Showcase Movies closes after 20 years

The rental store, 2845 W. Chestnut, Ste. C, closed Sept. 3 after 20 years in business. All merchandise, office equipment and fixtures are for sale at least through this week, owner Kirsten Kukal said.

Showcase employed four besides Kukal.

Kukal said she knew about a year ago she’d have to close after chain video stores began to saturate the area and offered deals she couldn’t match.

“The video business got ruined when … they said, ‘Let’s let people keep the movies for five days,’ and the last thing I want is somebody to come in my store once a week,” she said. “It’s just a really hard business.”

Kukal also said she has seen an increasing number of people who prefer exploring Springfield’s growing entertainment options instead of renting movies. Other rental outlets through the Internet and local grocery stores hurt her business as well.

“It’s great to have the town grow and have new things come to the town, but all of the local things go by the wayside,” she said. “I’m not sure if all the brick-and-mortar stores are going to go, but I would have liked to have been one of the final ones to make it.”