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As the largest independent video store in the country with around 130,000 individual titles, Scarecrow Video is a vibrant film archive and home for a unique cast of characters keeping the in-person video store tradition alive.
Given that our relationship to film art has – more often than not – migrated to digital and streaming services, nurturing a vibrant film archive and the community that forms around it is a genuinely wonderful achievement. Matt Lynch, Marketing Coordinator for Scarecrow Video in Seattle, sat with me for a while to chat about the evolution of the place, the types of characters that sustain the store, and the challenges it faces as life turns more and more digital.
![First floor of Scarecrow Video](https://www.thismustbetheplace.io/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Scarecrow_pano-1024x309.jpg)
Matt shares some of his experiences after spending 14 years of his life with Scarecrow – including providing a public forum for obscure and amateur film makers. In addition to a discussion of the idiosyncratic charms of Scarecrow Video, we also spend some time talking about film genres and specific films that have made an impact on Matt.
I don’t really belong anywhere else. I get paid to play with my toys every day. I love Scarecrow – it’s my church, it’s my second home.
!["Why Scarecrow Video?" flyer by Marc Palm](https://www.thismustbetheplace.io/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Why_Scarecrow1-1024x573.jpg)
!["Why Scarecrow Video?" flyer by Marc Palm](https://www.thismustbetheplace.io/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Why_Scarecrow2-1024x421.jpg)
!["Why Scarecrow Video?" flyer by Marc Palm](https://www.thismustbetheplace.io/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Why_Scarecrow3-1024x399.jpg)
Show Links
Scarecrow Video – website
“The Convenience Trap” – AV Club article
Marc Palm Comics – flyer and poster artist
“The horrible, hilarious violence of Ichi The Killer” – AV Club article
“Why Quentin Tarantino Doesn’t Like Netflix” – Cinema Blend
“Say goodbye to the video store, hello to the non-profit foundation” – Ars Technica