Entertainment, Eats and Soon -- Beer and Wine?

It's been tough for video stores in recent years -- not only did they have the recession to deal with, but also the rise of digital media that has all but made DVD's obsolete.

But while other video stores have dropped like flies, there's one video store in Hamden that has thrived by making itself a community destination, adding a cafe, a stage and now is hoping to soon start serving beer and wine.

at 1842 Whitney Ave. opened 27 years ago at the advent of home video. But since then it has become much more, which has helped it weather the economic storms and provided for its survival.

"Now we are the only video store in the area," owner Hank Paper said, "and we are undergoing somewhat of a struggle." 

It's been especially tough for the past few years, Paper admits. Several years ago he added the Best Video Coffee Bar and performance space to supplement the video store rentals, making the spot a destination for Spring Glen residents.

And now he has plans to add beer and wine to the menu. He cleared one hurdle this week when the Planning and Zoning Commission approved his application, but still needs approvals from the state Liquor Commission.

"I think it will add to our relevance and help our bottom line," Paper told the zoning commission. "It will ease our struggle and help us remain in Spring Glen for another 27 years." 

The additions to the business have added value to what it offers the community, he said, pointing to the popularity of the performance space, which he says is booked through June. Entertainment offered includes shows next month featuring stand-up comedians, music, theater and poetry readings.

But what it won't become is a bar, Paper said.

"We are not going to be a bar -- we just want to add wine and beer to our menu of sandwiches," he said. "Ours is not the kind of establishment where someone will nurse a glass or wine or beer all afternoon -- that's just not going to happen."

The zoning commission received two letters from residents opposed to the store selling wine and beer, based mostly on its proximity to Spring Glen School.

It won't have any negative impact on the kids, Paper said, many of whom he knows personally. 

"School children have been our customers for 27 years," he said, and selling wine and beer won't affect them. Besides, he said, there are bars down the street that are located even closer to St. Rita's School.

And if the State Liquor Commission does sign off on the plans, it doesn't mean that in the future the site could become a bar, Asst. Town Planner Dan Kops said. 

"It would be grandfathered in as an accessory use, not a permit for a bar," he said.

But Paper said he doesn't have any plans of going anywhere any time soon.

"We are embedded in this community," he said, "and we have always marched to a different drummer."