Bookmarx, a used and new bookstore in downtown Springfield, Mo., is launching a video rental store, Mister Googorium's Movie Emporium, next March in a space at the back of the shop where an art gallery is currently located. The News-Leader reported that the name honors Googey, the shop's "dear departed store cat... combined with a reference to Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, a 2007 fantasy film."
In recent years, co-owner Joshua Arnett has built a collection of films he has found at thrift stores and estate sales, and "this newest venture is more than just to satisfy the craving of nostalgia... it's a way to bring back the exposure to new and unique physical media not controlled by never-ending options and algorithmic suggestions," the News-Leader wrote.
"There are things that have been lost in the transition to digital," he said. "I do think there's a utility in being able to go somewhere and find something that you're looking for or something that you're not looking for, or that we can kind of have a physical copy of something if it's unavailable in other places."
The selection at Mister Googorium's Movie Emporium will focus primarily on DVDs, but also include some VHS tapes. Video players will be available to rent at the shop as well. Although his pricing model is not completely ready yet, Arnett noted that there will be a monthly rental price that will be cheaper than streaming services. In a recent Instagram video, he shared the logic he has been using while purchasing films for the Emporium.
"I want there to actually be like I have something that you can't find online, so things that are out of print or more obscure, or things that you wouldn't just find if you're on Tubi or if you're on Netflix," he added.
After announcing his plans on social media earlier this month, Arnett told the News-Leader he has had overwhelmingly positive feedback: "Now I feel like I have to do it well. Having a bookstore, what it has taught me is, if I have an idea, I can just do it."