Viva Video

Moved to Ardmore recently and was interested to check out this indie video store. Awesome selection, awesome and nice staff, open til 10! Highly recommend. They pretty much have anything you’d ever want to watch.

A beautiful library of collected films from the insanely knowledgeable staff, including genuinely caring owner Miguel. His passion for the store, his customers, and films as a whole is shown through the incomparable and incomprehensible collection of cinematic catalogues. The gentlemen who work the store the rest of the time each have given outstanding recommendations to films I would have never stumbled upon had I been given my whole life to watch them.
This is a living relic that will remain thriving because of those who care about it so deeply are not just those who work there, but those who patron the museum as well.
Do yourself a favor and go here. You won’t regret it.

It’s easy to fight back against the dominance of the Comcast-​Netflix-​Amazon-​Verizon cartel. Give these guys your money instead — and never again be annoyed by a movie stuttering and stopping due to a bad connection.
If you live in Ardmore or its environs, patronizing this place is a no brainer. The selection is far better than any of the streaming services, and it’s nice to make a more deliberate choice about what to watch. The unlimited monthly plans are very affordable. The staff is always very friendly and enthusiastic about both the best and latest in the film world.

Places like this are IMPORTANT. Yes, it’s about renting obscure/​mainstream movies, but what I value most is the dialogue between customers and staff. Sharing laughs, memories and suggestions. Enthusiasts interacting with fellow enthusiasts, casual viewers learning and getting the film bug. So much more rewarding than talking on internet forums or watching Netflix alone. The owner is as genuine as it gets. Check this place out.

No, denizens of other neighborhoods lacking a video store, they do still do exist — and Miguel and crew continue to raise the bar in regards to selection, value and overall curation. Streaming — pfft! So 2012.

It’s a fun place to go for people (like myself) who love movies. This place is a «must stop» when you’re in Ardmore.

Viva Video is my favorite store since moving to Ardmore last month.
The employees are thrilled to help you and they have an impressive selection!
We went here for a fun Pizza/​VHS movie marathon in their basement.
Good times and great people!

I just wanted to thank Miguel for going out of his way to recommend some wonderful videos the other day. I was feeling so low and I asked him to recommend some feel good films to lift my spirits. He gave me three titles. They were all PERFECT! Thank you Miguel for your wonderful store! A++++++++++

This is a wonderful business for Ardmore. The owner and his staff are delightful and beyond informed. Viva Video further establishes Ardmore as a walkable community. One more wonderful reason to walk into town.

I have no words for what a gem this store is! It’s one of the places that legitimately makes me proud to live in Ardmore. I used to walk by all the time without ever stopping in until my curiosity got the best of me – and now I’m hooked.
The selection is incredible – new releases, action and adventure, foreign films, comedies, indie, oldies, documentaries, anything! You can rent or buy.
They also have TV series and PBS specials, which I absolutely love. They even have a «Netflix» type plan that allows you to pay a cheap monthly rate and rent an unlimited number of times.
At the end of the day, it’s the staff that make the experience great. The owner, Miguel, keeps this place going as a true labor of love. He recognizes his customers and gives recommendations based on what you’ve rented in the past. True customer service. If you love movies and you live anywhere on the Main Line, you’ll love this store!

I love this place! The staff are so knowledgable and enthusiastic about movies and I always get great recommendations from them. Their DVD selection is so varied, having everything from independent to blockbusters to foreign to tv shows/​miniseries. Viva Video is a real treasure!

Miguel (the owner) and staff are beyond knowledgeable when it comes to movies and always eager to help w/​recommendations. I love how low key the store is (utilitarian shelving with Christmas lights wrapped around them… what’s not to love?) and location is pretty good w/​a lot located directly behind store. They’re selection is awesome and hours are as well. Places like Viva Video are what sets Ardmore apart from other towns nearby and I hope they stick around a long, long time. I would MUCH rather support Viva than fork over more money to Verizon or Netflix.

Its not about convenience, but the experience. I love going to this store and talking to the staff and other customers about movies. Everyone there is so fun and different! I moved out of the area and I miss it dearly. Finding a good movie is never difficult when you go to Viva Video.

Viva Video is an absolutely terrific video store with a better-​than-​Netflix selection of DVD, Bluray, VHS and hard-​to-​find/​out of print selections. In addition to new releases, I have been able to rent films from dozens of foreign countries, documentaries, Criterion Collection releases, cult/​exploitation releases, and movies from the 1920s to present for the past 2 years without ever repeating a rental or struggling to find something.
Which brings me to the staff, which is extremely helpful and knowledgeable. The staff, and especially Miguel (the owner), can have an intelligent conversation about movies with you, and they can recommend titles that even the most esoteric filmgoer might overlook. They remember what you’ve rented in the past and can help you gauge future rentals by discussing your likes and dislikes.
For people looking for a convenient video store that has both mainstream titles and releases that are way under the radar, Viva Video is your place. It has a warm atmosphere and injects a sense of adventure into finding a movie for the weekend. It’s located next door to a killer pizza shop so you can kill two birds with one stone.
Honestly, Viva is the kind of place that makes the Main Line not just a more culturally acceptable place to live, but even a destination.

I love this video store. It brings me back to the pure act of watching a good film. Nowadays we rush to find something on Netflix or some other streaming service and we lose sight of the event that is watching a film. It takes a trip to the store, the review of different titles or genres, then the joy of having an event to share with your family when you bring that film home.
I enjoy making my weekly trip to pick out a film, see what’s new or heed the advice of Miguel and his staff on something I wasn’t considering. They are not only good people, they are film fanatics, finding joy and value in almost any production. And you have to remember that there are good films out there that might just be an older picture or an independent one. It’s hard to get those online.
I just wish I had more time to see more films.

We love Viva Video! The owner is incredibly nice and they have a great selection. On one occasion since they opened, a film we wanted wasn’t there, and they ordered it. We have a monthly subscription and enjoy it so much more than our former subscription to Netflix. When Netflix upped their rates a few years ago, we realized how important it is to support our local video store!

This video store is great for many reasons. I stumbled upon this establishment and couldn’t believe a video store still existed. I’m not familiar with netflix or redbox and On Demand is so expensive so I was relieved! I would pay 5.99 for an HD movie On Demand for 1 day, meanwhile Viva Video charges $ 5.00 per video for 3 days and I always take advantage of the 2 rentals get one free deal. The employees are extremely knowledgable and friendly so I always enjoy going into the store! We always have fun debates on movies or series. I’m hooked on renting from Viva!

Better selection than Netflix! I was so happy to see Viva Video open. I really appreciate the personal connections and recommendations you get from Miguel and the rest of the staff. I hope they are able to keep the store going.

It is so surreal that, I visited this store on the day Blockbuster closed its doors. Whatever the suggestion algorithms on ‘On Demand Video’ recommends movies, is never equal to a video store clerk recommending movies. The pleasure of browsing the titles on store shelves is just amazing.
Viva video has excellent choice of titles, especially many ‘Criterion’ ones. They have a collection of other titles as well, including regular new releases. If you are a movie lover around this area, you should visit this amazing store. And I wonder why is this store, still not on Unilocal spotlight.

2013 is an awfully weird year to open up a video rental store given the current climate of Netflix, On Demand, and Redbox. But if anyone can pull it off its a ragtag bunch of TLA Video alum who are full blown cinephiles!
Rather than be an average rental store Viva really does strive to win its customer base over with a full blown cinematic experience, and you’ll know that once you realize that each and every movie display they have laid out contains at least 5+ Criterion Collection DVDs. The owners worked at the TLA Video store in Bryn Mawr for several years before it became the final TLA to close down, and they have become experts in helping people find the rare movies they’ve never heard of that cater exactly to their preference in genre.
Whether your a sci-​fi kung-​fu fan who’s looking for movies that feature ninjas battling cyborg samurais, a comedy drama fan who’s looking for quirky romance stories, a documentary fan who’s obsessed with scandal, someones who likes Hollywood legend debut films, or is someone who just likes to walk into a store and carry on a conversation about zombie movies; they are fully able to help you out. And you can even rejoice if you’re just looking to catch up on an old standby of yours, because there’s a good chance that they’ll have the very rare special edition that you never knew existed.