Orange Street Video reorganizes
BY MARY LANCASTER INDEPENDENT WRITER
Tom Dickson has lost track of how many times he has had to reassure islanders that his Orange Street Video store is not closing, and is, in fact doing very well and adding a new feature to the building.

ROB BENCHLEY/The Independent Orange Street Video owner Tom Dickson holds shop mascot, Bohdi, as he walks around the store explaining the diversity of his stock.

Although the building owned by Julie Young has been advertised as for sale through Killen Real Estate, Dickson said the building has technically been on the market since he bought the business from Young 10 years ago, but had not been publicized. In addition, because video cassette movies have been replaced by DVDs, last year Dickson started selling his video inventory which cleared out a room at the end of the store. Recently people noticed shelving stacked up outside the building which only increased speculation about what was happening with the business.

"The business is still in good shape. It's March in Nantucket and the rumors are flying," said Dickson, giving a treat to "counter dog" Bohdi, his brown Jack Russell terrier who greets the children coming in the store. "I think the downsizing is what everybody was curious about, but this was a practical business move. It made good sense to consolidate. I have a strong and diverse customer base, a well-informed staff who can help with individual requests and I have no plans to sell."

Instead, having eliminated 5,000 of his 10,000 unit video collection, Dickson is subletting the empty onethird of the building to Buzz Williams and Sarah Hutton who are opening an art gallery, Sar.Z Gallery, there this spring.

"We are a full service DVD rental shop with over 10,000 titles. Now videos are obsolete and DVDs take half the space, so why not utilize the squarefootage as best as possible and lease a third of the shop to Buzz and Sarah?" said Dickson. "I'm happy to be talked about but I'd like it to be in a more positive

context." I