Owner of Kelowna's last remaining video rental store says time is right to sell

The owner of Kelowna’s last remaining video rental store is selling his much-loved business.

Leo Bartels, who has run Leo’s Videos in Pandosy Village for the last 15 years, said "it is time for me to make a life change".

But he has one condition: the buyer has to want to continue operating the business as a video rental store.

“The store continues to be a thriving community hub where families and community members congregate to chat with staff, each other, and share the movie rental experience, which has become all too rare in the era of digital,” Bartels explained.

“Every day, customers share with me how grateful they are that the store is still there, and how much it means to them and their families to be able to rent quality movies from a formidable selection, with knowledgeable, customer orientated staff to support them.”

He said he is looking for “an individual or collective” with a passion for movies, business and community to take the store “into the next chapter of its existence”.

“There is boundless potential for this person or collective to grow and enhance Leo’s Videos with the passion, creativity, and business acumen they will bring to the project,” he added.

“The sky is the limit for this vibrant and thriving community hub, and I’m excited to see the direction in which it will be taken.”

The store, Bartels said, has more than 3,800 active accounts and has been experiencing “exponential growth” over recent years.

He is convinced the store can rival Netflix locally since it offers more than 25,000 titles – far more than the digital platform.

But it’s about more than just money to Bartels.

“I love the idea of bringing my (future) children into a video store on Friday evenings to pick a film for a weekend family movie night,” he said.