On the main street of a small Saskatchewan town, appropriately enough in a building that was once a movie theater, lies what may be one of the province’s last video stores.

Earl Hayhurst has operated the Video Stop in Watrous for nearly 33 years.

“(I) love movies. Always have and always will,” Hayhurst said. “So I got into the real business many, many years ago. I still enjoy it, even though I’m not making any money anymore.”

Upon entering Video Stop, customers are greeted by its impressive collection of over 15,600 DVDs and Blu-rays that fill the space that was formerly the theater’s auditorium.

Posters from films and television shows hang on the walls and ceiling. The colours of some of the pictures have faded because they have been hanging there for so long.

The former lobby now houses a pastry shop, which Hayhurst tries to fill with unusual treats.

As customers browse the film collection, they are confronted with unique clues designed by Hayhurst: “An alarming amount of films about large reptiles” in the horror and science fiction section, for example, or “War is hell, but the films are excellent” and “Films so bad we can’t believe they stayed on DVD.”

WATCH| In Watrous, Sask., you’ll find what may be the province’s last video store:

There is even a section of Hayhurst’s favourite films – “You know, the ones people have never heard of,” he said, showing titles like Ed Wood And Over the edge.

Hayhurst’s own history with the building stretches back to when it was a cinema. He grew up watching films there and eventually worked in the theatre as a teenager.

After moving to Saskatoon, Hayhurst returned to Watrous and began working at the video store, which was then located in the cinema.

The company later moved and the owner eventually sold the business to Hayhurst.

But 20 years ago, Hayhurst had the opportunity to move the shop back into the cinema. After a lot of work preparing the space, he brought in his collection of what was then 6,500 VHS tapes and opened the shop.

Making video libraries accessible to new generations

Except that the films are now released on discs, renting films in 2023 will work the same way as it always has. A customer brings an empty case to the cash register and Hayhurst fetches the disc from his back room.

Getting new films on the shelves can be a challenge for Hayhurst, though. The days of being able to turn to a distributor are over.

Now he looks for new movies at stores like Walmart or Best Buy or shops online to keep track of the latest movies each week.

“Almost every year I say, ‘This could be the last year here. … We have a hard time here.’ But then something happens and it’s OK.”

Summer is a good time for business as more visitors come and visit nearby Manitou Beach.

“We have people coming from California, Oregon and all over Saskatchewan who have cabins on the beach,” Hayhurst said.

“(They) love that I’m still here.”

Some of the younger visitors to his store are probably seeing a video store for the first time, he says.

“They’ve never seen a video store before. They walk around and are kind of baffled by what they see. And they don’t understand it because they have no concept of it.”

Hayhurst admitted he never expected to run his store for this long, but he continues “because I’m stubborn. Because I love it. Because it’s cool.”

He’s now selling his old VHS tapes. And he jokes that he should probably sell his The Empire Strikes Back Poster for which he was offered “a lot of money”.

While the company may be in trouble, Hayhurst points to evidence of its longevity.

“I lasted more than 10 years longer than Blockbuster and Rogers, so here we go.”