Picking out movies and video games at Family Video will truly become a thing of the past.

The shelves that were once filled with DVDs and video games now sit mostly bare. Manager Megan Wolling is spending her final days at Family Video closing the gaps.

“It was very odd when it first started happening,” said Wolling. “I was like 'this is just sad. This place that I worked at for seven-and-a-half years and have loved, is just now empty.'”

The Liverpool store became a place of comfort and nostalgia for many people, but for Wolling, it became her second home.

“You get to come in and be a part of this,” said Wolling. “Their emphasis here has always been, ‘your customers are like family,’ and they really are.” 

But after 13 years of renting products and building relationships, the store will close by the end of October, along with the other 13 New York locations.

About 400 sites will remain open nationwide.

“A lot of people don’t realize with COVID, it’s not when we had to shut down,” said Wolling. “It’s that productions and releases are getting pushed back, and we don’t get a release until 3-5 months after it comes out in the theaters and theaters are just opening up.”

Wolling said the owners’ unique business model and deals kept them going strong.

“We sell CBD products. Some stores sell high-quality vitamins,” said Wolling. “So they get into different forms and different businesses within. And I think just with any video store, it’s that ability to come in and pick out a movie, and actually lift it and read it and put it down and take your time.”

But it’s not the movie recommendations that Wolling will miss the most. It’s her co-workers and customers.

“That’s what I loved about this place,” said Wolling. “It was always the customers. The customers that came in and you got to know them.”

Owners hope to lease the 5000 square-feet space located on Morgan Road to a business. Some businesses that have rented their buildings in the past include restaurants, salons, banks and more.