Two automotive crashes, one pandemic and the rise of streaming and piracy have mixed to roll the ultimate credit for London‘s final remaining video rental store.

Over the 25 years since Gulam Charania opened his retailer, referred to as For Your Eyes Only, prospects have included Bodies star Stephen Graham.

But the aftermath of the pandemic coupled with different unlucky occasions have lastly led to the curtain name of the shop in Forest Hill, south east London.

The retailer and ‘neighborhood hub’ has outlived video rental large Blockbuster by greater than a decade and swatted away competing shops because of a military of loyal, film-loving prospects who will mourn its demise.

The video retailer stocked greater than 11,000 DVDs, Blu-Rays and video video games and boasts actors reminiscent of Graham – who as soon as lived simply down the highway from the store – Con O’Neill and Hugo Speer amongst its extra well-known clientele.

After a automotive obliterated the shopfront for the second time final summer season, the beloved video rental retailer was compelled to close for three-and-a-half months.

This, following a pandemic-enforced closure and the rise of streaming and piracy, has resulted in Mr Charania, who lives in Orpington, Kent, calling it a day and saying: ‘This is the tip of an period. That’s it.’

The father-of-two and grandfather-of-four opened the doorways of his retailer – believed to be the final video rental retailer in London and one of many final within the UK – again in 1998, having been impressed by his love of movie.

‘I like the movies of the 80s and 90s,’ he defined. ‘Your Rambos, Star Wars…

‘It’s simply CGI now – it is inferior to it was once. But there are nonetheless good movies being made.’

For Your Eyes Only – a nod to Roger Moore’s 1981 James Bond traditional of the identical identify – nonetheless has rows of DVDs and Blu-Rays inside, separated in classes from ‘horror’, ‘comedy’ and ‘new releases’ to ‘Oscar-nominated movies’ and blockbusters. 

Stickers displaying a few of the offers prospects as soon as loved, nonetheless adorn the partitions: ‘Thu, Fri, Sat – hire any 3 Blu-Rays for one evening solely £3’. It was offers like this, and For Your Eyes Only’s loyal fan base that stored it in enterprise for thus lengthy.  

Over the years, Mr Charania has efficiently batted away buyout presents and big-money rivals reminiscent of Blockbuster – maybe essentially the most well-known film rental firm on the planet, which opened and later shut within the space throughout his 25-year tenure.

On his secret to outliving the video rental large by a decade, the store proprietor revealed he would obtain early releases of the most well liked new movies from his trusted suppliers, most of whom have additionally now shut up store.

Another store, Apollo Video, as soon as even supplied Mr Charania £25,000 to purchase his retailer out – which he rejected.

‘This retailer was a neighborhood hub,’ he stated, boxing up stacks of DVDs. ‘I’ve had a number of individuals coming in actually, actually upset that we’re closing.

‘I’ve seen individuals who have moved out of the world come again over time simply to reminisce and say, “I’m so glad you are still right here”.

‘All the households used to return in, it was sensible.

‘Now, far fewer individuals have DVD gamers. But what occurs in case your web goes? You’re stuffed.

‘Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights individuals would queue out the door. It can be heaving.

‘Now I see youngsters ask their mums once they go previous, “What’s a DVD store?”. They do not know.’

Mr Charania says a automotive rolling into his store entrance in August final yr, inflicting him to board-up for practically 4 months whereas insurance coverage claims have been settled, was one other nail in a coffin.

The lifelong Chelsea fan insists that although the rise of streaming providers reminiscent of Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ has taken a few of his enterprise, video piracy took extra when it first emerged.

‘When Netflix began it was low-cost,’ Mr Charania stated. ‘Now, I get individuals moaning, saying: “Why are you closing down? Netflix is garbage”.

‘But there are such a lot of streaming providers now.’

On the affect of individuals illegally pirating movies and TV reveals, he added: ‘One of my buddy’s outlets was doing an unbelievable commerce earlier than individuals started pirating movies.

‘Then individuals began saying, “I’ve seen that one on-line, I’ve seen that one…”.’

Mr Charania added his commerce ballooned by round 80 per cent earlier than the pandemic, however lockdown put a fast finish to this.

‘I could not consider the commerce,’ he stated. ‘Then Boris Johnson stated we have been getting into a lockdown…

‘The Government gave us little handouts, nevertheless it was solely paying the payments.’

Mr Charania says he’ll now search for one other job, as he isn’t able to retire – maybe at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital, the place he has had therapy himself.

But the disappointment he feels after locking-up for the final time on Monday (November 13) will take a while to recuperate from.

‘I’m holding it collectively, however I’m going by a type of melancholy,’ he admitted. ‘This is the tip of an period. That’s it.

‘I’ve had some nice occasions right here and obtained to know a number of individuals.

‘Now I’m going to should discover a job.’

A GoFundMe web page was arrange by supporters in March this yr after the information unfold that For Your Eyes Only could also be compelled to shut its doorways once-and-for-all – although Mr Charania had nothing to do with it.

He says the £2,300 it raised helped him pay the payments for a number of months, however that his ever-waning buyer base meant his enterprise was now not sustainable.

Australian instructing assistant Margherita D’Angelo, nevertheless, might be dissatisfied to see the shop go.

The mother-of-one, who’s in her fifties and nonetheless watches DVDs, has a membership with the shop and wonders the place she’s going to go to hire movies sooner or later.

‘I’ve come right here once in a while for a number of years now,’ she stated. ‘There are no extra round.

‘I used to work in a Blockbusters in Australia myself, truly. It’s actually unhappy it is closing.

‘I believe it is an age factor. I simply moved home and introduced my DVD participant with me. There are some issues you’ll be able to’t get on streaming platforms.

‘But, I’m stunned it has lasted this lengthy, I’ve to say.’

James Blimsa, a father-of-two who works in safety, grew up in Forest Hill and was delighted to see the store was nonetheless there when he revisited the world three years in the past, although he is equally saddened to listen to that it is now closing.

The 37-year-old, who now lives in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, stated: ‘I could not consider it was nonetheless there.

‘It was the identical man who owned it once I was a child.

‘I’ve implausible recollections… It was a purpose for pals to get collectively.

‘As we obtained older going as much as 16 and 17, clearly everybody has their very own lives nevertheless it was nonetheless a factor to hire a DVD and all get collectively and watch it – that does not exist anymore with Netflix.

‘I did not need to say to him that I do not even personal a DVD participant anymore as a result of occasions have moved on.

‘Even once I was explaining it to my 12-year-old son, he stated how superb it sounded.

‘It is one thing that the brand new technology will sadly by no means perceive.’

Mr Charania added he hopes DVDs could trip a wave of nostalgia and make a comeback in future, very like vinyl records have.

‘You by no means know,’ he stated.