As you may have heard, on March 12th, we announced that without a miracle Le Video would be closing by May 15th.
We have been overwhelmed by the support we are getting from the community and are now feeling hopeful that we will no longer have to face this end. A plan is in the works to retain our full collection while consolidating it to our mezzanine. This will allow us to share the building with a brand new ground floor co-tenant and to create a more intimate space to share of love of cinema and do small screenings.
While things are looking fairly positive on the co-tenant front, that will not solve Le Video’s more pressing financial concerns. To relocate to the mezzanine we will need considerable financial assistance. Not only will we have to hire a fair amount of temporary workers to assist in the project, but we will need new shelving, storage units, desks, displays, computers and many other various items.
This is where you come in!
We have launched an online fundraising campaign with Indiegogo (click on
link to go to the fundraiser)
If we cannot successfully raise enough funds the future of Le Video, and most importantly it’s film collection, will be in jeopardy. Whether you are a regular customer or used us only once, we hope you will show your support for our store. Without us, thousands upon thousands of rare titles will cease to be available to the public of the Bay Area.
Please share the above link with your friends and everyone you see fit.
All the tools to do so are on the Indiegogo page. Get perks, make a contribution, or simply follow updates. If enough of us get behind it, we can make 'Save Le Video: a SF Film Institution' happen!
Le Video needs your support to help preserve our ultra rare video collection and to keep it available to the public!Who we are and what we are trying to accomplish:
Le Video has been a San Francisco institution for over 30 years, since the dawn of the video age. In this era of at-home streaming services galore Le Video's incredibly obscure catalog of films scoured from all over the world is on the brink of collapse.
Mounting financial pressures may result in our closing our doors and the inevitable loss of one of the rarest film collections in the Bay Area. But there is hope yet.
We want to turn this potential loss into an opportunity to reinvent Le Video and transform our space for a new rental era. Here's how we'll do it:
- Move upstairs into a new space that's better designed to help you discover new films and also, find just what you are looking for
- Remodel our downstairs space to bring in a co-tenant that's local, community oriented, independent and like-minded
- Complete the design of our new database and launch our new website making our collection searchable online (phase 1)
- Introduce small curated screenings
- Resume purchasing films from all over the World!
Why this is important: An analog video store may seem like an antiquated idea in these times, but not if you are someone who cares about choosing for yourself. It is not only our massive curated collection that sets us apart from streaming services, but also the sense of community and the benefits of social interaction. Algorithms can only go so far in helping you make new discoveries.
At Le Video each employee has their own personal interests and areas of expertise that are invaluable resources in aiding in your movie viewing discoveries.
Without your support San Francisco will have to say goodbye to the rare imports, the huge selection of LGBT films, the rarest of rare VHS that have never been released on DVD, works by local filmmakers, experimental films, terribly awesome 80s slasher flicks, countless rare studio archive titles and thousands of movies you may never see anywhere again.
But it’s not just our collection that’s at risk. It’s the tradition of the brick and mortar video store and the role it plays in film discovery, education and social interaction.
Your contribution will help keep Le Video’s doors open by going towards:
Labor: To fit into our new space we'll need a lot of help consolidating and rearranging our collection. Part of which means wading through 100,000 movies (that's a lot of stickers and data entry!)
Storage: A smaller space also means we’ll need an entirely new storage system for our collection. We're in the need for shelving units, storage bins and a ton of supplies to make it happen.
Digitizing Equipment: A big part of what makes Le Video so special is our collection of rare VHS. With your contributions we’ll be able to speed up our process of digitizing rare materials to make them even more accessible.
Furniture and Fixtures: Our new upstairs space will need new displays, rental counters, customer seating and computer stations for catalog browsing. A complete renovation is necessary to make it look extra great for re-opening. Our current back offices will also be completely transformed to accommodate the influx of storage.
FINALLY, ACCESS TO OUR COLLECTION FROM ANYWHERE:
We are closer than ever before to have our catalog available online!
Additional funds are needed to hire helpers to fill out gaps in the database as well as behind the scenes programming to make it as smooth an experience as possible.
With this project completed we will be able to quickly curate spotlight sections for local film festivals (Noir City!, SF Silent Film Festival!, SF Green Film Festival!) and new sub-genres like our Secret A-Go-Go and Ozploitation sections. So much opportunity will be opened with improved access to our massive collection.
We will also need to upgrade our woefully slow internet connection and provide WI-FI access.
The more funds we can raise the cooler we can make our new space: TVs so we can show off our favorite flicks, projectors for possible future small screening activities and most importantly even more amazing titles that make Le Video the destination it is for movie lovers.
Here are some nice articles that have been written about us in the past few weeks:
Great article via KQED:
HERE
From local film journal Cinesource:
HERE
For our French speaking fans via 'frenchmorning.com':
HERE
Great article via SFWeekly:
HERE
An updated version of our first article, via KQED:HERE
What's in it for me?
You mean beyond keeping this incredible cultural resource open to the public?
Just kidding!
We are currently adding more perks day by day. Here are some of the items on offer so far:
- DVDs from Icarus Films
- DVDs from Flicker Alley
- Films by various staff members on DVD
- DVDs from local filmmaker Paul Clipson
- Posters and DVDs from November Fire
Any Other Ways I Can Help?
Yes!! Please share this and spread the word! Post a link to this page on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ profiles! Anywhere and Everywhere! Getting the word out is a huge part of this. Just doing that is a very big help, so is posting comments on our Indiegogo page.- Share this information with other people. Don't forget to use the "Share Tools"!
- Go rent a film or two at Le Video
- Buy your DVD, Blu-Ray (we do special orders) and previously viewed items from Le Video
- Donate your used DVD, Blu-Ray, Laserdiscs and VHS to Le Video
