Lost Cokato: Movie Rental Stores

Museum Staff. "Lost Cokato: Movie Rental Stores." In The Midst Of Blog. Cokato Historical Society. (March 25, 2023) www.cokatomuseum.org.

Dana Buttenhoff at "Dana's Movies Unlimited, 1984. Photograph is property of the Dassel-Cokato Enterprise Dispatch, used with permission.

In the late 1970s, movies were transferred from theatres to homes in Cokato with the invention of a device called the Video Home System (VHS). A black plastic rectangle encasing two white reels wound with magnetic tape, the VHS was projected onto people's televisions using device called a Videocassette Recorder (VCR). The VCR was an innovative system, which allowed a VHS tape to be physically played, rewound, or fast forwarded. There was no jumping from scene to scene like streaming devises allow today. VHS tapes were affected by dust and humidity, and when watched would produce thin lines that would dart across the screen. VHS tapes also had poor audio and fuzzy resolution (at least compared to today's standards). Content on VHS tapes could even be recorded over. In fact, to prevent the risk of someone recording over something important, like your wedding video, there was a special tab on the VHS that had to be removed. As the popularity of VHS tapes and VCRs began to grow in the early 1980s, businesses like Blockbuster emerged in the U.S., providing the public with a variety of movie selections through rental. In Cokato, one of the first movie rental stores was "Dana's Movies Unlimited."1

In September of 1984, Dana Buttenhoff opened "Dana's Movies Unlimited" at 140 3rd street in Cokato. The store initially  had a selection of over 250 movies, which were available for rent at a price of two movies for $5 (which in 2023 would be a little over $14). Families without VCRs at home could also rent one of his five VCRs. There was also a special deal for people who purchased a membership. In the April 1, 1987, Enterprise-Dispatch, Buttenhoff mentioned that members received: $1 off each movie and VRC rental, a card for 13 free movies per year, and the use of a head cleaner (a special VHS tape that helped clean out the VCR). At some unknown time, Buttenhoff moved his business to the Cokato Tower Center Mall.  

Ready to try other things, Buttenhoff announced the sale of his business to Maxine and Lyle Stueven of Howard Lake in the April 22, 1987, Enterprise Dispatch. Under the Stueven ownership, the business' name was changed to "Video Bug." That same year, The Marketplace also began renting movies in Cokato for $1.95 daily and VCRs for $4.00 daily ($5.16 and $10.59 in 2023). ​Local stores, such as Peterson's Pharmacy in Dassel, were also advertising the conversion of 8mm film, photos, and slides to videocassettes.

Jamie, Max, Tyler, Ashley, Lyle and Chellie Stueven in Video Bug, 1990. Photograph is property of the Dassel-Cokato Enterprise Dispatch, used with permission.

​​​For nearly 15 years the Stueven family rented movies to the community of Cokato. During that time, Video Bug expanded their business to include tanning. There were also some pivotal moments that affected the movie rental business--the first video was streamed on the internet in 1991. Digital Versatile Discs (DVD) were also introduced to the U.S. in 1997, eliminating the need "rewind" your rental as one had to with VHS tapes. With the emergence of DVDs, companies such as Netflix and Redbox were created whose business model skipped over the movie rental storefront. Now families in Cokato could use Netflix to rent movies or games online, receiving the physical DVD via mail. With Redbox, patrons could go to any location with a Redbox kiosk to rent or return a DVD movie. In time, Cokato businesses such as The Marketplace and Dollar General put Redbox kiosk in their stores.

Controversy hit Cokato in 1996, with the opening of a new video and variety store on the northern corner of Third and Millard (in a building that does not exist today). The adult nature of the films sparked protests within the community, and, according to the Enterprise Dispatch, the issue was brought to the council meeting that September. The store did not remain in operation for long.

Sign painter Bob Anderson in front of Video Bug. Photograph is property of the Dassel-Cokato Enterprise Dispatch, used with permission.

In June of 2001, to Scott Gertje-Jansen of Waverly purchased the Video Bug from the Stuevens. According to the Enterprise Dispatch, soon after purchasing the business, Gertje-Jansen and store manager Denise Carriveau made some changes which included a wider video and DVD selection, the option to rent video recorders and DVD players, and the installation of a television to play parts of new releases for customers. 

Around 2007,  Scott Gertje-Jansen sold Video Bug and Tanning to Cindy and Dave Korbel of Maple Lake, who changed the name to Cokato Video and Tanning. By 2010, the business was downsizing, and moved into a new location on 120 Third Street West. It closed not long after, ending an era of movie rental stores in Cokato.

1.  Rob Thubron. "Once-Iconic Tech Products That Are Now a Fading Memory." Techspot. (May 2, 2022) Accessed 3/24/2023.  https://www.techspot.com/article/2457-once-iconic-tech/