‘Ciao! MV’ has some concerned

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Island Entertainment's window saying, Ciao! MV had some Islanders worried the movie rental store was closing its doors for good. — Sophia McCarron

Islanders were horrified to drive by Island Entertainment, the last video rental store on the Island, to see a window painted with the words “Ciao! MV.” “I was shocked,” said MV Times employee Geoff Currier. “Island Entertainment is such an amazing resource, so I did a U-turn and pulled into Island Entertainment, and said, ‘Anne, say it ain’t so. Ciao! MV?”’

Owner Anne Evasick was quick to soothe fears. “We’re sticking around at least until the season is over,” she said later. “If we were leaving, I would make sure you knew about it.”

The window was painted to play off of the movie “Ciao! Manhattan”; however, Evasick said many an Islander has come in concerned. Island Entertainment has been a fixture in Tisbury since 1986, and has become known for a wide selection of movies. Many brick-and-mortar video rental chains, like Blockbuster, have been put out of business by online streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, or HBO Go.

The future of Island Entertainment remains uncertain as well. According to Evasick, the most viable way for the business to keep its doors open would be to become a nonprofit. Many video rental stores have used that model to stay in business. “That way,” Evasick said, “people could support this even though they’re not renting movies. I think they would, because it’s a library.”