Chet's Video Takes Show on the Road — Home Delivery

Chet Strout of Chet's Video knows downtown construction is keeping some customers away from his store.

So he decided to take his store to them.

Chet's, a fixture at 1 Essex St. for 20 years, is starting home delivery of movies, candy and popcorn.

Starting Monday, Aug. 26, the deliveries will roll to Marblehead and Swampscott homes six days a week, Monday through Saturday between noon and 3 p.m. and between 5 - 7  p.m. 

There is no charge for the delivery service, but Chet asks that customers order their videos ahead of time. 

The deliveries will continue for at least as long as the construction disruption.

He has heard it could last another two months near his store.

So for at least two months he will be delivering videos including recent favorites such as Mud, starring Matthew McConaughey, and The Place Beyond the Pines, starring Ryan Gosling, and ever popular classics by Alfred Hitchcock.

He started talking about delivering videos about a month ago.

And now that they are moving forward with the idea he, ultimately, is optimistic.

"Where this will take us down the road I am not sure," he said. "It could be a new chapter in the story of the video store." 

It could end up being a permanent feature at one of the last remaining video stores in the region. Maybe it will be a counter-punch to the blows that video mail orders have delivered to video store rentals.

For delivery information call 781-631-9550 and Melissa or Chet will answer your questions. 

The store's walk-in hours are Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Sunday from 12 noon to 9 p.m.