copies,” she said. “Video Connection would’ve only given us a few.”
There are more specials now too. Customers earn points with every rental, Barringer said. “After 12 points, you’re in the Real Players Club, and you get a free rental.”
Though there are new deals, new owners and new logos out front and on the movie boxes, not much else has changed, according to Riehl.
The switching of owners didn’t result in a change of staff – many employees from each store remained afterward, including Riehl and Whitman.
“Mostly everybody from before is still here,” Riehl added.
Movie Gallery also bought nine other video stores in the south and one in Indiana just as it was purchasing 14 of Ohio’s Video Connections and two more in Michigan.
None of the employees knew why Video Connection’s former owners sold the chain. Movie Gallery’s district manager, Janice Carter, was unavailable for comment.
Movie Gallery was formed in Dothan, Ala., in 1985. Now, the chain is the third largest video retailer in the United States, with over 1080 stores in 32 states.
The chain rents and sells VHS, DVD and video games, including used ones. To order products online, visit www.movie gallery.com.
