Another one for the ever growing RIP Files...

I lived in the West End for a few years when I first moved into Vancouver proper, until just over a year ago. More specifically, I lived right across the alley from this fantastic little independent movie rental shop on Denman, called Independent Flixx.

Photo by Jordan Dawe

Never before or again have I been so close to such an amazing selection of movies - they had it all. New releases, independent films, foreign films, GLBT movies, tons of classics (everything from Jackie Chan to Reality Bites, to Bond movies), and my favourite... TONS of Canadian movies!

They had a whole shelf of Canadian films in fact, something I've never found anywhere else. It was the start and end of my Canadian film education. Stuff from Quebec, Atom Egoyan movies galore, new and old, funny and weird. Stuff you really couldn't find anywhere else.

They had great taste, and were part of what made living in the West End awesome.

Sadly, a couple weeks ago, I went over to the West End for some errands, only to do a double take when passing the corner where I used to live. I couldn't believe it; Independent Flixx was gone.

Photo by Andrew Summers

After a decade in the neighbourhood, it looks like this summer was its last. The crunch of online services like Netflix on top of piracy and torrents (for better or worse) has made getting movies cheap if not free, and it's hurt video stores far and wide. Huge chains and independent shops alike have been closing their doors at an ever increasing rate.

Goodness, I wish I'd known they were selling off their glorious collection only a couple months ago - both to grab my faves and say goodbye. It's a real shame, and a loss for the neighbourhood... I feel lucky to have lived there before its demise. RIP, Independent Flixx.

More over at the Vancouver Observer and Alienated in Vancouver

Sad but true, my favourite comic book store in town, Elfsar, (who I first blogged about almost 2 years ago) is closing tomorrow. As you can read in the blog post, their rent got hiked over 250%, and that was that. They've got a big sale on, so if you're in town this weekend, show your support, get some cheap books, and bid your farewells.

After losing Duthie Books a few months ago, and hearing news of Sophia Books closing at the end of the month for the very same reason as Elfsar (more info on Cory Doctorow's blog), this comes as a huge blow to comic and book lovers alike. Duthie and Elfsar were my absolute favourites (and Sophia a place I'd poke around now and then because it's close to where I work), and I now find myself asking where I'm supposed to go for trusted stocks of interesting and hand curated books, comics, and graphic novels?

What better reason to give ol' SpendLocally.ca a little much-needed love than to memorialize one of my favourite local businesses. Sadly, my favourite bookstore in Vancouver, Duthie Books, has closed their final location in Kits, after 53 years in business.

From the press release posted on their website:

Everybody knows that Independent bookstores have been under pressure from the 'big box' operations for many years now and it is clear that it is not going to get any better; the likes of Chapters, and Amazon are ruthless in their drive for market share and we cannot compete on price anymore. The book itself is in the throes of a technological transformation and book readers undergoing a major demographic shift.