Family Video stores hang around in Valley

BOARDMAN — To anyone with a Netflix password, the closure of the Family Video in Boardman on June 2 likely came as no surprise.

Of the 15,300 movie-rental shops open in 2007, about 86 percent were closed by 2017, USA Today reported.

But the closure of the Boardman store is not necessarily emblematic of the further crumbling of a bygone industry. Local Family Video district manager Sarah Matola said the decision was made to fortify the area’s other Family Video stores.

Nearly 10 years after the bankruptcies of Blockbuster and Hollywood Video, four Family Video outposts remain: in Austintown, Girard, Hubbard and Struthers.

When asked why the stores persist, Matola said, “It’s family tradition.”

For the complete story, read Sunday's Vindicator and Vindy.com