Of the roughly 600 video rental stores left in the United States and less than a handful in Kentucky, Owensboro is home to one. Star Trax Video and Tanning has been a staple on East 4th Street since 1994, still occupying what was once Wyndall’s Foodland.
While the building is past its prime and doesn’t possess the charm it once did, store manager Steve Grimes refuses to join Blockbuster and Family Video in the history books. So, though Redbox and streaming platforms continue to increase in popularity, Star Trax has somehow managed to weather the storm.
There’s some pun there, too, as the building — which houses thousands and thousands of films in various formats — was hit by the treacherous ice storm of 2009. Despite the building’s shortcomings, the nostalgia is still there, creating a social experience with tangible media that streaming services struggle to replicate.
Owner Jim Tong launched Star Trax in 1985 by renting videos in various grocery and convenience stores. He and his sister grew it to 5 physical locations before gradually closing their doors in the early 2000s, leaving only the one on 4th Street, right next to Wyndall’s Wonder Whip.
“I started here in 1997 before I took over as manager, and I know then, there were between 15 and 20 video stores in town,” Grimes said. “Our business has completely changed. We specialized solely in new-release rental movies and video games when I first started. Now, we’re more focused on sales.”
During the ’90s, when the video rental market was booming, Grimes said rentals accounted for 95% of their business, while sales only accounted for 5%. And while they haven’t raised their rental prices since 1997, market trends have forced them to flip their business model.
“Now, we’re like a movie collecting place. We still rent them and get the newest titles and rent them for far cheaper than our competitors,” he said. “We have upwards of 10,000 titles. People just aren’t renting anymore. It’s more about catering to movie collectors.”
While vinyl and retro video game sales are at an all-time high, Grimes said the same isn’t true for traditionally formatted films. He’s hanging on to his collection though, in hopes of a similar trend.
He’s slowly noticing it with their current top seller: horror films on VHS, thanks to the many dedicated collectors. Ironically, he said during their booming years when renting was the norm, they would receive complaints that they had too many horror films.
“We’ve evolved, and we’re hanging on,” Grimes said. “Horror movies are the most popular thing, not just because it’s October; they’re the most popular year-round. I used to have to defend the large selection of them, and now, it’s practically the only thing anyone comes in here for.”
The store also offers tanning bed services and features many vinyl records, books, posters, CDs, and more.
To enter one of the many free giveaways or to learn more about the store, check it out on Facebook here.
“Star Trax Video and Tanning stopped making sense a long time ago, but we’re still getting new movies and music daily,” Grimes said. “If we don’t have what you’re looking for, we can order almost anything. We hope to see you soon.”
