Just a week after Blockbuster Video closed the doors of its Russellville store, Family Video is getting ready to open at that location. District Manager Diana Davis said they hope to be open today.

“We want to open as soon as possible,” Davis said Wednesday as she and several other employees worked to get the story ready. “We’ve already had a customer stop by and ask when we’d be open.”

A few weeks after Family Video opens it will be the only large video store in the county since Movie Gallery will be closing in about eight weeks.

Workers at Movie Gallery said the company filed bankruptcy and is closing hundreds of stores across the country. They said options like Netflix and Redbox have hurt large chains.

Davis said Family Video is different because it is privately owned. It is the largest privately owned video and game rentailer in the US and the third largest overall. They have over 600 stores in 18 states.

While other video rental places are closing and downsizing, Family Video is opening more stores. They checked out the Russellville area, knew Blockbuster was closing, and decided this would be a good location.

“We’re pretty excited to be here,” she added.

Davis said Family Video is doing well despite the competition from Redbox and Netflix because they work hard to keep their prices low and provide great customer service. They carry new releases, many other movies and lots of games. They also give customers a choice of how long to keep a movie or game and offer lower prices for shorter rental periods.

Family Video also offers many special promotions, like half-price rentals for new members and free rentals for students who have “As” on their report cards.

Family Video is not the only video rental store doing well. Many small, local stores like Starlight Video in Auburn, are in good shape and looking to grow.

“The smaller stores are actually making it just fine,” said Steve Lind, owner of Starlight.

Lind said he understands that many people enjoy the convenience of renting through a computer and at a lower rate, but smaller stores can hold their own. Part of the problem for the large chains was their high overhead. Lind tries to keep his costs low so he can keep his prices low.

Located on Hwy. 68-80 in Auburn, Lind said he serves the Auburn residents and also gets a lot of cross-traffic of people traveling to and from Bowling Green and Russellville.

Starlight has been open almost three years and Lind is actually looking to expand. He’s exploring the possibility of opening a second store in Russellville, if he can find the right location at the right price.

“We’re doing well,” Lind said. “I believe we can remain competitive.”