Lost Weekend Video, 1-2-3-4 Go! Planning to Relocate to New Spaces

Lost Weekend Video, one of three remaining video rental stores in San Francisco, is planning on moving later this year after almost 20 years of operating on Valencia Street in San Francisco’s Mission District.

The video store has been talking with Texas-based Alamo Drafthouse since late last year about moving into the lobby of their San Francisco theater on Mission St, according to Lost Weekend owner David Hawkins.

“They’re giving us very good terms,” Hawkins said, adding that the deal was still in the works and that nothing was definite as of Friday.

Rents have risen annually since Lost Weekend moved into the store’s current location at 1034 Valencia St. 19 years ago and it’s been losing revenue since the 2008 recession, Hawkins said. Last year, the store made some big moves to stay open, including starting an online crowdfunding campaign that raised just under $30,000, and having the Oakland record store 1-2-3-4 Go! open a satellite shop in the front of the video store’s space.

Though the record shop brought in more foot traffic and the closing of Le Video back in November helped Lost Weekend pick up more customers, Hawkins said they have yet to see the increase in revenue needed to justify renting their current location.

“Nothing is definite yet, but we are probably going to be vacating this space some time in the spring,” Hawkins said.

As for the comedy shows that are hosted in the video store’s basement, which include the weekly showcase Cynic Cave, Hawkins says he hopes to have them still occur wherever Lost Weekend ends up. Nato Green, one of the comedians who organizes Cynic Cave, said they plan to have a big blowout show on March 5.

For 1-2-3-4 Go!, store owner Steve Stevenson said Friday that he’s working out a deal to move the satellite shop into a retail space next door, replacing the clothing shop Dema, which is closing at the end of this month. Stevenson plans to open the new store by March 5.

“It’s just sort of my luck,” said Stevenson, who opened the original 1-2-3-4 Go! in a small retail space in Oakland back in 2008. “Right when I needed a new space, one opened up.”

Stevenson’s business has been growing since his store first opened, thanks to the “vinyl craze” that has spread globally. Not only did he have to move into a larger space in Oakland just after a few years, the first year of the San Francisco shop’s existence was also successful, he says. The new San Francisco store will still be “well-curated,” but will also include expanded CD and cassette sections.

This story will be updated when more details are learned.