30 CHALDEAN NEWS
30 CHALDEAN NEWS AUGUST 2007
ECONOMICS & enterprise Rising to the Challenge: Eastside video store thrives BY LOREEN BAHRI Despite numerous online rental and On Demand cable movie choices, as well as the muscle of national chains like Blockbuster, Ronnie Karmo has successfully risen above the competition for 22 years with Fast Forward Video in Shelby Township. “The personal attention and the pricing that we give are much, much more competitive than what Blockbuster and Hollywood Video can do,” said Karmo, 44. “With us the overhead is not as much as those major corporations so we are able to beat them with prices.” The video store was purchased by Karmo’s family in 1985 under the name Video Shack. The store started off in the Auburn Plaza southwest of Dequindre, then expanded to a bigger place on the other side of the plaza when business started taking off in July 1988. It was then renamed Fast Forward. Fast Forward Video is up against competitors like Blockbuster.com and Netflix.com that offer online rentals with some 80,000 titles to choose from. Added to the mix is Comcast’s free On Demand service, which allows subscribers to watch films anytime in the comfort of their own homes. So how has Karmo kept in business with all that competition? “We change with the times,” he said. Fast Forward advertises constantly. Karmo offers coupons on the back of Hollywood Markets receipts, and has a five games-five days-five dollars package targeted to gamers. Kid’s movies are always free – and so is the popcorn. Karmo runs his store with the help of manager Dustin Wehrley, 23, and assistant manager Jessica Addison, 20. Rachel Quinn, a Rochester Hills resident and customer for the past 17 years, is sold on Fast Forward. “When we go to Blockbuster, it’s not personal and the same person never waits on you. We love Dustin! We shoot the breeze for like an hour and I can rent three movies for like seven bucks,” she said. “I don’t even think Blockbuster can do that.” Karmo said a major shakeup in the late 1990s changed the industry when movie prices dropped dramatically from - to and less. Retail giants like Wal-Mart, Meijer and Best Buy started to sell movies because it became affordable to carry them. As people began shifting their attention from renting to buying movies, Karmo began selling movies too, with offers like four DVDs for . Karmo’s interests go beyond the video business. He has a passion for music and is the drummer for funk band Slight Return. The group just released an album called “Corporate Pig” and will perform at the Chaldean Festival in the Southfield Civic Center on August 4-5 at 3 p.m. Karmo resides in West Bloomfield with his wife, Fadia, and sons Daniel, 1, and Jacob, 3. “They keep me busy,” he said. Born in Baghdad, Karmo came to the U.S. when he was 15. He is proud of his Chaldean heritage. “I think that Chaldeans are a very hardworking and successful community,” he said. “I am always proud to say that I am Chaldean.” Fast Forward Video is located at 2122 Auburn Road in Shelby Township. Call (586) 254-5130. KARMO’S FLICK PICKS: 1. SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION / 2. MIDNIGHT EXPRESS / 3. SIX DAYS SEVEN NIGHTS / 4. DUMB & DUMBER / 5. GOODFELLAS Ronnie Karmo (left) chats with assistant manager Jessica Addison while manager Dustin Wehrley checks in DVDs. PHOTO BY LOREEN BAHRI AUGUST 2007 CHALDEAN NEWS 31
