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Photo: Santa Monica Mirror
Fewer and fewer video stores are sticking it out. Now comes word, via the Santa Monica Mirror, that Vidiots on Pico Boulevard is closing April 15 after 30 years. The store was opened in 1985 by lifelong friends Patty Polinger and Cathy Tauber.
"It is no secret to our customers and the community at large that we have been struggling to stay open for the last few years," Tauber and Polinger said in an email on Monday. "Please be assured that we have done everything possible to continue our mission but it was not enough to make up for the precipitous drop in rental income -- a 24 percent drop in the last five months alone."
The pair is looking into some kind of non-profit status to keep their collection of 50,000 video titles together, the Mirror says.
"Our heartfelt thanks go to all our generous donors, who through online auctions and direct donations, have enabled us to keep our 30-year collection together. It has been a wonderful journey and we thank all of our staff, past and present, as well as our loyal customers throughout the years for making Vidiots a prime resource for Los Angeles film lovers."
