Victoria video store set to close has 25,000 titles to unload, UVIC and library say no thanks

The vast collection of videos from one of Greater Victoria’s last places to rent a movie or TV series won’t be going to the University of Victoria or Greater Victoria Public Library.

UVic and the library system have turned down a request from Pic-A-Flic Video fans to buy the store’s collection of more than 25,000 titles when it closes in September.

Pic-A-Flic announced in May it planned to close after 40 years in operation when its lease ends in September. Fans of the store asked UVic and the library if the institutions would consider purchasing the entire collection.

In a joint letter, UVic and the library said it would not be feasible for them to buy the stock.

Both have seen the use of DVDs “decline substantially” over the past five years, as more people choose streaming services, they said.