Community Corner
Beating Blockbuster at Its Own Game
In an era of on-demand movies and Netflix, Mokena Video celebrates 25 years on Front Street with its old-fashioned video store ways.
Mokena Video doesn't keep customers' credit card numbers on file. They don't pass out video cards to keep track of who rented what. Nothing is computerized, and all records are kept on paper.
"We're writing everyone up by hand, we get to know the customers, they don't have to have a card with them," owner and longtime Mokena resident Bob Braeunig said.
In an industry that once considered Betamax cutting-edge technology and now faces the encroachment of digital downloads, RedBox and the popularity of streaming sites such as Hulu and Netflix, Mokena Video makes staying the same look like the vanguard.
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The store at 11225 Front St. opened for business in November 1985.
Patrick Murphy remembers those early days.
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"When I was a kid, it was a weekend tradition for me and my two brothers to pick out a cartoon or kids' tape and watch it a million times until it was due back at the store," the Mokena man said, adding that his family's first VCR was a VHS.
The original Mokena Video could display its stock on just a few homemade shelves. Since then, Braeunig has expanded three times.
"We started off with 650 movies, and it took off within six months," Braeunig said. "I invested everything back into buying new stock the first couple of years."
He's lived in Mokena since he was 4, and though he at first aspired to owning a music store, the video idea seemed more profitable at the time. He staked out local video stores in Frankfort and New Lenox and counted customers in their parking lots before selecting a location in a strip mall across from Berkot's. But someone else got there first and put in a video store.
"It's a good thing that the other place didn't work out because it would have had its limitations," Braeunig said. "We got lucky with parking and a great location."
Limitations indeed. Braeunig said his vision was more library than video store, and it has worked. Mokena Video is almost academic. Inside, it's scholastically quiet, and the muted decor encourages customers to study the 6,500 square feet of aisles for rare movies and video games they'd never find anywhere else.
"We're lucky enough to be big enough to display everything we've ever had," Braeunig said. "It helps to own the building."
With the closing of the Mokena Blockbuster last month and the company unable to make its bond payments, the one time leader in video rental might face liquidation. In May, the No. 2 industry franchise, Movie Gallery, announced it would close all of its remaining Hollywood Video outlets, too.
But Mokena Video customers still rent by bringing-color coded, handwritten plastic tags to the counter.
Orange is for DVD, blue is for Blu-ray and yellow is for VHS. Yes, Mokena Video rents VHS tapes out of generic white plastic boxes. And if they prefer, customers can pay on return.
"The industry is changing rapidly," Braeunig said. "There will be a day when downloading will be the way to get movies. There will be a day when this business will not be relevant, but I'm going to keep it open as long as I can."
Rather than speculate on the longevity of Mokena Video, it is perhaps more appropriate to point out its impact: Murphy, a video editor and camera operator, attributes his career choice at least partially to the store.
"Mokena Video has definitely nurtured my interest in movies, which definitely had an influence on my decision to attend film school," he said.
Murphy doesn't think Braeunig has much to worry about when it comes to relevance. He points out-of-town guests to the store as if it were a tourist attraction.
"Mokena Video is probably the coolest thing in Mokena," he said.