Dave's Video LA going out of business?? (1 Viewer)

[Jeff Adkins]

Can anyone in SoCal confirm that Dave's Video in Studio City is going out of business? I've heard rumors from a couple of people in the last 48 hours. Supposedly, they are no longer taking special orders or trade-ins and they haven't had any new releases for a couple of weeks. I called there today and asked about Contempt and The Producers and they told me that they never got them in and wouldn't be getting them in. They told me to try Tower Video. Friends of mine that have gone in there say they've been told they're going out of business.
Anyway, although I don't live in LA anymore, I still consider it a big loss. I hate shopping at chain stores. I'll certainly miss them on my next LA trip!
Jeff

 

[Thomas T]

Funny you should ask. I was just there about an hour ago and it never occured to me to ask but ..... all the signs are there for just such an action.

Their stock is curiously depleted and they are not re-stocking and as you point out new releases haven't come in. I've been a customer of Dave's way back to 1984 when he was renting space in a VHS video store and selling the then "new" laser discs and I've watched as his business grew and expanded and Dave always has a big "Hello" for me whenever I run into him.

A sad day for the L.A. market but Dave pretty well had the niche laser disc market covered but when DVD came in and flew quicker than anyone imagined, I guess it was hard to compete with the big chains like Tower, Virgin, Fry's Blockbuster etc.

Still, perhaps they might continue but purely in the home video equipment area. I'll have to ask the next time I'm there.

 

[Kyle McKnight]

Just in case you're not aware, we have a Retail and Wholesale Vendors Feedback area.

 

[Daryl Stovall]

Just spoke to one of employees by phone, who stated that the future of the store is up in the air at this point.
Also mentioned that they will receive BTTF & Minority Report, but that's about it.

 

[James Reader]

If this is the case, then it will be sad indeed. Isn't Dave's the company who organizes Studio Days?

While I live in the UK, I always enjoy reading the Internet features after each Studio Day.

 

[Jeff Adkins]

Yes, Dave's is where Studio Day took place. In addition, they used to have several in-store appearances for DVD signings.

Jeff

 

[Daryl Stovall]

I got the impression (from the discussion) that studio day is a thing of the past as far as Dave's is concerned, which explains why ther was'nt one this year.

 

[gregstaten]

I hope this isn't the case, but I made my regular stop at Dave's when I was in LA on business a month ago and was stunned at how empty the store was - both in customers and in stock. They had a fraction of the DVDs they had just a few months earlier - and none of the more obscure stuff I was looking for.

Truly a sad event, but perhaps a sign of the times.

-greg

 

[Greg_M]

Dave's was one of a hand full of stores with a large Laserdisc inventory and loyal rental base. But Dave's shot themseleves in the foot when they sold off/eliminated their huge inventory of rental Laserdiscs (Many of which were never avaliable on DVD even to this day) Dave's was one of the first stores to push DVD and Kill laserdisc (very quickly and with attitude causing them to lose loyal consumers). I guess they never figured DVD would go on to be sold in every store (music, retail, gorcery, internet etc) around town, plus Blockbuster and such renting them (unlike Laserdisc's which weren't rented by most video stores) Plus rentals were cheaper at most other places. I'm surprised they lasted this long. I guess the HD-TV marketed never discovered Dave's.

 

[Carlo_M]

Ach! This is sad news indeed! I haven't been to Dave's in a while, but was just in the area for sushi yesterday and didn't stop by. Bummer! I met Frank Darabont there at a signing, and Dave's has always been great to me whenever I've gone there. :frowning:

 

[Mark Cappelletty]

I live on the Westside/South Bay area of town and don't make it to the Valley very often, so I don't hit Dave's as much as I'd like, but when one of my jobs was up that way, I stopped by nearly every day. Their prices are pretty good and, back when LDs were popular, they had all kinds of obscure titles.

I was up there about a month ago and everything seemed normal then (new releases, etc.). I liked the fact that they had high-end equipment to show off their titles-- you could actually see and hear the loudest and latest. Perhaps focusing more on hardware and less on software would be a way to help save them.

I usually shop at Laser Blazer on the Westside b/c of location (and they kept their laser disc rentals!), but if Dave's goes, it will be sorely missed.

 

[Mehdy]

No it was WALMART. Once they got in the price war how could daves compete with $10 for star war II. One found memory was meeting Rodney Mcdowell during the laser heyday-he was renting them at the time. I disagree with daves pushing laser out-as early as 2 months ago I saw them
taking lasers back in trade. I can still rememeber the first DVD's I every bought was at daves-blade runner and total recall early in the format. It was a great time back in the laser days when not everybody was in to collecting
movies-the True movie lover-somebody who would pat $100 for the aliens box set. When I went there two months ago I noticed stock was low-but I still found $100.00 worth I needed- For old time EVERYBODY should shop there One last time-then go back to WALMART

 

[Seth Paxton]

Well, having been to a Studio Day on one of the HTF meets I'd say this is very sad news. The place reminded me a lot of Indy's own Lasers Edge in layout and personality. And the Studio Day thing was about as cool as you could imagine.

It's a damn shame to see places like this that were there for all the vid-heads during LD get pushed out by crap-marts now. Going into a store like this just gives you a totally different vibe than dealing with Best Buy, etc.

 

[Matthew Kiernan]

I hope this is not the case. Although I don't live in L.A., I always visit Dave's (and Laser Blazer) whenever I'm in town.

Hang in there, guys.

 

[Jay Blair]

I've been a big fan of Dave's since I bought my first laserdisc player there in the early 90's (B-stock Pioneer unit) and over a hundred laserdiscs from them since (a couple used lasers were bought there just a few weeks ago), and I wasn't too far back in line at Dave's to buy one of the first gen Toshiba DVD players (the "Blade Runner" demo running at Dave's was what sold me on DVD after a less than a one minute viewing). My Pioneer Elite DV-37 was also bought there and is still my primary DVD player.

So, yeah, I'd miss them if they went out of business, but truth be told I've cut way back to only buying the very occasional used laserdisc or new DVD title from them. What I liked most was that I could pick up any title on release day no matter how small a release, but over the last year or so the titles I wanted to buy have often not been in stock, so it's off to the internet I go. I still hope Dave's can make it, but it's a whole new ballgame with DVD, and you have to wonder how they can survive in the DVD big leagues. I've also been hearing the rumors for well over a year now, including predictions of doom from one former employee (who left on good terms and has no axe to grind).

 

[Jeff F.]

I live about a mile from Dave's and was in the store last week to trade in some DVDs.

I was told that they were no longer taking in trades and noticed that their inventory had been cut to the bare bones.

Although nobody said it out loud, it sure looked like they were getting ready to shut down the store.

It's a shame, but they just can't compete with the chains since DVD went mainstream.

 

[Rick Blaine]

Dave's Going - Ohhh NOOO.
I began shopping at Daves when they were on Sunnyslope and exclusively in the Laserdisc Business. It was always a very friendly and warm place full of film lovers.
I have to admit I have been dividing my purchases between Daves and the Internet. I made it a point to purchase a couple of discs a month from Daves, just because I was afraid they would go under competing against the big chains and the Internet.
I stop in Daves weekly, I live in the valley, because their new release bank in the back of the store was the best place to check out the more obscure NEW titles.
They have been a little under supplied lately, and I have been forced to look other places for some titles, still I had no idea that they might go-away.
Stay with us DAVE'S LASER PLACE!!!
RB:frowning:

 

[Ted Todorov]

It's a shame, but they just can't compete with the chains since DVD went mainstream.

I hate to say it, but it is the fault of bad management, not chains. J&R in New York is certainly not a chain and does a *thriving* DVD business, and carries more obscure (R1/0) titles than any other store I know of. They help themselves greatly by having the best B&M prices in town.

Kim's Video also seems to be doing well by concentrating on R2/3/4 imports and cult films as well as selling region free DVD players. Both stores sell adult DVDs as well, which tend to have higher profit margins.

Bottom line: indy stores CAN survive: by offering a better selection than the chains (which is very easy) or better prices. They can even offer a better selection than *ANY* US based e-tailer if they start offering a good selection of non-R1 imports. It is their choice.

Ted

 

[Robert Crawford]

Ted,
Have you been to Dave's Video?

 

[Ted Todorov]

Rob,

I was there around Christmas of 2000 and was not too impressed: I didn't think their selection (DVDs & hardware) was anything special back then either. I liked the place, but it didn't match the exalted paradise I imagined after having read about it in HTF. At that moment the best DVD selection I had seen was in the Virgin Megastore in Paris.

Sure, Dave's was a friendly pleasant place (something that can't be said about Kim's for instance), but as much as I wish I could have gone to one of their in-store events, they clearly had room for improvement.

Ted