"Partners shaping image of Generation X" From The Kitchener Waterloo Record: February 1st, 1995 It’s the oldest movie cliche in the book: the little guy, against over-whelming odds, takes on the establishment – and wins. Waterloo video owners Mike Greaves and Floyd Chan hope that faded plotline will be revived with the opening of their new grassroots video store, Generation X.
So far, they appear to be winning. Then again, so are the Waterloo Region movie buffs who have been flocking to the store in search of rare and uncut titles. "We’re doing as well as expected", said Chan, a 30-year-old entertainment business veteran. The store has attracted video connoisseurs from Cambridge, Guelph, and beyond. Generation X is a self-described "alternative video rental store". It specializes in hard-to-find movies: foreign films, rare classics and animation specials that can’t be found in "mainstream" video outlets. It also houses a selection of new releases and popular favorites, organized by director. Their insistence on uncut, undubbed and uncolorized film has also been of great appeal to movie "purists", Chan said. Complementing the video selection is an "alternative atmosphere", Greaves, a University of Waterloo film studies student said. This is witnessed by the alternative publications that grace the wall, to the giant Transformer robot prominent on a countertop, to the bowl of free condoms that sits next to the register. The store was conceived from the pair’s discontent with the lack of selection on the local video market. "There’s a need that’s not being met by the mainstream stores", said Greaves. "People have been waiting for a store like this (in Waterloo)". Greaves, a self-professed movie addict, is certainly one of those who has eagerly awaited such a resource. He shares a great love of film and a vast amount of movie knowledge with his clientele. This familiarity with the movie business, he believes, helps to differentiate the store and its philosophy from that of other outlets. "How can you provide good customer service if you don’t know what your business is about?" he asks. Chan and Greaves’ enterprise has endured many challenges since its inception last May. Finances have been a concern, as have reluctant landlords. Many building owners were reluctant to rent to a "cult" video store, Greaves said. GRASSROOTS PHILOSOPHY The partners’ grassroots philosophy is evidenced in every aspect of the business. The interior of the "flagship store", located at 69 Regina St. N., Waterloo, was created exclusively by the partners. The wooden shelves for the movies were all constructed by hand and all the cases for the videos were all purchased second-hand. "I did my time peeling stickers", Greaves said, "and polishing these boxes up with Pledge". In finding video rentals for the store, the owners ran into their most serious difficulties. "The video industry is a very closed industry", said Chan. "The whole (distribution) system is wacky." For that reason, the pair had to go outside the mainstream of the industry and do a bit of creative searching. ALTERNATIVE CULTURE Greaves and Chan tracked down movies in some interesting ways, contacted American distributors, rooted for hours through boxes of used – and often useless – tapes, and enlisted the help of Internet users. Chan recalls several trips into Toronto’s Chinatown in order to secure sought-after movies from Hong Kong. In the future, the pair hope to establish an association of video store owners who are dissatisfied with the current distribution system. For now, they said, Generation X provides an alternative to mainstream culture.
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The
twentysomething duo, who met in Sault Ste. Marie 15 years ago, have been spending 14-hour
days struggling to keep their venture afloat. They face an uphill battle in a highly
competitive video industry, and often have to fight the ‘slacker’ label of their
generation.
