What to know
- Bay Street Video marked its 33rd anniversary this weekend and continues to grow its collection, now offering about 40,000 DVDs, nearly 10,000 Blu-rays, 1,000 4K UltraHD discs for rent, and up to 15,000 titles for sale.
- The store says young people are driving a resurgence in physical media, with film students, young families, and young customers seeking movies that aren’t always available on streaming platforms.
- The manager says many are frustrated by rising subscription costs, disappearing titles, and algorithm-driven recommendations, preferring the permanence and intentionality of physical media.
- While streaming services dominate how Canadians watch content, Bay Street Video says demand for DVDs has continued to grow in recent years, defying expectations that physical media would disappear.
- Staff recommendations, active social media content, and a focus on personal connections with film lovers have helped Bay Street Video attract new customers and remain relevant after more than three decades.
In an era of streaming services, Toronto’s largest DVD retail store is showing that young people still care about physical media.
In the heart of Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood is Bay Street Video, the keeper of the city’s largest DVD collection, with thousands of DVDs. Blu-rays and 4K UltraHDs up for rental and purchase.
The store has been a staple for film aficionados of all movie tastes for decades, celebrating 33 years of history over the weekend.
Brendan Whelton, who is an independent film producer and has been working as the store’s manager for 10 years, tells Now Toronto Bay Street Video started as a different video store, and was eventually taken over by the property manager, who renamed and restructured the business.
Since then, the store has seen only three different managers, who have led the business through the ups and downs in the industry, as digital media appeared to take over.
“It’s been really rewarding to see the store grow despite all conventional wisdom and everyone saying that physical media is dead and no one has a DVD player anymore, and I love proving people wrong,” Whelton said.
33 years later, the catalog keeps growing
Despite the rise in streaming services, Whelton says Bay Street Video has seen impressive growth over the last few years in both clientele and catalog.
According to him, the store currently holds about 40,000 DVDs, just under 10,000 Blu-rays, and 1,000 4K UltraHD discs for rent, in addition to about 12,000 to 15,000 titles for sale, and the collection keeps growing.
“We really want to be a place where [you] can get what you need.”
Since Netflix launched its on-demand streaming service back in 2007, followed by other platforms like CraveTV in 2014, interest in consuming film and TV digitally has been growing to the point of becoming the new normal.
According to a report by Rogers Sports & Media published last month, about 26.6 million people aged over 18 consume ad-supported video streaming in Canada, while millions of others pay for subscription services.
The rise in streaming services has significantly changed the industry, leading several physical media companies to close their doors across the city, including popular chain Blockbuster, which closed permanently in 2011 followed by Rogers Video in 2012.
Despite the industry’s apparent decline, Bay Street Video has managed to stay afloat and thriving. Whelton says the store has seen an influx in new customers, especially young people, from film students to young families.
“We’ve had a big influx of new members the last year or so, which has been really great to see a lot of young people. We’ve always had a really good relationship with film students…Young families, people who have young kids and they want to show their kids stuff that they grew up with,” he said.
Why are young people still buying DVDs?
In an era where many say the DVD industry is dead, the manager said more young people are actually turning back to physical media.
Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, Whelton said many started to realize the limitations of streaming services, including having their favourite movies and shows removed from streaming or having to manage multiple expensive subscriptions to enjoy them.
“In June or Juneish 2020, the license that Netflix had for Mad Men expired, and so we had a huge influx of people being like, ‘What do I need to rent?’ ‘Do you guys have seasons five, six, and seven of Mad Men?’ ‘I need the last five episodes of Mad Men,’” he said.
On top of that, Whelton said many people are now looking for that feeling of nostalgia and security that physical media has to offer over streaming services.
“With everything going on in the world, I think people appreciate the tangibility of physical media, being able to just pull something off the shelf,” he said.
“Young people are pretty savvy. I think they are frustrated at the world that’s been handed to them…They’re just sort of being fed this algorithm and limited selection, and there’s a novelty towards it, but they do appreciate a physical object that [they] have control of that no one can take away from [them].”
In addition to the security of having the DVD available at any time, Whelton said physical media also offers more intentionality.
Instead of spending hours browsing through streaming service catalogs and ending up watching the same show, by renting or buying a DVD, the manager said people are more likely to intentionally watch new things.
“It’s a great way to develop your own taste, not have your sort of taste dictated towards you, dictated to you by an algorithm or you know language model. That it’s more curated, it’s more personal, and I think young people appreciate that kind of personal connection,” he added.
Bay Street Video uses personal recommendations, social media strategies
Despite the resurgence in physical media interest, Bay Street Video has also implemented strategies to grow its client base.
Since taking over as manager, Whelton said he has been working to include personality behind the store’s offerings, including adding a dedicated section for staff picks based on workers’ interests.
“You come in and you’re like, ‘Oh, Sylvia really likes this one. Sylvia really has great taste in docs. So, we’re going to watch this doc, it is probably pretty good. I’m going to rent that,’” he said.
In addition, he has also been creating more video content for Bay Street Video’s social media platforms, including videos with movie overviews by staff or new arrival announcements.
“We’re just trying to introduce a bigger sense of community into the film scene in Toronto, which is a film scene that has a great sense of community, and I think they recognize that… A real [one] real recognizes real [one.]”
Bay Street Video is located at 1172 Bay St., and shoppers can create a free membership on site to rent discs or buy a disc at the store.
