The return of Vidiots could alter LA's moviegoing map for good
LOS ANGELES — When the Santa Monica video store Vidiots, which had become a local cultural institution, closed in February 2017, founders Patty Polinger and Cathy Tauber had their doubts as to whether the store would ever rebound. Opened in 1985, the beloved rental shop had a collection of more than 50,000 titles on various media formats that was put into storage, potentially never to be publicly available again.
"I didn't really think it would," said Tauber, reflecting on whether the store could bounce back after years of financial struggle with the rise of emerging streaming services. "I know that was the plan from the beginning, but I think by the time we shut down, I was so worn out and exhausted from trying to keep the business going and all the negativity and struggle. It was really hard to imagine this was really going to happen. Of course I hoped it would, but we were just way burnt out by the time we were closing down."
Tauber sat recently with Polinger in the comfy and inviting theater space of the revived Vidiots, . Besides a video store, the newly renovated complex at the Eagle Theatre in Eagle Rock includes a 271-seat movie theater, a
