MISSION — Off Conway, just past 2 Mile Road sits a store almost like a time capsule in Mission that holds memories of the community members that have come and gone over the years, and the films that gave joy to generations of families.
Movies that remind one of “Grease Lightnin’,” about whether it’s safe to go into the water, or even to dream, adorn the walls here at Movie Night in Mission, as “Grease,” “Jaws” and “Nightmare on Elm Street” not to mention several Marilyn Monroe posters immediately greet customers of this video store that keeps things old school but with new school flavor.
At least that’s the goal for owners Homer Garza, 56, and Jorge Lara, 42, who have operated the establishment for the last 12 years much to the delight of their customers, and to their own joy.
The idea of opening a movie store first came to mind when Garza saw his film collection at home. Amassing about 3,500 movies, he wanted to use that as a start and open his own business.
“Everybody thought we were crazy because, you know, Hollywood had just closed, Netflix was out and Redbox was on every street corner,” Garza said, adding that despite the negativity he was determined to open the store.
On Dec. 27, 2010, Movie Night opened its doors to the community.
For the next 10 years, they saw success with many people coming in to relive the experience of walking into a video store and browsing the DVDs.
“We put Blockbuster out of business,” Garza said jokingly. “We opened and two weeks later they closed.”
In fact, Garza explained that many customers would bring their children so that they could share the experience with them.
“Kids were coming in and experiencing a video store for the first time in their lives, some of them didn’t know what a Blockbuster was,” Garza explained. “So the parents would come in and say, ‘Yeah, when I was little my mom and dad would take us to a store like this and it would say Showtime video.”
His efforts to open a video store earned him popularity in a community that supported his ventures.
Now, the business that rented physical copies of movies long after Blockbuster’s demise continues to find a way to survive in the age of streaming.
It hasn’t always been easy though.
THE VILLAIN
The COVID-19 pandemic, as in many cases, created problems for the business and caused the store to close down for about six months in 2020, leading many DVD and Blu-ray devotees to learn how to stream. This cut into their loyal customer base.
“Video killed the radio star and COVID killed Movie Night,” Garza said at one point.
With stay-at-home orders in effect at the time of the pandemic, businesses lost many customers and Movie Night was no exception.
The store has also been navigating a new media environment with streaming services largely replacing physical copies of movies and shows.
But the owners have something they believe streaming doesn’t: sentimentality.
“Coming back from the pandemic, it’s just been the most challenging two years we’ve ever faced financially and trying to keep it alive,” Garza said with a shaky voice. “It’s been a part of my life, my entire life. So for me it was kind of like letting go of a family member or a friend.”
He recalled how movies have impacted his life throughout the years, from when home videos were first introduced, to the evolution from beta to VHS, to DVD, to Blu-ray and now to 4K. And he banked on this being just as important to the community as it is to him.
“My jobs all my life have always been in video stores,” Garza said. “It was always something I was drawn to and it was my fascination with movies. Movies are my passion so I always made that my way of living.”
FIGHTING BACK
Because this has been a major part of his life for so long, when the video store returned from the pandemic Garza and Lara would advertise the store as much as they could to restore the business they lost.
Granted, these efforts were made with little to no avail as they slowly saw fewer customers coming in. Garza said Movie Night rented out four movies per day compared to 150 per night in the past.
During this time they thought of moving to McAllen where there might be a larger market for a video store. However, they didn’t want to leave a community with which they had built a strong relationship.
For instance, Garza recalled when the movie store along with the Mission Police Department hosted a fundraiser to help those who had been affected by a hurricane in Houston.
They put on a live concert that gained the attention of the community and helped fill around six semi-trucks worth of donations.
They recalled another instance where they helped a retired military veteran, known in the community as Mrs. Helen, who lived on a bus without running water or electricity.
They held a fundraiser to help provide her with a better home. The community once again responded to their call for action and helped them buy her an RV that included a new TV and a Christmas tree.
“That was like the greatest thing we ever did,” Garza said with a smile.
Not only did they help those in their community but they also often hosted pet food drives to help the local animal shelter.
“We’ve done a lot of stuff for the community that brings the community together, and I think that’s been the most rewarding thing about Movie Night when people would come together like that,” Garza said. “Even when the world was falling apart everybody would come together at Movie Night to help solve the world.”
For Garza and Lara, these memories were something worth holding onto and motivated them to find a way to save their business.
THE NEW MOVIE NIGHT
When they were about ready to turn in their keys to the store, Garza had one last idea to save Movie Night.
“We decided to transition into something different rather than close the video store and lose it all,” Lara said.
They converted the video store into an event center where one could watch or buy movies, host parties and even have karaoke nights.
“This is the new Movie Night,” Lara said, adding that the store can host about 32 people.
Garza added that the changes made to the store is not the end of Movie Night but rather “it’s the evolution — the party room and movie night/diner.”
If the back corner of the room is any indication, the new approach appears it may be a welcome change. There is a “little homage to Movie Night,” according to Lara, that recreates the store’s earlier days and maintains its charm, with movie posters and rows of films on display.
“We wanted to preserve that as much as we could,” Garza added.
They preserved a 1990s video store culture many still long for, and successfully created a retro vibe that Garza believes is marketable.
“Vinyl made a comeback, cassettes are now, and VHS did. Maybe in five or 10 years down the road people will regret letting go of this,” Garza said, adding that streaming does not have the same effect as a video store.
For Garza and Lara, a video store holds more than just movies but memories that people have made.
In fact, Garza recalled a couple who visited the store several weeks ago who were celebrating their 11th wedding anniversary.
“They were sitting in the parking lot (because) they knew Movie Night was closed, but they wanted to sit in the parking lot because the very first night that they met they had a date and it was in that little room. We had it set up like a little theater,” Garza said, adding that the couple reminisced on their first date, recalling that a woman complained about them kissing.
“They met here, they fell in love here and then they came back here.”
It’s memories like this they want to hold onto and cherish. To also see children grow up into adults who come in and grab the same movies they did when they were young, from the same faces who serviced them, is a source of sentiment and nostalgia that this store hopes to keep alive.
“Don’t you miss it?” Garza said to Lara as he choked up and tears filled his eyes.
“The goal for Movie Night is to keep going until DVD makes a comeback so I can put my store back together,” Garza said with a laugh.
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