First they took Manhattan Valley's Starbucks, and we—well, we posted this. Now they're coming for the screwed-by-Netfix establishments. From the Curbed inbox:
"Upper West Side institution The Movie Place is going to close. The 103rd Street (just off Broadway) business has been open for 23 years. According to a letter published on the Video store's website and in the store, and signed by the store's owner Gary Dennis, the reason is the usual one: 'exorbitant commercial rents and greedy landlords.' The Movie Place is the quintessential video store with an enormous selection of videos and dvds, including classics, esoterica, foreign films and documentaries, not to mention all seven seasons of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer.' The staff all seem to be film fanatics, the prices reasonable, and the store delivers and picks of rentals in the neighborhood. I'm depressed as hell."
Bonus bitter irony, from the farewell letter: "Ironically, the first eviction notice came just days before the renaming of 103rd Street Humphrey Bogart Place—an event initiated by Movie Place."
· It Is With Great Regret and Deep Sadness... [NYCMoviePlace.com]
· CurbedWire: Bogart on the Upper West Side [Curbed]
· Movie Place [Citisearch]