East Charlotte video store keeps rental tradition alive as nonprofit

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - VisArt Video in east Charlotte is one of the few remaining video rental stores in the country. It has expanded its mission to serve as a community space for artists and filmmakers.

VisArt Video opened as a video rental store in 1982. As streaming changed the business and stores shut down, owners had to find a new way forward.

In 2018, VisArt became a nonprofit and its mission expanded beyond movies to the people and artists who need a place to connect.

Customers can still walk the aisles and pick movies as the store has more than 50,000 titles.

“A lot of people remember what it felt like to walk into Blockbuster and choose a couple movies for the weekend,” said Gina Stewart, executive director of VisArt Video. “We still do that because again, it’s getting in touch with what our community wants.”

Stewart said the store now operates as a community space.

“We’ve expanded our reach into other artistic things,” Stewart said. “We do plays here, we do music here, we do all kinds of art, and we seek to serve our neighborhood and our community as a third space. So I think that’s kept us alive.”

VisArt gives emerging filmmakers a place to show their work. It also helps local artists reach an audience they might not otherwise have.

“It’s part of our mission to support film in North Carolina, especially film in Charlotte, and the younger the better, really,” Stewart said. “We’ve launched a lot of filmmakers who have wound up at North Carolina School of the Arts.”

The store has a screening room for filmmakers to share their work and a café. The space creates opportunities for artists who may not have the resources to put on an event of their own.

Much of what is in the space has been rescued, repurposed or donated.

Stewart said many first-time visitors are surprised by the size of the collection.

“They usually walk in the door and go, ‘Oh my God, I didn’t realize.’ And every day it’s at least 15 people who walk in and go, ‘I didn’t know we had this,’” Stewart said.