Video Store Named Desire

What a great store with an old-​school feel to it. Mike is a kind man and is fun to talk to, as he is very knowledgable about film. It appeared as though they had every type of film in the inventory, from the classics to the new releases. And you can’t beat the one dollar rental. I am very sad to see the store has closed down, and can only hope they re-​emerge sometime!

Such a shame this video store is no longer in West L.A. Mike was so knowledgeable about movies. Some movies I rented here, are now my forever favorites. Sorry you are no longer…

So sad to see that this business is closed. We truly enjoyed going to this store. Nothing else like this in LA. Will truly miss it!

This was a truly wonderful store and I am sad to see it closed. There was no other place like it anywhere.

Video Store Named Desire is responsible for nourishing my love of cinema. Mike always had the most incredible and obscure films I could get my hands on, especially while taking the history of foreign film course at UCLA. His knowledge and our long conversations on all kinds of films always inspired me and made me appreciate living in Los Angeles. Nearly every awe-​inspiring film I’ve ever seen is thanks to renting from this magical place. Thank you for all that you provided to the community and even my direction in life, Mike! We are indebted to you for making culture so accessible and immediate to us. I am devastated this journey is over but I wish you and your family the very best.

Ahhhh Can’t believe it’s finally over! When all the other video stores closed down Mike stayed open! One of the most knowledgeable guys I’ve met when it comes to film! Hope him the best down south handling the business he needs to handle. Family always comes first in my book! Hope our paths cross again. And would be delighted if i could help in any way or catch up when your back over a film. Video Store Named Desire you truly were a gem in Los Angeles!

I was devastated to learn that Mike’s shop was no longer in operation. It was a place that truly made me believe in the rare magic of Los Angeles — and after living in Europe for six months it was one of the things I most looked forward to returning home to. My heart sank when I drove up today and saw the empty store front. It truly is the end of an era. I will hold onto my fond memories of this place and the many conversations shared with Mike. He was so knowledgeable and a pleasure to speak with. I wish him all the best and hope his parents get better. And crossing my fingers there is some hope for another amalgamation of Video Store Named Desire in the future.

The end of an era. So sad to see Mike and the video store go, along with the political banter and social commentary we occasionally exchanged.
Since there seems to be some speculation in recent reviews as to the reason for the closure: it’s not that the business was in decline or was no longer viable. Mike has aging parents in Orange County and his mother is terminally ill. He simply did what he had to do by closing the store and devoting himself to their care.

To the guy advertising his own store… don’t be so tacky.
I’ll follow Mike if he ever lands anywhere else. Long live Video Store Named Desire.

My few experiences with this shop and Mike, its owner, were stellar… I am very sad to see the business now closed for good as it further endangers the existence of physical movie rentals…
My name is Sebastian and I own CineFile Video, one of the few remaining video rentals left in Los Angeles.
I invite former customers of AVSND to come by and check us out. We are in the same neighborhood, and while we can’t match Mike’s magical $ 1 pricing given how large our space is, we do offer a monthly membership that would allow you to rent up to 120 movies a month for just $ 19.99.
My best goes out to you Mike and I wish you luck in all your future endeavours! Thanks for your hard work and for helping to maintain CULTURE in Los Angeles.

The last great video store. Mike is truly amazing and knowledgeable. Selection is massive. Prices are cheap. And he takes care of all his customers.

This place is amazing! It is truly one of the best places to go and rent a movie. When you walk in, at first glance the place is not very impressive. It is when you start looking around that things get much better. There is a huge selection of dvd’s here and I have never been able to not find something. Mike who is the owner, always has great recommendations if you tell him what kind of movie you are in the mood to watch. He is very friendly and extremely knowledgable about all movies.
New titles are 99 cents for a one day rental and anything else is 6 days which is the bargain of the century! The hours are also very convenient for you late night movie watchers. He opens at noon and does not close until midnight. I hope that Mike stays in business because I love going to this store and getting movie recommendations from Mike! Go check it out for yourself sometime!

I love this video store! 99 cent (plus tax) rentals, and a huge library of movies. The newest and popular movies are 1 day rentals, and older or less popular newer* movies are 6 day rentals. For $ 0.99!
Red box is great if you want to rent one of the few select movies they have at their box, but this place has almost every movie I have asked for. And I ask for some obscure ones. Lots of documentaries, classic movies, old hits, and they always have the new movies on release day. They are also open til midnight for those who hate rush hour traffic.
If you prefer watching DVD s on your TV over watching downloaded movies on your computer, this is definitely the place to go.

I hate when people do this, but this is a 3.4 star review.
Here’s the thing… this place is straight out of the 90’s. It’s clearly a mom and pop storefront. DVD’s, VHS, and blu-​rays stacked from floor to ceiling.
To clear the confusion, here’s Mike’s pricing.
$ 1 for DVD’s and VHS tapes
$ 1.50 for BLU-​Rays
New releases are 2-​days rentals.
The rest are 6-​day rentals.
Best Practices:
Go in knowing what you want. If you’re into newer films, there is a new releases section. If you’re looking for a recc, do a little homework. Mike isn’t the best on reccs, I’m sure it’s from years of unsatisfied customers. Yes it’s messy, but Mike knows his stuff and his inventory. I don’t even venture much further than the front door.
Why the .4? Clearly it’s the nostalgia factor– it reminds me of a «Clerks-​esque» era. The good ol’ 90’s where you could see a lazy slack-​jawed kid slouching behind a register not giving a damn.
Why not a .5? Because the shop is truly filthy and… no personal recommendations from mike which is what I was looking for in a mom and pop. Where’s the human touch???
I will continue to frequent this LOCALLY-​OWNED BUSINESS.
MIKE, hire a movie snob to get some more customer interaction!

Okay,
My best friend and I just went in to this store to rent old horror movies. The man behind the counter couldn’t help me with this category, saying he «sold it months ago (VHS tapes) «. We proceeded to mill about the store, and he kept being too pushy asking what we needed. When we wandered towards the back of the store, he stopped us and told us we needed to get a membership before we could go in the back. This seemed shady, especially because we have been in video stores that just require your id in order to see adult sections.
Also, have you noticed all the GOOD reviews are written the same:
Describing how it is the BEST video store ever, advises against Netflix and redbox
Tells how great a deal the films are for $ 1.07
Explains the great bargain
Talks positively about the «genius» behind the counter who knows every movie ever made.
Okay… And all the profiles of the positive reviews on Unilocal only have one photo, usually looks like a stock photo.
Also… The store is so unorganized it was offensive. There were no clear signs explaining the genre… Dusty and gross.
If ever in the valley, please give Odyssey video a visit. I used to live close. Great store, VHS and DVD. The owner is so sweet and personable. He deserves good business!

Okay, so obviously I used to love this place (previous review is 5 stars!). One bad experience left a bad taste in my mouth years ago and now again. Second time is the last time.
First time he accused us of returning the DVD late (which in fact it was 2 days early). We explained that it’s on time and he kept saying no it’s not. We got tired of his arguing and paid the 1 $.
Forward to 2 years now and we have been renting DVDs from him very often. Last night we went in with the intension to rent 1 movie, took exact change. And we saw another we liked, and asked if we can pay the additional 1 $ when we get back.
Very hesitantly and rudely he agreed and kept saying, make sure you don’t forget!
I mean come on we have been coming here often enough for him to trust us with returning the 1 $.
So now we will be making red box richer then his business.
It’s a shame how he treats loyal customers.

Greatest option for video rentals EVER. This place is the mecca of all movies. If they were a national chain and in convenient locations for everyone, we wouldn’t need Netflix or their more-​to-​be-​desired streaming selection.
I came here in search of some older musicals on film. Not on Netflix streaming, and if I looked for it on their online list (a service I don’t pay extra for), it would take a few days. After every Blockbuster that Google led me to was closed or closing, I came to Cinefile, after remembering a film TA from UCLA coming here to get our class movies. I’m so glad I discovered them! This is why I think they’re AMAZING:
— It’s a small shop, but they squeeze EVERY single movie you can think of there. Documentaries. Classics. Sports on video. Made-​for-​TV movies. Foreign films. Concerts. Adult films. That last one isn’t in another room or clearly marked… it’s kind of a «surprise» when you’re perusing the stacks of horror and sports films and come across it. But it’s categorized and labeled just as well as the other movies, whether you’re feeling cheerleaders, women in prison, or anything else that evening.
— Everything is clearly labeled with signs posting the director, classic lead actor, the type of movie, etc. Some of the categories included «Evil Children,» «Hospital Horrors,» «Animal Attacks,» Romantic Comedies,” and soooo many more. So much of it is cross-​referenced that if you can’t find what you’re looking for, the staff should be able to easily grab it from the back room.
— T-​shirts, memorabilia, pins, and other cool stuff for sale.
— They have VHS! That’s right, VHS!
— Staff is very nice and helpful, and your typical film geeks, as other reviewers have mentioned. That’s what I truly miss about the demise of video stores, is getting to converse with a real life cinephile who KNOWS their movies and is excited to talk about them with you and give you opinions. I might feel a little self-​conscious to rent, say, Glitter or Gossip Girl from them, but people don’t realize how much these people lent to the movie-​borrowing experience.
If you’re a new member, you pay a $ 5 flat rate and get a card, then each movie is just under $ 5 for 7 days (though I think it depends on the movie, too). They also have a program with a $ 25 monthly fee to borrow 2 movies at a time, any time, and keep them for as long as you’d like… sorta their answer to other membership programs that Hollywood and Blockbuster have tried.
This store has so much to offer that as I mentioned before, I wish they had more locations and were the main source of DVD rentals. But then again, the non-​chain, quirky charm is what makes it what it is… someone obviously puts a lot of time and TLC into making the labels (all with photos) and keeping it so well-​stocked and organized. Go here! You won’t be disappointed.

Was searching for an old classic, Wizard of Oz on DVD… Up the street, they wanted $ 5 to rent??? No way!!! Unilocal and found Mike @ Video Store Named Desire. No phone number but down a couple of blocks on Santa Monica Bl West of 405 Fwy. Drove down, Got it, rent for $ 1.08 for 6 days!!! Awesome! Small location but Mike knows how to find it! Many Thanks, til next time…

Feel like watching a movie tonight? DEFINITELY check out A Video Store Named Desire! Why, you might ask?
1. The price: $ 1.08 to rent a new release for a day, $ 1.08 to rent an older DVD for 6 days.
2. The knowledge that your money is going to support the entertainment industry, the artists whose work you are enjoying, and the store that is providing you that entertainment – unlike other sources like online streaming, Netflix, etc. (If you want more info on this, just ask the owner, Mike – he’s quite passionate and has enlightened me on a topic I was previously ignorant about!)
3. The selection: They have almost anything you can think of – movies and TV series – and if they don’t, Mike will consider getting it in stock if enough of his customers voice an interest.
4. The community: In big cities like Los Angeles, it’s easy to feel lost in the impersonal nature of large corporations. A Video Store Named Desire gives you that small-​town communal feel if you become a frequent customer – Mike’s memory is impeccable, so pretty quickly he will recognize you, and it’s that friendliness that I know I enjoy immensely in visiting small independent businesses.
5. Mike: Yes, I put the owner as a reason to visit in and of himself. Not only is he friendly, as I already mentioned his memory is awesome. He is a little bit like a living Google – I can’t imagine how he keeps so many movies and TV series straight. He can give reviews as well as recommendations, and is always up-​to-​date on what’s going on in entertainment.
As a warning, the place is small and the DVDs piled everywhere can give the unsuspecting customer a surprise if you are expecting a neat and orderly Blockbuster type feel. Don’t let this turn you away:
Mike is extremely organized himself, so if you know what you want to watch just ask him directly and he’ll pull it out for you. If you don’t know, you can still browse – there is a New Release wall that my husband and I like to check out if we don’t have something in mind.
We always walk there, since we live nearby, but there is street parking on Santa Monica and there used to be parking across the street at Vons before it went under construction. There is a small lot in the back if you take the side street off of Santa Monica, as well. If you go with a friend, one person can run in while the other goes around the block or turns around in the side street – we have also done that.
We love this place and want to see it thrive, so please go check it out! :D

Mike’s video store is the BEST! He has literally every movie you could ever think of, gives you honest movie reviews, and even better recommendations.
When you walk in you may feel immediately stressed due to the mass amounts of movies everywhere. Don’t even bother sifting through the movies, just go straight to the counter and ask for something, Mike knows where it is. If you don’t have a movie in mind, some recently rented ones are stacked directly in front of the counter so you should get some inspiration.
Never again will I waste my money at a Redbox. New Release rentals are $ 1 for a day and older rentals are $ 1 for a week. Mike is also a pretty cool guy to talk to, I’ve had some extremely random but also extremely informative conversations with him. I will be heartbroken if this places goes anywhere!