Elle Cota, Spectrum Editor
While streaming services have made movies and music more accessible than ever, Richmond’s physical-media stores offer something a digital library cannot: a tangible connection to movies and music that can be displayed and collected.
Cody Denzler, owner of Monster Video and Cut and Run Vintage, designed Monster Video’s store to resemble a traditional video rental shop, with shelves primarily devoted to VHS tapes. The store also carries DVDs, Blu-rays, Betamax tapes and LaserDiscs.
After hosting a VHS themed pop-up at Shop Two Three, a collaboration with Studio Two Three, last September, he decided to turn the concept into a permanent business.
“A lot of it is just stuff I’ve collected for years,” Denzler said.
Although the store currently operates as a retail business, Denzler plans to eventually offer rentals. The store’s inventory pricing is based on supply and demand, taking in consideration how common or rare a title is.
Physical movies offer something that streaming cannot, from artwork and packaging to the permanence of owning a copy, according to Denzler.
“It was a whole part in addition to not only the movie itself on film, but actually how it’s packaged and sold, which when you look at streaming, you just don’t really get that,” Denzler said.
Denzler does not view physical and digital media as mutually exclusive. He still uses streaming services and believes there is value in maintaining a healthy balance between the two.
Monster Video is located at 207 N. Third St. Denzler keeps his Instagram regularly updated at @monstervideorva to announce new titles, VCRs and other items.
Wax Moon offers another version of physical-media, carrying records, CDs, cassettes, VHS tapes, DVDs, Blu-rays and LaserDiscs. Located at 3007 W. Clay St.
Graham Kirk, an employee, has been collecting CDs, DVDs and other forms of media long before working at Wax Moon.
Much of the store’s inventory comes from customers, but also works with distributors and searches other stores for unusual finds.
The store is particularly known for niche genres, including unusual subgenres of metal, electronic music and soundtracks including breakbeats, drums and bass and downtempo music, according to Kirk.
Vinyl records offer an especially large canvas for artwork compared with CDs, while formats such as VHS can become part of a room’s visual collection, according to Kirk.
“I think a big part of it is just the action of being able to hold it and just look at it,” Kirk said.
Kirk began collecting CDs as a child, eventually expanding into DVDs and inexpensive horror movies. One of his favorite discoveries is the album “Ride with Death” by Speedwolf, which he originally noticed because of its artwork.
Discovering music and movies is part of what makes collecting physical media worthwhile, Kirk said. A random album or movie can become a favorite simply because it happened to catch someone’s attention on a shelf.
In the same realm of genres, Bobby Egger, owner of Vinyl Conflict Records, has watched Vinyl Conflict Records grow from its punk, metal and hardcore roots into a much broader collection.
Music has the ability to change the mood and atmosphere of a moment, either heard on its own or part of a movie, according to Egger.
Vinyl Conflict opened in 2008 as an alternative to Plan 9, an indie record store in Richmond. Egger took over the store in 2012, and oversaw its move downtown to 300 E. Grace St. in 2022.
“We went from being only specialized in that to having one of the biggest selections probably on the East Coast, if not, the U.S.,” according to Egger.
One of the largest used collections Egger has purchased contained about 6,000 pieces.
The store now carries classic rock, jazz, hip-hop, reggae, world music, techno, R&B and other genres while maintaining its focus on heavier music.
“I’m always looking for things that are just kind of like a little different, or styles of music that I like that I think aren’t either represented on the shelf or something I need to restock,” Egger said.
Vinyl Conflict’s inventory comes from customers, independent artists, record labels and distributors, while its relationships with local bands provide another way for musicians to sell their work, Egger said.
“When you’re coming in here and supporting us, we’re turning around and giving that money to dozens of independent, hundred of independent artists,” Egger said.
Egger also sees collecting as an opportunity to explore music beyond familiar favorites.
There are still records and other pieces of media Egger wants to find, particularly more obscure and difficult to find material.
As listeners become more familiar with music, people’s standards and perspectives change, Egger said.
“Get something that you maybe wanted to get into,” Egger said. “Do and challenge yourself a little bit.”
Egger emphasized that collecting physical media does not have to be expensive. Before buying $20 or $30 records, get a $1 album to check out the music.
The point of collecting is ultimately to engage with the music rather than simply own it, according to Egger.