Four Star Video

Sad to say 4Star video store had their closing party tonight. Shila and her amazing crew are the most knowledgeable, friendly and courteous staff you could meet. They gave excellent recommendations and really know their stuff! Will miss this store and Kenflix sorely. If you are in the neighborhood you should drop in soon they are selling dvds for $ 2.00 (I scored big time with a great selection… not available on netflix… we are talking European and Criterion movies AWESOME)!
Succulence is taking over so if you like plants you will be in heaven here! Great plants!
4 Star U rock! I give u 11 stars!!! Loved you!

A neighborhood treasure. Puts Netflix Streaming to shame. Maybe I really should cancel that streaming subscription…

THIS PLACE DESERVES 6 STARS. First off they have just about everything from Holliwood Fluff to lots of foreign films, Oldie films and best of all– Indie films. The staff is FANTASTIC and will even take you around the store to help you find something even if your not sure what that something is.
There are not too many independent video stores left, so for the few people who nix this place like Hella Stella, well you stick with your streamin and Netflicks and I will take Ken and his hard workin staff over that any day.
And if you need sweets they got em, and if you need a little more O2, well they have lots of plants in the back.
I mean common, what more could you ask for in a store?
Oh and btw all you people who complain of skippin DVDs try a little windex and most of the time-​kaboom they work again.

Don’t bother. Unless it’s a new release, half the DVDs skip or are somehow problematic. (No, i’s not either of my two new DVD players.) I just returned a piece o’ sh&^ disc and wasn’t even offered a refund when I told them how horrible it was troubleshooting the scratched disc throughout the movie – which didn’t even go to the end. I’m going back to Netflix.

Should be called Five Star Video1 This place rocks in atmosphere and variety. Feels very communal and homey and the new shop Succulence breathes new life (literally) into the back room and garden. Very speakeasy and very New York. For videos, it stocks lots popular and obscure titles in a small space perfectly. Knowledgeable staff, lots to look at, always a fun neighborhood stop. Support and patronize our local video stores — there are so few left!

Just rented from them for the first time today. I’ve been looking for an excuse to end my Netflix subscription and here it is. This place has an amazing selection that really gives off a true love for cinema. I can’t wait to go back and browse.

Since Netflix hiked their prices, I’ve been getting my DVDs from Four Star. I’m actually spending a little bit more per month than I would if I’d stuck with the Netflix DVD plan, but I think it’s worth it, and an extra few bucks a month isn’t much, in the scheme of things.
Until I started renting here, I hadn’t browsed a video store in years, and I’d forgotten how much I enjoy that experience.

I’ve walked by here a 1,000,000 times and always dismissed it. I mean, really, a video store? How relevant is that now?
Friendly, loaded with cool DVD’s. .. .Net Flix? bye bye. ..

This is a neat little video store that carries both videos and DVD’s. It’s old school but the prices are within reason. You bring up a chip and they bring you the video. This brings back a little nostalgia from when I used to pick up videos way back in the day. Let’s hope this one is here to stay.

This place is so much more than a video store. It is a friendly neighborhood place where people go in when it’s rainy. It’s a place where local business means local business.
The owner is also the person who greets you most of the times, he makes sure there’s enough movies to go around, he sends out a blog/​email update, he opens late (yay!).
This is the place to go if you want to go and just browse for movies just to see «what looks good today». Unlike netflix, kenflix allows you to go to the store, pick a movie (even if it’s not a new movie) or ask for a recommendation.
They have dollar wednesdays, which are awesome, and they also tell you which movies suck (which I appreciate hehe).
When you get out of there, you will not only have a great movie in your hands, you are also helping the local businesses of that street.
I love four star video, so I will continue to spend my very-​hard-​earned-​dollars there, not some netflix somewhere on the other side of the country.

Amazing staff! The folks there know so much about so much in the film blz.
Kenflix was a fantastic set up for us — no late fees! I always beg the staff to say «It’s due… NEVER!!!» when they hand me my videos. They are super kind to oblige me. For those who can’t make the $$ commit, Dollar Wednesdays are fantastic too.
I respect most that they set the standard and a model for how video stores can support local community, be a place people love to walk into, and offer edgy, must see media. And Mad Men.
Rock on Ken and Team!

I love KenFlix and the arty selection of DVD’s. Great customer service from people who work hard to better the community. I’m giving up NetFlix and sticking with 4 Star Video.

Bernal Heights is a great little neighborhood with a gem of a video store — Four Star Video! They’ve got staff picks that will not only entertain but are thought provoking. The associates are incredibly nice and, oh my goodness, actually know film! They carry both main stream and obscure titles as well as VHS formats for those patrons that refuse to part with their VHS players. The only draw back to that is some of the movies I’ve wanted to see are only on VHS at the store (typically due to the fact that they are not being produced or are hard to find titles). One of my favorite programs — Kenflix! I was on Netflix for some time and NEVER watched what I rented. Perhaps, it’s just me though but I do love going into a shop and searching for titles on my own. There’s something ritualistic about picking out a movie that harks back to sleep over days. That and I love the tag system they’ve got going at Four Star. Just go and pay them a visit to know what I’m talking about! Lastly, Ken sends a newsletter on a weekly basis that gives you the scoop on what they’ve received and movies they recommend. As other Unilocal have said, «5 Stars for 4 Star». I heart them, big time! For a small, independently owned and operated «Mom and Pop», it’s one of the best video shops around. Oh, and they participate on the 3.50 Project («Saving the Brick and Mortars Our Nation is Built On» —
)
Please support Four Star!

Best little video store. $ 1 Wednesdays rock (not new releases, but a 3 day rental for $ 1, in case, say, you want to watch the lord of the rings trilogy over the next few days for $ 3 total; or have a Scorsese marathon for $ 20). Friendly good folks there. Kenflix option.
Oh, and check out Succulence out back — for succulents, good folks, nice garden, and some cool art.

I LOVE THIS STORE SO MUCH!
I LOVE THIS STORE SO MUCH!
HI HO THE DAIRY-​O,
I LOVE THIS STORE SO MUUUUUUCCCCH!
This place is awesome! I gave FOUR STAR… FIVE STARS! As I may have mentioned before, I’m mainly a NETFLIX gal, however, sometimes you need to see an obscure indie film on the fly… or a classic from the 1920’s…and you simply cannot WAIT for the postman to bring it or worse, it’s not even in your queue! Whats a girl to do??? Trot on over to Four Star, that’s what! This shop is situated on lovely (usually sunny) Cortland Ave in Bernal Heights. The staff alone earns them a couple of stars, all polite/​fwitty/​knowledgeable! Also, considering this isn’t some gy-​normous store, I’m amazed at how much they DO have! On Wednesdays, they have $ 1.00 rentals, almost unheard of in this day and age! You can call ahead if you’re looking for a title and if they have it they will hold it for you. Excellent selection for kids, too. Also, there is a great coffee shop right next door, perfect for when you want a nice chai or coffee to go with new dvd/​blu-​ray!

I) I love $ 1 Wednesdays. I rent a bunch of movies, watch them Friday or Saturday, and they’re not due back until Saturday at closing. Who wouldn’t love it?
II) They’re foreign section rocks pretty hard, too, organized by country and director.
III) Everyone who works there knows where everything is and seem to know most of the regulars (ie, great place to be, chat with possible neighbors and ask strangers for movie advice)
IV) Ken Flix is awesome and while I can’t afford it, I’ve tried it out via friends’ accounts and it’s just as good as netflix; plus it’s local.
Four Star = Five Stars, for sure.

LOVE FOUR STAR!!!
I’ve been going to FOUR STAR for a while… like since I was a kid and I love the place. It’s the perfect stop on a Cortland Ambush. Hit up Good Life for some groceries, buy a notebook or some jewelry at Heartfelt, maybe get my nails done across the street at the place that just changed their name but used to be Bernal Beauty (I think), cruise the book store for a new book to start reading that I will never finish, then… FOUR STAR!
There’s always something to rent there, and when there isn’t, it’s a nice walk back home. For the most part, they usually have what I want to watch for rent. But when it’s not in, they hook it up with the wait list.
Plus, the variety and selection at FOUR STAR is just awesome. If you can’t find it at here, it may not exist.

I’m also giving Five Stars to Four Star Video. I’ve been into watching movies and Series Shows on DVD lately and this is my place.
It’s local and they have a great selection of movies, but I am really getting into catching up on my TV Series by renting the DVD’s.
I’m kinda old school when it comes to renting movies, so I just stop by after a hike up Bernal, coffee at Progressive Grounds or shopping over at the Good Life.

Pretty much the rockinest video store ever!
Places like this are the reason I refuse to have Netflix. I want my $$ to go to a place owned by film fanatics, staffed by film fanatics for film fanatics.
The staff are all super knowledgeable and you can tell they are movie dorks like me, I feel at home there. Plus the rental costs are reasonable and you get early return credit, SWEET!

Top Ten (11) Reasons to go to Four Star:
11 — Kenflix — check it out… sooo much better than Netflix!
10 — Convenient location, for Bernal residents
9 — Early return credit
8 — Staff picks: Great Taste
7 — Lively, neighborhoody, fun atmosphere
6 — Criterion collection
5 — $ 1 Wednesdays!
4 — Great deals if you buy a block of moives
3– The friendliest, most knowledgeable staff I’ve ever encountered
2– Best selection — from hollywood hits (or misses) to rare gems
1– It’s not Blockbuster OR Netflix!

I still see my movies the 1990’s way, I rent them at a store. A movie has to be damn good for me to see it in a theater for $ 10, and quite frankly there’s just not that many great movies these days. I don’t rent often enough for Netflix, and I boycott Cockbuster.
The Local Video Store — another low-​margin business that struggles to stay open in such an expensive city like SF. We must support the few that are left.
Four Star became my defacto video store a few years ago and it has served me well. Great selections of docs, foreign, and music, TV series (like Curb Your Enthus. and Deadwood) in addition to pretty good quantity of new releases (although I’m having a damn hard time getting the new season of Weeds.)
They do lack all the japanese pr0nXx that my first video store in SF (on Geary) carried, but that’s what the internets is for.
Great friendly staff too. Four Star earns Five.