Family Video
Retailer / private label
UnclaimedFamily Video was an American brick-and-mortar movie-rental retailer that operated primarily in suburban, rural, and small-to-midsize markets in the United States and Canada.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Family Video was the flagship retail business of Highland Ventures, a family-owned company headquartered in Glenview, Illinois. The chain developed from a video-rental concept created by Charles Hoogland after his family’s appliance-distribution business accumulated excess videocassette inventory in the late 1970s. The first Video Movie Club opened in Springfield, Illinois, in 1978, initially using a membership-and-rental model. The business was later known as Video Movies Inc. before adopting the Family Video name. The retailer’s core business was the physical rental of movies and, later, video games and other home-entertainment products. Its stores were concentrated in rural areas, suburbs, and small-to-midsize cities rather than the largest metropolitan markets. This geographic strategy differentiated Family Video from Blockbuster, whose store network was more heavily oriented toward larger urban and suburban markets. Family Video expanded across the United States and entered Canada in 2012. A notable feature of the company’s operating model was its ownership of many of the properties in which its stores operated. This reduced its exposure to the lease renegotiations and rent pressures that contributed to the decline of several competing rental chains. Family Video also generally owned its rental inventory rather than relying primarily on revenue-sharing arrangements, allowing it to retain the rental revenue after acquiring the titles. Stores increasingly served as mixed-use retail properties, with space leased to complementary businesses such as hair salons, fitness facilities, and pizza restaurants. The brand pursued diversification beyond movie rental. Highland Ventures operated or invested in related activities including real estate, fitness centers, cellular services, cable television, and the i3 Broadband fiber-optic network in central Illinois. In 2013, Family Video partnered with Marco’s Pizza, placing pizza franchise locations in or alongside selected stores and linking movie rentals with pizza delivery. The company also sold new and previously used movies online and maintained a broader e-commerce presence for physical media and branded merchandise. Family Video benefited from the retreat of major competitors. After Blockbuster substantially exited the United States and Hastings Entertainment closed its remaining stores, Family Video became the last major surviving American video-rental chain with a large physical store network. Its store count nevertheless declined from a reported peak of approximately 800 to nearly 600 by late 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the contraction: about 200 locations were closed in autumn 2020, leaving roughly 300 stores. On January 5, 2021, Family Video announced that all remaining stores would close and that the business would continue temporarily as an online-only retailer. The web store sold new and used video products as well as branded items including clothing, drinkware, bags, hats, key chains, and water bottles. The online operation ended in March 2022, bringing the brand’s commercial activity to a close after 44 years. The Family Video trademark was reported as the subject of a possible acquisition filing by Piko Interactive in early 2026, although the available reference material does not establish that the transaction was completed.
History
Family Video traces its origins to Midstates Appliance and Supply Company, founded by Clarence Hoogland in 1946. Charles Hoogland inherited the family business in 1953. The company later became a distributor for Magnetic Video, a relationship that exposed it to the developing market for prerecorded home video. In the late 1970s, the distributor was left with a substantial quantity of excess movie inventory. Charles Hoogland used that inventory as the foundation for a rental venture. In 1978, he opened the Video Movie Club in Springfield, Illinois. Customers initially paid a $25 membership fee and a $5 rental fee. The concept converted surplus physical media into a recurring retail business and positioned the Hoogland family in the emerging video-rental industry. During the 1980s, the operation was renamed Video Movies Inc. and subsequently became Family Video. The chain expanded through a store model directed toward rural areas, suburbs, and smaller cities. This approach gave it a different market profile from Blockbuster, which concentrated more strongly on major metropolitan and high-traffic markets. Family Video’s stores provided customers with physical access to movie rentals at a time when home video was dominated by VHS and later DVD ownership and rental. The company’s real-estate strategy became an important part of its competitive model. Family Video owned the properties used by many of its stores instead of depending exclusively on leased locations. It also bought its movie inventory, retaining rental proceeds rather than relying mainly on arrangements in which studios or distributors shared rental revenue. These choices helped the chain maintain control over its locations and economics as competitors encountered lease problems, weakening demand, and changing studio distribution practices. Family Video moved its headquarters from Springfield to Glenview, Illinois, in 2003. The business expanded into Canada in 2012. It also diversified its physical locations and corporate activities. Highland Ventures pursued real estate and operated or invested in adjacent businesses, including 24-hour fitness centers, cellular services, cable television, and the i3 Broadband fiber-optic network in central Illinois. Family Video stores could contain or lease space to other businesses, including fitness operations, hair salons, and food-service tenants. In 2013, the chain entered a partnership with Marco’s Pizza. Selected Family Video stores provided space for Marco’s Pizza franchise operations, and the two businesses promoted a combined movie-rental and pizza-delivery experience. Family Video also expanded its merchandise and sales channels, offering new and used physical media online in addition to in-store rentals. The collapse of the traditional video-rental sector reduced Family Video’s competitive field. Blockbuster closed almost all of its remaining stores by 2013, and Hastings Entertainment liquidated its operations by the end of 2016. Family Video consequently became the last large surviving video-rental chain in the United States with a substantial physical footprint. Its survival did not reverse the long-term shift toward digital distribution, subscription streaming, and online purchasing. The chain reached a reported peak of about 800 stores, but the network had fallen to nearly 600 by late 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the decline, leading to the closure of approximately 200 stores in autumn 2020. On January 5, 2021, the company announced that all remaining stores would close. The business shifted to a web-only model selling new and used videos and branded merchandise such as T-shirts, mugs, tumblers, hats, gym bags, key chains, and water bottles. The online store closed at the end of March 2022, ending Family Video’s commercial operations after 44 years. Reference material also reports that Piko Interactive filed in early 2026 to acquire the Family Video trademark. The available material does not confirm whether that filing resulted in a completed transfer or whether the trademark was subsequently used for an operating retail business.
- 2026
Reported trademark acquisition filing
Reference material reports that Piko Interactive filed to acquire the Family Video trademark. Completion of the transaction is unconfirmed.
- 2022
Online store closes
[1]The web store closed at the end of March, ending the company’s business operations.
- 2021
All physical stores are scheduled to close
[1]Family Video announced the closure of its remaining approximately 250 stores and a transition to online-only sales.
- 2020
Pandemic-related store closures
[1]Approximately 200 stores closed during autumn 2020, leaving about 300 physical locations.
- 2016
Family Video becomes the last major U.S. video-rental chain
[1]Following the liquidation of Hastings Entertainment, Family Video was described as the sole surviving major U.S. video-rental chain.
- 2013
Marco’s Pizza partnership begins
[1]Family Video began providing space for Marco’s Pizza franchises in selected stores and promoted movie rentals alongside pizza delivery.
- 2012
Canadian expansion
[1]Family Video expanded its store operations into Canada.
- 2003
Headquarters moves to Glenview
[1]Family Video relocated its headquarters from Springfield, Illinois, to Glenview, Illinois.
- 1980
The operation becomes Video Movies Inc.
[1]The rental chain was renamed Video Movies Inc. during the 1980s before later adopting the Family Video name.
- 1978
Video Movie Club opens in Springfield
[1]Charles Hoogland launched a video-rental club using excess movie inventory held by the family’s distribution business.
Products and positioning
A family-oriented, value-focused physical video-rental retailer serving rural communities, suburbs, and small-to-midsize cities, with a real-estate-led operating model and complementary in-store services.
Home entertainment rental · 1978
Movie rentals
The core Family Video offering was the rental of physical movie media through neighborhood stores. The chain acquired and owned much of its inventory, allowing stores to rent titles directly to customers and retain rental proceeds. The format evolved from VHS-era video rental into DVD-era retail before being displaced by digital distribution and streaming.
Home entertainment rental
Video-game rentals
Family Video stores also participated in the rental of video games and related physical entertainment products. These offerings broadened the addressable market beyond movie households and complemented the chain’s physical retail format.
Physical media retail
New and used physical movies
In addition to rentals, Family Video sold new and previously used movie products. These sales were available through stores and, later, the company’s online shop, giving customers an ownership option after or instead of renting.
Branded merchandise · 2021
Family Video merchandise
During its online-only period, Family Video sold branded apparel and accessories, including T-shirts, coffee mugs, tumblers, hats, gym bags, key chains, and water bottles. These products extended the brand beyond its original rental service.
Marketing campaigns
- 2013Family Video–Marco’s Pizza partnership
United States
Family Video partnered with Marco’s Pizza to place pizza franchise operations in or alongside selected rental stores. The arrangement connected movie rentals with pizza delivery and used Family Video’s owned or controlled retail properties to host complementary services.
Outcome. The partnership supported Family Video’s diversification and mixed-use store strategy, although the available material does not provide a quantified financial outcome.
Brand decisions
2021
Close the physical store networkStrategyBackground
Store numbers had already fallen substantially, and the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the decline of physical video rental.
Action taken
Family Video announced the closure of all remaining approximately 250 stores and a temporary shift to online-only retail.
Aftermath
The online store continued selling physical media and branded merchandise until it closed at the end of March 2022.
2013
Add Marco’s Pizza locations to selected storesStrategyBackground
The video-rental sector was contracting as consumers gained more digital and online alternatives. Family Video was pursuing additional uses for its store properties.
Action taken
The company partnered with Marco’s Pizza and provided space for franchise operations in many locations.
Aftermath
The partnership became part of Family Video’s broader strategy of combining rentals with food service and leasing space to complementary retailers.
2012
Enter the Canadian marketStrategyBackground
Family Video sought to extend its physical rental-store model beyond the United States while traditional video rental remained an established retail category.
Action taken
The chain opened or expanded operations in Canada.
Aftermath
Family Video operated in both the United States and Canada before the eventual closure of its physical network.
Recent events
Sources2 sources
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