Rida Video Centre
Rida Video Centre catches attention easily, with its cluttered display of blockbuster movie posters all over the glass entrance of the shop. The door of the shop is always open, and peering in welcomes the sight of stacks and stacks of titles from various times and places. It is definitely a nostalgic sight to behold.
“When people have a need, they come.”
It comes as no surprise, that the small shop has steadily gained a loyal base of customers since its opening in 1985 at Serene Centre, down the road from Coronation Plaza. As the world grew more technologically savvy, the manner in which we consumed media drastically changed. As streaming and cable television gained traction worldwide, Rida saw 4 of its 5 branches close down. In 2015, with the increase in rental prices, Rida’s last remaining shop made its way to the nearby Coronation Plaza. When asked about the effect the move has had on its business, Mr Alex Liong, the owner, remained rather nonchalant, citing, “It’s about the same. We lose some, we win some.”
Its decision to move in to Coronation Plaza seems rather strange. What is a rare gem like this doing in a rather run-down and empty mall? “We have to stay around this area because all our customers are here.” Mr Liong replies logically, mentioning how many of their loyal customers find their location convenient.
Mr Liong interacting with a customer.
Mr Liong attributes this to how DVD shops like theirs has become “a niche market”. After all, buying physical copies of movies to watch has become an expensive and cumbersome method of watching these films. “All over Singapore, you can’t really find many such shops. Probably around 1 to 3 left, I did a survey on this… There are people who like to collect movies. Just like how we collect CDs in the past. They like to own it and collect, pop it in to watch it over and over.” For these reasons, Rida has managed to keep its business strong.
Will Rida still be around in 10 years time? There is uncertainty attached to its future, but because of the lack of business. Coronation Plaza has the possibility of going en bloc in the coming years, and Rida may be forced to leave. If the en bloc sales fails to materialize, Rida would have no intention of moving out of its quiet corner, since the owner of the shop had bought the shop space to avoid rental issues.
There is a joy attached to holding and feeling the packaging in your hands...
While waiting for Mr Liong to be interviewed, we were browsing through the titles in the shop and found ourselves immersed in a trip down nostalgia lane, with classic favourites we enjoyed as kids, and other movies that have always been on our ‘to-watch’ list.
Mr Liong finding titles for a customer.
While online streaming definitely has its merits of convenience and cost, the appeal of owning a physical copy of these movies is definitely undeniable. There is a joy attached to holding and feeling the packaging in your hands, and for that we see why many enjoy collecting physical DVDs.
The demographics of customers for video shops may have changed massively with the influx of technology available today, but for what it’s worth, Rida Video Centre seems set to remain as a prominent figure for DVD collectors and customers at Coronation Plaza, for as long as possible.