GEEKOLOGY 101: So where will we go daddy on Friday after work? Where will we go?

So what do you tell a 4-year-old when it comes to a question like that? How do you make him understand that an important part of his life is being taken away from him? 

I don’t know, do you? 

That is one of the many questions that he asked me when I told him that Movie Magic was not going to be around anymore and it saddens me so.

What was it about Movie Magic that struck a cord with me, with you and with all of us who have ventured into those doors so many times in the past.

Is it the thousands of movie titles that they had laid out before you? No. It wasn’t that.

Was it the knowledgeable staff that could pick out a perfect movie before you even knew that it was perfect for you? Not quite.

Could it be that if a movie wasn’t what you were looking for, there were so many other options to entertain you? Nah.

Was it the owner and operator Kathy Rice and the fact that she knew you the moment you walked in? Now you’re talking.

Kathy knew you and if she didn’t know you, the next time that you came in, she would. That is what made the experience special for me and for my kids.

She just loved her customers so much and we, in turn, loved her back.

So why is it time to say goodbye to this old friend? Why is time to lose yet another business in town that is so vital to our community in so many ways? 

Well, because we didn’t support her. We didn’t want to have to wait in line or go out and actually pick a movie out.

In this age of convenience over quality, it is just so much easier to stream a movie or do a drive by at the little convenient boxes around town.

And now we see the ramifications of those choices. We see where spending money somewhere else can lead us.

And now, after today, Movie Magic will be no more and my son’s favorite place on the entire Earth will be lost to him as it is to me as well.

Movie Magic wasn’t just a video store, it was an institution of Maryville.

Kathy organized several different community events from there. Such events as Downtown Trick or Treat and Free Comic Book day were put together in those very walls.

What becomes of those hallowed events that our kids love so very much? 

Does Downtown Trick or Treat just go away? 

Also, as a Geek, this was my mecca. I could go there for comic books, movies, games and whatever else struck my fancy that day.

Where do the Geeks in all of us go now? 

“You... I got nowhere else to go! I got nowhere else to g... I got nothin' else.”  is a quote from a movie that sums up how I feel right now. (And Kathy or her staff could tell you exactly what movie it was from).

So as the clock ticks down to the closing hours of Movie Magic’s history, go by there and say one final goodbye to the staff, to Kathy and to the experience that was Movie Magic.

I know I am going to be there, possibly until the very end. Just like I would a friend in their last remaining hours.

Because Movie Magic and all that resided there were my friends.

Now more than ever it is time to reflect on what is important to you, in this town, and cherish it because you never know when the last days could be.

If you love the Hangar, go see a movie tonight. If you like hanging out at Best Brands Plus and hearing Cliff’s awful joke of the day, pick up something there and show him your support. Want a donut, Ali’s is just around the corner from Happy Garden.

These are just a few examples and I am sure there are dozens more.

That is the only way to keep important things that mean so much to all of us in town is by our support and our dollars.

Netflix and Red Box will be fine without us.

We won’t be fine now that Movie Magic is gone.

Gary Darling is the geekiest employee at the Maryville Daily Forum. His email is: gdarling@maryvilledailyforum.com. Drop him a line sometime!