Sad news for Danville residents, as Beyond Video & Tanning announced it will be closing before the end of the month, according to the Danville Register Bee.

The locally-owned store has been in business for 23 years, and will be missed by residents. Hopefully a new business will move into the empty space soon.

"A locally owned movie rental business and tanning salon will close its doors after 23 years.
Beyond Video & Tanning will close to customers Jan. 21 and will leave Cain Creek Shopping Center across from the airport by the end of the month, owner Robert Bridgforth said.

'I’m going to miss the people,' Bridgforth said. 'I would like to express my enjoyment in the last 23 years to the people I met and providing good entertainment to the public.'

Every year for the past three, business decreased by 10 percent, he added. The 57-year-old attributes the decline in the movie rental business to the culmination of the current economic recession, higher gas prices, the success of Netflix, bootlegging and the Internet and cable delivery of movies on the same dates as DVD releases.

'Netflix has earned my admiration as a well-run and good service,' he added. 'The business model suits the customer’s needs.'

The recession in itself may have been good for business as people stay in instead of going out, but gas prices made renting and returning movies — two trips — more expensive, he said.

The tanning business also decreased with changing demographics and the best customers buying their own beds, Bridgforth said. He added the tanning salon to diversify the business in 1989.

Now, the store’s 5,000 DVDs and VHS cassettes and nine tanning beds are up for grabs as part of the store’s liquidation sale."

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