After struggling to keep its current client base over the past couple of years, Avalanche Movie Company is winding down its operation for full closure at the end of February.
“I’d say we saw the writing on the wall for a while now,” said owner Mike Vlessides. “It not like ‘oh my god, what the hell happened?’ It’s been a slow decline for a while now and revenues have been going down and down and down. We had to draw the line somewhere.”
After purchasing Avalanche in 2013 and moving it to its current Railway Avenue location, Vlessides and his wife now find alternatives to the movie rental business are stifling their business climate.
“There are so many alternatives available,” said Vlessides, “and frankly, some of them are cheaper.
“And we live in a world of instant gratification. People want everything now. Everything’s right in front of your face with internet, computers and phones and I think it’s created a mindset where people just have to have everything now.”
Vlessides said he’d have kept Avalanche running “forever” if the business could sustain itself. “But that isn’t happening.
“I’m a guy who always went to Marra’s (former downtown grocery store), I’m a hopeless romantic and I really like this business, but it’s time has come.”
Avalanche will have to lay off half a dozen employees at the end of the month, “which is tough. They all love the video store and said they’ll be here to the bitter end, which brings a tear to my eye. That was really nice.”
In announcing the upcoming closure via social media, Vlessides said Avalanche had its biggest day ever, Tuesday (Feb. 7), as people came in to buy up the movie and game inventory that is now on sale.
“When all is said and done,” he said, “I figure I’ll have the biggest movie collection in the world.”
On a more personal level, Vlessides and his wife also own the twelve21 clothing store in Canmore and have purchased the Open Country clothing store in the Banff Springs, which will be re-named Avenue Road.
