When searching for the Last Great Video Store, all roads eventually lead to Seattle’s Scarecrow Video. Their massive home media collection is the largest in the world, with over 131,000 titles available for rental — that’s about forty-four times as many movies as are currently streaming on Netflix.

Whether it’s the cinematic delights of John Waters, the “peak TV” era as defined by shows like HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET or THE WIRE, or the sonic thunder created by artists like Beach House and Dan Deacon, Baltimore, Maryland has long been an epicenter for transgressive, thrilling art that pushes the cultural conversation in America forward. So, when I began my journey to search for the Last Great Video Store last spring, I wasn’t surprised to learn that a new model of the Great American Video Store had sprung forth from one of the greatest American cities.

I couldn’t tell you exactly what I set out to find when I began my journey to look for the Last Great Video Store last year. Of course, I had ideas about what I wanted to write about in practical terms — the inherent, essential value of physical media contained within, the access to older, rarer titles streaming services do not offer, the importance of community and interaction fostered by the physical presence of video stores — but there was something else, something much harder to pin down, that was driving my journey through the past.

For the last 33 years, Vulcan Video has helped keep Austin weird by offering a deep catalogue of essential classic, cult, foreign-language, and documentary titles, showcasing the seemingly infinite knowledge of their trusty clerks, and providing a thriving physical space for renters to share their own cinematic stories with one another. But, we live in an age of streaming —and Vulcan Video has not been immune to the challenges faced by brick-and-mortar video stores around the world. Last month, they launched a fundraising campaign to help offset the rising costs of living in an expanding Austin, as well as deal with the reality of being a video store in the streaming era.