I was deeply saddened last night to find out that Alphaville Video is closing. This superb movie store was not only the best in Albuquerque, but one of the finest video stores I've been to outside of a major metropolitan area. The owner of the building wants to do something else with it and the store's owner decided to close down rather than relocate in a less suitable location. Although I have not been in the store in the other half of the building, The Book Stop, I assume it is gone too, something reinforced by all the sale signs in the windows. Sadly, this is Albuquerque best, and perhaps only good, used bookstore. In one fell swoop, we have lost 2 of our finest businesses. Moreover, these 2 stores were in Nob Hill, the always trendy and increasingly yuppified part of town. No doubt, these great businesses will be replaced by a wine bar, an antique store, or something equally unpleasant.
Sigh.
I wasn't a fan of Alphaville, but I did appreciate the fact that it provided hard to find indie and cult classic movies. I didn't like that I had to pay for the pleasure or renting from them. I thought the membership fee was rediculous. Why should I pay so that I can rent from them (membership fee + rental fee)? That's communism!!!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, it will be loss and the face of Nob Hill will not be the same. Maybe they'll stuff in another sushi place.
I guess the membership thing was weird but with the free movie you got every month, you made the money back if you didn't miss any months. Of course I usually did miss a month or two but oh well.
ReplyDeleteWait, so is the Korean barber going too?
ReplyDeleteI don't know. I guess that is all one building. I imagine so.
ReplyDeleteThat's awful. I never went into Alphaville, since I don't rent movies all that often, but I buy a lot of stuff from Book Stop. Bird Song, the used bookstore near University and Central, has a better fiction section, but Book Stop always has (or, soon, had) more stuff that I wanted or needed -- a better history section, more books on architecture, etc. It's one of the few stores in the area that doesn't sell uber-hip, overpriced, useless things, so I guess it has to go...
ReplyDeleteI've only been in Albuquerque just over a year and I find it sad that places like Alphaville and The Book Stop are being forced out.
ReplyDeleteI suspect that it won't be too long before the chains all start moving into Nob Hill.
Oh, I've seen the membership like Alphaville has at another indie rental place in Berkeley CA, called Movie Image. Not sure if they are still around.
It saddened me that Alphaville is closing, although i never rented anything from them, the combo book stop and alphaville always gave me this good feeling that Albuquerque could be a indie culture city. However, Book Stop has been with books outside announcing "sale" since i went there first time (january 2006) Maybe it's nothing major. But if this is confirmed it'll be sad to desconstruct my neat imagine of ABQ
ReplyDeleteThe Book Stop is not closing. It is just moving to another location on Tulane. Call them up and ask if you don't believe me! Don't despair!
ReplyDelete