PHOTO BY SEAN COLLIER

For 10 hours last week, a video store was the busiest spot on East Carson Street.

The first soft opening for Vinegar Syndrome Pittsburgh, a new shop specializing in Blu-Ray and DVD movies, records and a variety of other physical media, was held last Thursday and Friday afternoons. Even on a pair of weekdays — and without much hype, as the soft opening was only announced on social media a few days in advance — the storefront was packed.

Couples debated which editions were most vital for their collections. Strangers gathered around a back rack of records sharing recommendations. Movie lovers grabbed piles of rarities from boutique labels and lined up at the register, chatting excitedly with the equally enthusiastic staff. All the patrons seemed to ask the same question: When can we come back?

The movies that customers were eagerly grabbing were not recent blockbusters. Major studios, still trying to shake off the fading siren’s call of streaming, have de-emphasized home video in recent years. The hot items at Vinegar Syndrome — the name, by the way, refers to the chemical reaction that solely causes old film print to discolor — are beautiful editions of older, often obscure, films.

I walked out, for example, with a beautiful restoration of the 1946 Universal whodunit “The Cat Creeps,” a 4K edition of the surreal 2000 horror flick “The Cell” and a Criterion Edition Blu-Ray of Brian De Palma’s 1980 thriller “Dressed to Kill.”

Many of the titles on display here are manufactured by Vinegar Syndrome themselves. The company, which is based in Connecticut, has since 2012 focused on “perform[ing] the highest quality digital film preservations achievable on titles that, in many cases, would otherwise deteriorate beyond the point of saving.” That mission can include a wide range of titles, but the company focuses on forgotten or overlooked titles from the latter half of the 20th century.

PHOTO BY SEAN COLLIER

The storefront, at 1410 East Carson Street, also has ample collections from other boutique labels — Criterion, Arrow, Severin and plenty more — and a curated selection of used copies. The Pittsburgh location, which is mostly decked out in horror swag (including some autographed posters and other memorabilia rescued from the nearby, defunct Smiling Moose), is the company’s fourth brick-and-mortar store, after locations in their native Bridgeport, Toronto and Denver.

I’ve been a fan of Vinegar Syndrome for years, having ordered fascinating new titles off of their website. Judging by the ecstatic reaction at the soft opening, plenty of the other early patrons were as well. And while I’m clearly biased, what I saw last week was a compelling (if circumstantial) piece of evidence for a trend I’ve seen growing, slowly, for a few years.

People are finally realizing that movies, like records and books, are worth owning.

We’ve never questioned the continued popularity of physical books, despite the advent of e-readers — nor do we look askance at record stores in the age of music streaming. Yet it seemed, for some time, that we would entirely abandon our physical copies of films in favor of streaming services.

I’m grateful for the convenience and wide range of access that streaming offers, and watch plenty of movies through one digital service or another. But because I also still collect physical media, I can assure you: Streaming leaves a lot to be desired. Video quality is poor and variable; interruptions are common; even paid services break up movies with commercials. Audio is often downright bad.

Home media, on the other hand, often looks and sounds great — particularly nicer Blu-Ray or 4K editions.

More importantly, though, there’s a reason why you can remember individual VHS tapes you owned decades ago but struggle to recall what you streamed last week. The tangible experience of home media is a key component to the enjoyment of it — going to a store, selecting a film, taking it home and settling in to watch. This is only amplified by actually owning a film; in the way that newer printings of records have leaned into aesthetic presentation, better home-video labels (and Vinegar Syndrome is one of the best) package beautiful collector’s editions of films that you’ll actually want to put on a shelf in your home.

You know: Just like you already do with books.

If you’re skeptical, give it a try: Vinegar Syndrome is planning a few more days of soft opening in the coming weeks before a planned grand opening in late October. Go in, pick out something that catches your eye, and then take it home and enjoy it.

You’ll find it’s a much better experience than scrolling through a menu and clicking on a title.