Upon initially entering the store, you’d think the proprietors took the term “vault” quite literally. Located in the underbelly of a sterile-looking office building off Columbus Street in Old Town Alexandria, Video Vault is a gem worth seeking out for film enthusiasts and curious passer-bys alike.
This basement is actually the store’s third home, having moved there in 2004. The franchise has been around since 1985, and even had a thriving location in Washington D.C.’s trendy Georgetown, not bad for a place that guarantees “the worst movies in town!”
"[The store] is a labor of love, definitely, or else we still wouldn't be doing it," says Jane McCabe, one of the store’s owners. She and her husband Jim have been married since 1982, but harbored an appreciation for movies long before then.
“My favorite area is the classics," continues Jane. Most of the movies she recommends are before 1970. In addition to working at the store, which she has been doing for more than 20 years, Jane is also an administrator at nearby St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, and was a practicing trademark attorney. Jim’s taste in movies is slightly different.
"My specialty is cult and classics. I love the old, hard-boiled film noir stuff." Jim is pretty familiar with the noir and cult sections. The latter is housed in a small room whose shelves have taped-on signs dividing sections like “Women in Prison Films” and “Blaxploitation.” Jim is a former political appointee in the Department of Education. Reared in Columbia, South Carolina, he discovered cult films through the local drive-in theater.
“I've got a real thing for Bogart, Humphrey Bogart's the man!" Jim has a particular fondness for films pairing Bogart with Lauren Bacall, such as “Key Largo.” The way he shuffles through the aisles is akin to a kid who opened up his own candy store.
The cult room is also home to the works of director Russ Meyer, whose film “Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!” is a favorite of the couple. “I think everybody should see ‘Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!’ at least once a week," said Jane.