Sharing the love: We Luv Video non-profit library to carry on legacy of I Luv Video

Hundreds of VHS tapes, from the "Star Wars" saga to 20th Century Fox blockbusters, lined the walls of the original I Luv Video in 1984.

The store sat at the corner of Slaughter Lane and Menchaca Road, and it served as a haven for both diehard film lovers and those looking for a casual Friday night flick. Over the years, more locations opened across Austin, with perhaps the greatest taking up space on Airport Boulevard. The building held the title of "world's largest and oldest video store" thanks to its library of more than 120,000 videos.

Unfortunately, the Airport Boulevard location would serve as I Luv Video's final resting place when the company fell victim to the pandemic and online streaming in 2020. But now, three years later, a new generation is bringing back the old establishment.

I Luv Video is set to be reborn as We Luv Video at 100 E. North Loop Blvd. on July 29. We Luv Video will operate as a non-profit video rental library under the leadership of former I Luv Video patrons Macy Cotton and Ryan Teel along with their board.

We Luv Video, created with the help of a Kickstarter campaign, will also offer an art gallery, micro-cinema and weekly events. Businesses can also rent out the space.

More: This Austinite wants to rewind time and bring back I Luv Video's film archive

"We want to make sure that this is a place that has accessibility for filmmakers, film lovers and also artists of all types," said Adam Sweeney, We Luv Video programming director and board treasurer. "I think that's one of the reasons that people love Austin, because it has a true artistic spirit, and we want to support that both for people from old Austin and then people that are new."

Sweeney said We Luv Video offers films that aren't available on streaming platforms or that have otherwise been "lost to media purgatory." This includes the original, pre-CGI versions of "Star Wars" and content removed from certain sites.

"Streaming networks continuously now, even for their own content, will remove titles. An example is — and this is not a knock on Disney+ — but they will remove 'The World According to Jeff Goldblum,'" Sweeney said. "They'll remove 'Willow.' And some of these projects have come out no less than two years ago. We think it's very important to offer titles and offer media to the community and also to make sure that we are showcasing all of the artistic projects in the way that the filmmakers and storytellers originally envisioned."

As a non-profit, We Luv Video is volunteer-led and relies on donations and memberships. Whatever membership tier a patron selects determines how many videos they can rent as well as access to perks such as parties and merchandise discounts.

At the store's grand opening on July 29, the We Luv Video team hopes to raise $20,000 and sign up 500 members.

"We want to carry on the spirit and legacy of I Luv Video, because for so many of us, it was one of our favorite things in Austin," Sweeney said. "And we want to make sure that Austin artists and Austin community members... know that they're welcome. We're all about sharing the love because we received a lot for so many decades."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: We Luv Video non-profit film library to carry on legacy of I Luv Video