VINELAND, NJ - To fight new and incoming big-box stores like Best Buy and Wal-Mart, some residents filed lawsuits while others staged personal protests.
The manager at Award Video? He's selling more porn.
"There's a strong customer base for adult videos," said Jeremy Coley, store manager at the video rental outlet on North Delsea Drive. "Now I can serve a certain section of my customers and try to keep up with the larger competition."
The new adult video section will occupy half of the store, with new releases taking the other half. Before, the triple X videos were relegated to a corner-sized space.
But Coley said his loyal customers don't have to worry about a smaller selection for new releases and old favorites. Any family-rated video that's older than six months will be placed in the catalogue and can be rented for $1.
Coley said that adult videos rent for the same price as other videos - around $3 - but they can only be kept for one day, while most videos can be kept for 72 hours.
Hollywood hasn't made it easy for mom-and-pop video stores, Coley said. Where large chain stores like Wal-Mart buy new releases for $14 each, Coley said he pays about $19.
The larger chain stores will inevitably have an effect on Award Video's revenue, Coley said, but he thinks he can beat them in this niche of the video rental market.
Award Video came under new ownership about three months ago. It was previously owned by City Councilwoman Barbara Sheftall.
"As long as he operates within the Constitution of the United States, he should do whatever he can to survive," Sheftall said.
An expansion allowed the shop to place a wall between the two sections, so unsuspecting children and teens don't wander into the adult area. Coley also moved some videos once found on the topmost shelves of the regular section - like "Girls Gone Wild" - into the larger adult section.
