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And in the end, there will be only one left. Meeting with Juan Borbolla, manager of Video Express, the last vestige of the era of video clubs, supported at arm’s length by a loyal clientele and cinephile.
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“Give it a good advertisement, it deserves it. It is the only cultural space worthy of the name in Saint-Gilles! We will cry the day it is no longer there.” At Video Express, we are never quiet. Constantly, the comings and goings of customers interrupt our interview, carried out somehow behind the counter of the small establishment..
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“My clients have never left the place, even as the possibilities for watching movies keep increasing.”
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It must be said that the customers, Juan Borbolla knows them almost all. This is what makes the DNA of the last Brussels video club. “From the start, I was lucky to have a loyal clientele who were passionate about cinema. It is thanks to her that I am always here. My clients have never left the place, even when the possibilities for watching movies keep increasing, “says the man as another regular walks through the door. Immediately, one can imagine why Video Express has resisted the transformation of the film industry.
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Solidarity and cinephilia
Founded 22 years ago by Juan Borbolla, the Vidéo Express has quickly become a key meeting point for local moviegoers. In the heart of Saint-Gilles, on the Chaussée de Waterloo, the small video club is ideally located and does not fail to arouse the curiosity of onlookers.. In the storefront throne a hundred films selected by one of the “friends of the Video Express” and invites the most curious to return to the DVD. This selection, in addition to advice from regulars, is also the basis for the choices made by Juan Borbolla for his establishment. “I choose the films according to the requests of my clients and the available selection,” he explains.
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It must be said that Video Express regulars are extremely loyal to the place. They are so attached to it thata non-profit association, “Les Amis du Vidéo Express”, was created on the initiative of some of them in order to support Juan Borbolla in his daily management. “They built my shelves, the ‘selection’ area of the showcase, they created my website and my Facebook page, etc. In short, they help me a lot”, smiles the manager.
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©saskia vanderstichele
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And for Juan Borbolla, this help is welcome. Open 7 days a week, the Vidéo Express never stops. It has to be there, a real pillar of the neighborhood. Fortunately, the boss can count on the punctual help of his son and his friends to run the shop. “It’s a bit like their HQ,” he said.
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Anti-Netflix
This is how, held at arm’s length by a loyal clientele, in love with the place, Juan Borbolla stands up. Passionate about video clubs since childhood, the man dreamed of living there. But not to be its last representative. “I would have preferred not to be the last video club in Brussels. This means that, for people, we no longer exist”, he regrets.
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“I would have preferred not to be the last video club in Brussels.”
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Juan Borbolla only learned very recently that he was “the last”. “When the city of Brussels offered aid of 4,000 euros for stores that were forced to close during confinement, I was surprised to see that I was not entitled to it. One of the members of the ASBL told me. then helped and he realized that my VAT code was not one of the businesses that could benefit from the help. By looking further, we realized that the category ‘video club’ simply did not exist in the list.. For the Region, we no longer existed. Fortunately, since then, the category has been added to the list for us, “he says, a little bitter.
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“Anti-Netflix” to the tips of his nails, Juan Borbolla also regrets the fall in the quality of the programs offered on the various video-on-demand platforms. In diversity too. At Video Express, the rich collection of some 23,000 DVDs manages to attract 100 customers per day on average. “There is still a renewal of the clientele, one to two new clients per day, I would say. It is already that. But we must not kid ourselves, we are talking here about young film enthusiasts, students in art school. It remains a small niche, which discovers the place thanks to word of mouth “, he indicates.
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After, nothing
The boss knows it, after him there won’t be any more. He does not want his son to take up the torch, the context is too difficult. And the job too. Note that to make a DVD purchased 35 euros profitable, Juan Borbolla must rent it 15 times on average.. In the era of messy streaming platforms, and despite a family of loyal customers, it’s a small mountain to climb.
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“As long as the video store doesn’t go into free fall, I’ll keep going.”
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But Juan Borbolla is happy. This Brussels ket will have realized his dream and will have led it to the end, bringing together a whole neighborhood around him in passing. “I don’t have too many questions about the future. I try not to think too much, otherwise I might quit. As long as the video store doesn’t go downhill, I keep going. But the day the distributors decide to stop leasing, that will be the end of it. This is our limit. So we’ll become a museum“, continues the man, while two new customers ring the doorbell.
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