I've driven past this shop for years, and as someone with experience in video conversion, I've…read morealways been curious about what sort of systems were set up inside. Their website looks straight out of the 90s. There's a lot of information, but I was floored by the fact that I could only order a conversion by **printing out and mailing in an order form** until I saw the fine print that said "walk-ins welcome". I had an old Betamax tape that I didn't have the equipment to convert, so I finally had a reason to stop by! I expected to find a 40-something in a clean, technologically up-to-date shop who could look at a piece of media and digitize it to a file type of your choosing. But stepping into Video Lab is like stepping back in time - decked out like a library with stacks and stacks of VCRs and cables, it looks like it could be a vintage bootleg server room. There's a life-size cutout of John Wayne and a variety of stickers that make the proprietor's politics apparent. The customer area is just a tiny sliver next to the front door blocked off by a counter, which gives the place the air of a museum exhibit to be observed from afar. I stood at the counter for maybe 20 seconds with no sign of life until a man shuffled out from around a corner. He didn't acknowledge me so I started the conversation. If I remember correctly, Steve's been running this shop since around 1982, and I get the sense that he stopped updating his processes once DVDs became the dominant media format. He plays a tape in real time while it burns to a DVD and watches TV in the background to fill the time. I was disappointed that he only offered to convert to DVD. My tape conversion was ready within 24 hours. Since DVDs have not been the dominant media format for close to a decade, my plan was just to rip the video to my hard drive and toss the disc. However, the disc wouldn't play in my Samsung DVD player, so I brought it back along with some of my equipment with the hope that I could just connect my computer to his Betamax player to import the tape directly. He seemed baffled by the request but invited me to step back into the stacks of players and helped me hook up my computer. Sitting there waiting for my tape to import, I marveled at the setup and thought about how much fun it'd be to help him streamline the operation. As we were chatting, I asked him why he was only offering DVDs instead of more versatile solutions like thumb drives, and he suggested that there wasn't demand for it. This surprised me, but he did have piles of finished orders on the counter so I suppose he's doing fine.

Truly happy with this experience and the product! I did some research on the places where you send…read moreyour VHS tapes to be dubbed. They were more money than I expected to or wanted to pay and there was up to a 6-week turnaround! So I remembered this tiny little place right around 56th and South Tacoma Way. I called and spoke with Steve. My first concern was with the copyright on an obscure exercise video from 1994 that was never made into a DVD. He immediately said copyrights expire after 25 years. I live about 3 or 4 miles away from there, so I popped into my car and drove right over. He quoted $24.95 plus tax, cash. ($27.49) He told me it would be ready the next day! So after phone call from him the following day, I popped back into my car and went back. I am deliriously happy that I will be able to use an exercise format that helped me lose over 50 lb back in the day. (I'm a little creakier and only need to lose about 15, but I know this video works for me.) the only place I have for a VCR has about three square feet of area in which to move. Now I can use my living room! I am viewing it as I write this, and I find it to be of perfect quality. In less than 24 hours! Steve was a pleasure to deal with and I can't find any reason why I would not go back once I find more things to convert! Definite 10 / 10 !

great customer service…read more went there for specific records and found wha i needed, with assistance they are very community oriented and communication is strong

Such a cute store with great staff! They have such a wide variety of music, CD's, DVD's, and a…read morereally nice vibe, I definitely recommend stopping in if you can!

If you're a multi-format, physical media lover, you've reached heaven. In an era when video stores…read moreceased to exist due to a gross miscalculation of the need for cloud infrastructure, Scarecrow Video restores the lost order. The films I checked out were The Visitors and Cast a Deadly Spell (part of the H.P. Lovecraft series) both perfect picks that I never would've stumbled on through an algorithm. Not to mention, there is a HUGE array of specialty and genre-specific films that can only be found on Blu-ray and/or DVD. And that's before you even get to the VHS and Laserdisc sections, which are very much alive and well here. The staff is friendly, welcoming, and warm, and they clearly enjoy where they work. I personally love their custom system of film organization sections broken down by theme, country, and some genuinely inspired niche categories that you won't find anywhere else. Also, the privately curated, rare graphic zines at the check-out counter are absolutely worth a glance. What's easy to overlook? This place is a registered nonprofit and the largest independent physical media library in the country, with over 150,000 titles. Many are out of print and flat-out unstreamable, titles that don't exist on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, or anywhere else combined. Supporting a membership here isn't just convenient, it's genuinely keeping film history alive.

This slice of perfectly preserved retro goodness has it all. Mr. T's Be Somebody or Be Somebody's…read moreFool afterschool special--they have it on video tape. Need a VCR, they got a few. That collection of obscure shorts where a cat convinces another cat to cut off its tail, but don't worry, it's actually a play you find out in the end, it's not only there, but the person working the counter has a recommendation for you if you liked that one. Jackie Chan's complete collection, rare imports and all, yep. Not sure what you want to watch, but you want be in one of the most special authentically vintage places on the planet, Scarecrow Video.

Been going to this shop for years, and it's amazing. Trading games is great because I don't get f'd…read moreover by stupid prices and the owner is such a chill guy. You could honestly go in there just to chat and you'll leave satisfied. The shop isnt just a shop it's like a little community gamer spot. - amazing customer service - employees/ owners are amazing people - great amount of games/ other gamer related products - come to the shop it's worth it!

Retro tour continues to not miss as this place borderline may have the spot for best lineup and…read moreclose to best service in the Seattle area. Loved talking to the guy there about our love of dragon ball and his help getting prices and recs were super helpful. Everything is well payed out with ample selections of games of any platform especially the 5th and prior. Prices are more than adequate and I'd come back alone to talk with the guy which is huge to me. Service takes this to the top with a tie for the area and I'm definitely stopping here next time I'm in town. Hope you completed og dragon ball as much as you did GT brah!