The newest branch of a Frandor Shopping Center video store has set up shop on campus.
Video To Go has expanded from its current location to room 107 in the Union. The store held its grand-opening celebration on Tuesday.
"The Union is one of the hubs, one of the central locations, just like Wells (Hall) and the International Center," said Anne Martin, the general manager for the new Video To Go. "The Union, just like the others, sees a lot of foot traffic and it's just a good way to reach people."
About 12 new accounts opened at the Union store by 3 p.m. Tuesday. Accounts can be opened for free and anyone who registered during the grand opening received a free movie poster.
"'Anchorman' is definitely the most popular today," Martin said.
Posters of "Van Helsing," "Spider-Man 2," and "The Bourne Supremacy" also were given away.
Video To Go officially opened Sept. 15 in the Union.
The store offers titles in various categories, such as new releases, drama and comedy in addition to foreign, animation and cult films.
International relations junior Erica Drozdowski and apparel and textile design senior Jillian Jeffers browsed the shelves during the grand opening and said they are excited about its new location.
"We've been big fans of Video To Go forever," Drozdowski said. "They have lots of rare movies."
Video To Go owner Tom Leach said the campus location is within walking distance for many students, and he hopes it does well.
"It's kind of a test market to see how it will do," Leach said.
History junior Craig Burgers lives off campus and opened an account at Video To Go on Tuesday.
"I always come to the Union," Burgers said. "This is actually ideal."
The Residence Halls Association also offers movie rentals, but the two services differ, said Adam Raezler, director of the RHA Movie Offices and a political theory and constitutional democracy senior.
RHA's services are free to on-campus students, although they do charge late fees. Video To Go is similar to other video-rental stores and charges a rental fee ranging between $2.50-3.75. Video games for Playstation 2 and Xbox are $4.50 for five days.
Raezler also said RHA receives fewer copies of movies and 80 percent of its movies are new releases.
Neither Raezler or Leach expect competition between the services.
"The Union needs excellent services and Video To Go is a perfect thing to put in there," Raezler said. "It's just what students have been requesting."
Leach said because Video To Go charges for its video rentals, the store needs to find a way to bring students in.
"We're the ones who have to prove ourselves, because RHA already has," he said. "I think both programs provide a great service to the university and hopefully we'll both be successful."
