Earlier this month, Oakland’s 40th Street vinyl outpost 1-2-3-4 Go! Records cryptically announced a forthcoming San Francisco location — with no address given — but now it can be told: that address will be shared with Lost Weekend Video, the Valencia Street video rental store and all-around beloved community hub.
In an announcement on their site Tuesday, Lost Weekend explained that while it faced near-certain closure on May 1 due to a rent increase in February, “We’ve talked to surviving stores across the country to learn what has worked best for them and after adding a few of our own innovations, we’ve come up with a new model for a now 21st Century video store.”
That involves a relaunch of the Valencia Street store in partnership with 1-2-3-4 Go! on April 18, when the two join as a combination video store / record store. It also means a searchable catalog online of Lost Weekend’s films; home delivery services; memberships and other 21st-century changes on operations. Lastly, it calls for an East Bay opening of the the Cinecave, the comedy club booked by the tireless George Chen currently running in Lost Weekend’s basement; the Cinecave’s location in Oakland’s Uptown neighborhood promises “a carefully curated video rental store, with full access to our combined collection on both sides of the Bay, and a film-themed beer & wine bar” — with live comedy and entertainment seven nights a week.
Naturally, like so many other community institutions in peril, Lost Weekend is asking for help. But as the Voltron-like forces combine with dueling photobooths and copies of The Bad News Bears alongside 24 Hour Revenge Therapy, things are looking a little sunnier on Lost Weekend’s side of the street.
