The Vision is Fading

Vision Video, the last video rental store in Athens, will be closing on December 23. Vision Video has been open since 1986, and both customers and employees are sad to see it go.

Started by two brothers, Vision Video’s origin relates to the uniqueness of the store itself.

“We were in the pizza business, and we added videos as a sideline and that part of the business kept growing. Eventually we just got rid of the pizza and chased the videos,” said Charles Seward, one of the two owners.

The friendly workers and the wide variety of movies available make this particular video store stand out.

“We have everything, and we’ve been in business so long that we have a lot of movies that are out of print and really almost impossible to find elsewhere,” said Charles Seward. These include the many foreign and indie movies that can be found within the store.

The reason for the store closing is “increasing expenses and decreasing revenue”, said co-owner Hank Seward.

All the movies are currently on sale prior to closing. The price ranges from $4 – $7, and TV discs are $2. Many Athenians have taken advantage of this sale.

“I’m bummed that all the local businesses of movies have gone out of business. I don’t go online, so I won’t be watching movies,” said Pam Thaxton, a long time customer.

After the store closes, the unsold inventory will then be sold online, and any remaining unsold DVDs that will be donated to the library.

The movies are not the only part of Vision seeking new homes. Vision’s employees have been looking for new jobs as well.

“Everyone will do different things. Some of the younger employees will go back to school, and different people have different jobs lined up,” said Hank Seward.

Charles Seward plans to make a major career change to become a high school math teacher once the store closes.

“I have a degree in math, so I’m just going to get certified to teach,” explained Seward.

While the closing of the store is a loss, the Seward brothers and Vision Video’s employees remain optimistic and grateful for the time they had.

“We appreciate all the years of support we’ve gotten in Athens. It’s been great,” said Charles Seward.