Stockholm store bets on resurgence of DVDs and Blu-rays against streaming

In a move defying the dominance of streaming giants, a new film store called Stock Home Video has opened its doors in Stockholm, focusing on physical media like DVDs and Blu-rays. The founders, Gabrielle de Bourg, Rebecka Winter, and Isabella Morgonro, see a growing market for tangible media and the experience of a physical retail space.

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It's coming back. Not just physical media but also the need for the physical place, to meet others and talk with others.

"It's coming back. Not just physical media but also the need for the physical place, to meet others and talk with others," says Gabrielle de Bourg. The store positions itself as an alternative to online retailers and streaming platforms. Instead of algorithms, the staff, who are described as "film nerds," act as curators, offering personalized recommendations and fostering a community atmosphere.

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They have tired of the digital.

The store targets two main customer groups: middle-aged individuals, often men with disposable income, looking to expand their collections with special editions, and younger consumers seeking to discover new films and buy second-hand items. Rebecka Winter notes that many younger people are "tired of the digital." This sentiment is linked to what Forbes describes as the "Netflix syndrome," where users spend more time browsing than watching, and the phenomenon of "subscription fatigue" from numerous streaming services.

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You own nothing and things can suddenly be taken away. It's also getting worse, with advertising on more and more platforms. It creates a strong backlash.

Founders believe Generation Z, born between the late 1990s and early 2010s, will drive this resurgence. Owning media is increasingly viewed as a "rebellious" act against streaming platforms that can arbitrarily remove content or increase advertising. "You own nothing and things can suddenly be taken away," Winter explains. "It's also getting worse, with advertising on more and more platforms. It creates a strong backlash." The founders see this trend as an "anti-capitalist" statement, a desire to control what one owns in an era where digital purchases often lack true ownership, citing examples like Sony's potential removal of purchased digital films and its shift to digital-only game releases.

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It sounds ironic to say that it feels anti-capitalist to own something, but it has become so. The companies do everything so that you cannot control what you own. Then many people feel that if some really want to benefit physical media for me then I want to go there.